A pill for multiple sclerosis (MS) could be available after regulators agree to grant a licence.
MS is the most common disabling neurological condition, affecting almost 100,000 Britons. Every week 50 young people are diagnosed with it.
The drug, fingolimod, has been found to slow down the progress of the disease and has been given preliminary approval by EU regulators.
The once-a-day pill should be available in the UK later this year, giving MS sufferers a simple alternative to self-injections at least once a week or hospital visits for infusions. Symptoms vary significantly from mild illness involving numbness, muscle weakness and visual disability to blindness, paralysis, or even death.
For some sufferers, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission, while others have a progressively worsening pattern.
Trial results show fingolimod, also known as Gilenya, cuts relapse rates for MS patients and slows the disease's progression.
The international study looked at 1,272 MS patients. Those treated with fingolimod had a 50 per cent cut in disabling relapses compared with commonly used injections of beta interferon.
The chances of progressing to a worse form of MS were cut by about a third with no significant side effects.
Jayne Spink of the MS Society said: "The availability of a tablet to treat the condition will give people more choice and for many will come as a welcome relief from frequent injections."
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
syncope Attack
What is syncope?
The term syncope means cessation, cutting short or pause. In medical practice, syncope refers to an episodic loss of consciousness and postural tone and an inability to stand, due to diminished flow of blood to the brain. It is synonymous in everyday language with fainting. Feeling faint and feeling of faintness are also commonly used terms to describe sudden loss of strength and other symptoms that characterize the impending or incomplete fainting spell. Incomplete fainting spell is called presyncope. Syncope is abrupt in onset, lasts for a brief period and it recovery is complete and spontaneous without any specific resuscitative measures.
Faintness and syncope are among the most common of all medical phenomenons. In day-to-day life, every person has experienced some syncopal or presyncopal attacks. The patient may refer to the symptoms as light-headedness, giddiness, dizziness, a drunken feeling or a blackout.
Clinical features of syncope:
The commonest type of faint is the vasovagal syncope. It is also called vaso depressor syncope. The person is usually standing or sitting at the beginning of the attack. The patient may feel certain symptoms (called prodromal symptoms) before the attack, like giddiness or apprehension and sway. Sometimes he may develop a headache and pallor of the face. There is sweating over the body and face. Salivation, stomach discomfort, nausea and sometimes vomiting can occur. Vision may dim and there may be ringing sound in the ear. The prodromal symptoms vary from a few seconds to minutes. At this time, if the patient lies down, there will not be loss of consciousness and he will recover completely. If the prodromal symptoms progress into an attack of syncope, the consciousness is lost and the person will fall to the ground. The patient lies motionless and the pulse is weak. Blood pressure is reduced. There is striking facial pallor and breathing is shallow. Once the patient is lying down, the blood flow to the brain is no longer reduced. The color of the skin becomes pink, breathing becomes quicker and deeper and consciousness is regained. There is no confusion, headache and drowsiness after the attack.
Causes of syncope:
Neurogenic vasodepressor reactions:
Vasovagal syncope, carotid sinus hypersensitivity
Diminished venous return to the heart during urination, coughing, straining, weightlifting
Intrinsic psychic stimuli like fear, anxiety, and sight of blood.
Sympathetic nervous system innervation failure leading to postural-Orthostatic hypotension
Diabetes
Gullain Barre syndrome
Antihypertensive medications
Parkinsonism
Spinal cord trauma
Diminished cardiac output due to
Disease of heart
Reduced blood volume form dehydration or blood loss.
Other causes
Anemia
Hypoxia
Hypoglycemia
Anxiety attacks
Environmental overheating
Conditions that may mimic syncope:
Anxiety attacks and hyperventilation syndrome: Here there is light-headedness but there is no loss of consciousness. There is no facial pallor.
Hypoglycemia
Acute blood loss
Transient cerebral ischemic attacks
Drop attacks: the patient falls frequently to the ground without warning symptoms and without loss of consciousness. There is no dizziness. The usual cause for this is diminished blood flow causing ischemia to the brainstem
Seizures
What are the tests required to diagnose syncope?
A detailed physical examination is necessary to rule out medical diseases. Blood pressure and pulse should be checked in standing and lying down procedures to rule out orthostatic hypotension. ECG should be taken to rule out cardiac disease. Continuous electrocardiogram monitoring is helpful in ruling out arrhythmias as a cause of syncopal attack. Tilt table test is more useful.
What are the treatments available for syncope?
When patient is seen in the initial stages of fainting, he should be placed in such away that blood flow to the brain is maximal. He should be made to lie down with legs elevated. All tight clothing should be loosened. He must be turned to side to prevent aspiration if he vomits and to keep the airway intact. Nothing should be given to the patient through mouth till he is fully conscious. The patient should be made to rise only after he fully recovers and be watched carefully for a few minutes.
Myocardial infarction and hemorrhage should be rule out. In postural hypotension, patient is advised not to get up from bed suddenly. Elastic stocking may be helpful. The foot end of the bed should be kept raised by wooden blocks. Special corticosteroids like fludrocortisone and increased salt intake may be helpful in chronic orthostatic hypotension .In carotid sinus syncope; the patient is advised to wear dresses with loose collar and not to turn the head suddenly. In elderly patients, trauma due to fall is frequent. So the rooms should be carpeted. Out door walking should be on soft ground rather than hard surfaces.
The term syncope means cessation, cutting short or pause. In medical practice, syncope refers to an episodic loss of consciousness and postural tone and an inability to stand, due to diminished flow of blood to the brain. It is synonymous in everyday language with fainting. Feeling faint and feeling of faintness are also commonly used terms to describe sudden loss of strength and other symptoms that characterize the impending or incomplete fainting spell. Incomplete fainting spell is called presyncope. Syncope is abrupt in onset, lasts for a brief period and it recovery is complete and spontaneous without any specific resuscitative measures.
Faintness and syncope are among the most common of all medical phenomenons. In day-to-day life, every person has experienced some syncopal or presyncopal attacks. The patient may refer to the symptoms as light-headedness, giddiness, dizziness, a drunken feeling or a blackout.
Clinical features of syncope:
The commonest type of faint is the vasovagal syncope. It is also called vaso depressor syncope. The person is usually standing or sitting at the beginning of the attack. The patient may feel certain symptoms (called prodromal symptoms) before the attack, like giddiness or apprehension and sway. Sometimes he may develop a headache and pallor of the face. There is sweating over the body and face. Salivation, stomach discomfort, nausea and sometimes vomiting can occur. Vision may dim and there may be ringing sound in the ear. The prodromal symptoms vary from a few seconds to minutes. At this time, if the patient lies down, there will not be loss of consciousness and he will recover completely. If the prodromal symptoms progress into an attack of syncope, the consciousness is lost and the person will fall to the ground. The patient lies motionless and the pulse is weak. Blood pressure is reduced. There is striking facial pallor and breathing is shallow. Once the patient is lying down, the blood flow to the brain is no longer reduced. The color of the skin becomes pink, breathing becomes quicker and deeper and consciousness is regained. There is no confusion, headache and drowsiness after the attack.
Causes of syncope:
Neurogenic vasodepressor reactions:
Vasovagal syncope, carotid sinus hypersensitivity
Diminished venous return to the heart during urination, coughing, straining, weightlifting
Intrinsic psychic stimuli like fear, anxiety, and sight of blood.
Sympathetic nervous system innervation failure leading to postural-Orthostatic hypotension
Diabetes
Gullain Barre syndrome
Antihypertensive medications
Parkinsonism
Spinal cord trauma
Diminished cardiac output due to
Disease of heart
Reduced blood volume form dehydration or blood loss.
Other causes
Anemia
Hypoxia
Hypoglycemia
Anxiety attacks
Environmental overheating
Conditions that may mimic syncope:
Anxiety attacks and hyperventilation syndrome: Here there is light-headedness but there is no loss of consciousness. There is no facial pallor.
Hypoglycemia
Acute blood loss
Transient cerebral ischemic attacks
Drop attacks: the patient falls frequently to the ground without warning symptoms and without loss of consciousness. There is no dizziness. The usual cause for this is diminished blood flow causing ischemia to the brainstem
Seizures
What are the tests required to diagnose syncope?
A detailed physical examination is necessary to rule out medical diseases. Blood pressure and pulse should be checked in standing and lying down procedures to rule out orthostatic hypotension. ECG should be taken to rule out cardiac disease. Continuous electrocardiogram monitoring is helpful in ruling out arrhythmias as a cause of syncopal attack. Tilt table test is more useful.
What are the treatments available for syncope?
When patient is seen in the initial stages of fainting, he should be placed in such away that blood flow to the brain is maximal. He should be made to lie down with legs elevated. All tight clothing should be loosened. He must be turned to side to prevent aspiration if he vomits and to keep the airway intact. Nothing should be given to the patient through mouth till he is fully conscious. The patient should be made to rise only after he fully recovers and be watched carefully for a few minutes.
Myocardial infarction and hemorrhage should be rule out. In postural hypotension, patient is advised not to get up from bed suddenly. Elastic stocking may be helpful. The foot end of the bed should be kept raised by wooden blocks. Special corticosteroids like fludrocortisone and increased salt intake may be helpful in chronic orthostatic hypotension .In carotid sinus syncope; the patient is advised to wear dresses with loose collar and not to turn the head suddenly. In elderly patients, trauma due to fall is frequent. So the rooms should be carpeted. Out door walking should be on soft ground rather than hard surfaces.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Interstitial lung disease
What is ILD
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a disease that occurs when scar tissue forms in the interstitium – the space between the lungs' air sacs (alveoli). The process that leads to interstitial lung disease begins when the tissue of the lungs is damaged and the walls of the alveoli become inflamed. Sometimes this inflammation heals, but when it doesn't it can lead to scarring (fibrosis) in the space between the air sacs. This in turn causes the lungs to become stiff and prevents them from properly transporting oxygen. The level of injury and discomfort associated with ILD depends on the amount of scarring.
The term ILD is used to distinguish these diseases from obstructive airways diseases. Prolonged ILD may result in pulmonary fibrosis, but this is not always the case. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is one form of "interstitial lung disease".
Causes of Interstitial Lung Disease
There are more than 100 known causes of interstitial lung disease. They include, among others:
. Exposure to asbestos
. Infections
. Drug reactions
. Heart failure
.Sarcoidosis (formation of granulomas [inflamed cells] that can attack the lungs)
. Radiation (from cancer treatment)
. Connective tissue/collagen diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, etc.)
. Genetics (this is rare)
. Allergic reactions (one common example is "farmer's lung," a reaction to moldy hay)
Symptoms
Some signs of the disease are shortness of breath, labored breathing, a persistent dry cough, chest pain, wheezing and fingernails that curve over the tops of your fingers. Symptoms of ILD lung disease typically worsen with time.
Investigation is tailored towards the symptoms and signs. Most patients have blood testing, chest x-ray, pulmonary function testing, and high resolution CT thorax. A lung biopsy is required if the clinical history and imaging are not clearly suggestive of a specific diagnosis or malignancy cannot otherwise be ruled out.
Treatment
ILD is not a single disease, but encompasses many different pathological processes. Hence treatment is different for each disease. If a specific occupational exposure cause is found, the person should avoid that environment. If a drug cause is suspected, that drug should be discontinued.
There is no cure for ILD lung disease, but doctors often prescribe treatment like oxygen therapy, corticosteroid drugs to reduce lung inflammation and medications like bosentan and pirfenidone to help prevent scarring
The rate at which a case of interstitial lung disease will progress is unpredictable, but as it does, the affected lung tissue gets thicker, scars and leads to difficulty breathing. Some forms of ILD can be treated with medication (for inflammation), but to alleviate breathing problems oxygen is often required. By working closely with your doctor, you should be able to determine which treatments are most appropriate for your case.
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a disease that occurs when scar tissue forms in the interstitium – the space between the lungs' air sacs (alveoli). The process that leads to interstitial lung disease begins when the tissue of the lungs is damaged and the walls of the alveoli become inflamed. Sometimes this inflammation heals, but when it doesn't it can lead to scarring (fibrosis) in the space between the air sacs. This in turn causes the lungs to become stiff and prevents them from properly transporting oxygen. The level of injury and discomfort associated with ILD depends on the amount of scarring.
The term ILD is used to distinguish these diseases from obstructive airways diseases. Prolonged ILD may result in pulmonary fibrosis, but this is not always the case. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is one form of "interstitial lung disease".
Causes of Interstitial Lung Disease
There are more than 100 known causes of interstitial lung disease. They include, among others:
. Exposure to asbestos
. Infections
. Drug reactions
. Heart failure
.Sarcoidosis (formation of granulomas [inflamed cells] that can attack the lungs)
. Radiation (from cancer treatment)
. Connective tissue/collagen diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, etc.)
. Genetics (this is rare)
. Allergic reactions (one common example is "farmer's lung," a reaction to moldy hay)
Symptoms
Some signs of the disease are shortness of breath, labored breathing, a persistent dry cough, chest pain, wheezing and fingernails that curve over the tops of your fingers. Symptoms of ILD lung disease typically worsen with time.
Investigation is tailored towards the symptoms and signs. Most patients have blood testing, chest x-ray, pulmonary function testing, and high resolution CT thorax. A lung biopsy is required if the clinical history and imaging are not clearly suggestive of a specific diagnosis or malignancy cannot otherwise be ruled out.
Treatment
ILD is not a single disease, but encompasses many different pathological processes. Hence treatment is different for each disease. If a specific occupational exposure cause is found, the person should avoid that environment. If a drug cause is suspected, that drug should be discontinued.
There is no cure for ILD lung disease, but doctors often prescribe treatment like oxygen therapy, corticosteroid drugs to reduce lung inflammation and medications like bosentan and pirfenidone to help prevent scarring
The rate at which a case of interstitial lung disease will progress is unpredictable, but as it does, the affected lung tissue gets thicker, scars and leads to difficulty breathing. Some forms of ILD can be treated with medication (for inflammation), but to alleviate breathing problems oxygen is often required. By working closely with your doctor, you should be able to determine which treatments are most appropriate for your case.
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