Beware! The Hidden Dangers of Euro 2016 you are Oblivious to…

The European Championship in France is now less than three months away and there has been widespread concern regarding security risks, following recent terror attacks in the capital. With this in mind, UEFA commented last month ensuring appropriate mechanisms would be in place to ensure a “safe and secure” tournament for all those involved.

However, could there other risks for fans travelling to France for Euro 2016? Perhaps looking after one’s own health will not be the number one priority for most supporters whilst in another country and cheering on their national team, but Medical Specialists® Pharmacy would like to stress the importance of looking after your health during this time – and indeed any other time – as well as managing any health condition you may have.

One major health issue facing France is the problem of air pollution – a problem which last year the French Senate committee estimated the annual cost to be at €101.3 billion within a report they published.

The two key air pollutants that can affect asthmatics are ozone (found in smog) and particle pollution (found in haze, smoke, and dust). When ozone and particle pollution are present in the air, children or adults with asthma are at a higher risk of symptoms. The World Health Organisation (WHO) state that particle pollution is responsible for 42,000 premature deaths each year in France alone.

It is often acknowledged by health experts that air pollutants often act as a trigger to make people’s asthma symptoms worse. Asthma UK have previously said: “Two-thirds of people with asthma tell us that traffic fumes make their asthma worse and 42% find that traffic fumes discourage them from walking or shopping in congested areas. And 85% of people with asthma tell us they are concerned about the effect that increasing vehicle fumes will have on their and their family’s health in the future.”

Therefore, anyone wanting to get in a lung-busting jog to burn off those match day drinks and pies would be advised to do so in the morning, a time when both ozone levels and pollen counts tend to be lower. In addition, if possible, try to keep at least 50 feet from auto exhaust and heavily trafficked roads during either walking or jogging; walking paths or forest trails would be ideal for asthma sufferers. Perhaps most importantly, Medical Specialists® cannot stress enough how critical it is that anyone with asthma travelling to France in June must remember to take their blue reliever and brown preventer inhalers!

Inhalers should be accompanied by antihistamines if you also suffer with hayfever. Not everybody with asthma has hayfever, but many do, and your asthma symptoms may worsen if you also have hayfever. March to September is typically the peak time for pollen counts and when people need to be taking their antihistamines daily, such as Loratadine, Cetirizine, etc.

The west coast of France is usually the best place to be during hayfever season as pollen counts are generally low. Unfortunately, the only games being held there will be in Bordeaux. More inland, France has lush vegetation, where pollen counts can be very high. The south of France and the French Riviera are particularly known for their high pollen counts, meaning supporters with hayfever that are travelling to games held in Marseille, Nice and Toulouse, should prepare accordingly. Also, grass pollen poses the greatest risk within areas around Paris – another city playing host to fixtures – and tree pollen counts can also be high.

Back in late June 2013, hayfever sufferers across France were put on a ‘red alert’, warned of a massive peak in the levels of grass and cereal pollen in the air for the first two weeks of July at least, which is when Euro 2016 will be taking place this year. Therefore, don’t ruin your experience of Euro 2016 by forgetting your hayfever treatment…the only tears we expect to see will be from an England inevitable early exit from the tournament, although hopefully that won’t be the case!

Of course we don’t want to stereotype the average football fan, but with thousands of passionate football fans flocking overseas to see their team in action, this can lead to some ‘boisterous’ behaviour. With England and Wales both having two group B games kicking off at 8pm, this leaves plenty of spare time in the day, which can mean fans spilling into cafes, pubs, and bars hours before the game has even kicked off.

During a single drinking session try to limit how much you drink, drink more slowly, drink with food and alternate with water or non-alcoholic drinks. In another city, country, or in a risky or unfamiliar situations in general, it is imperative to keep a close track of alcohol consumption. Being too drunk could leave you vulnerable and at risk from others, or unable to look after your friends and loved ones.
Alcohol affects the ability to make sensible, rational decisions, resulting in more careless and risky behaviours. One such behaviour – linked intrinsically to excessive alcohol consumption – is having unprotected sex. Maybe England and/or Wales will advance far beyond the group stages of Euro 2016, but this is no excuse to throw caution to the wind and forget usual safe sex practices in the process.

Any sexually active adult should always carry and use condoms when required, so don’t forget to pack them before making the journey to France. The last thing you would want to bring home besides a depleted bank account and hangover will be a sexually transmitted infection or unwanted pregnancy.
Medical Specialists® Pharmacy don’t wish to be total party poopers though! As the 2016 European Championship in France is nearing, the excitement is building as the nation’s hopes of a first tournament success in 60 years (the 1966 World Cup remains the last taste of glory for England) will rest on the young shoulders of the England football team.

Optimism has reached fever pitch following March’s incredibly impressive 3-2 win over reigning World champions, Germany, with a particularly standout performance from 19-year-old Dele Alli, a player many are tipping to be a star of Euro 2016.

There will be thousands of Brits flocking over the English Channel in June, in time for both England’s opening game against Russia on Saturday 11 June and Wales v Slovakia on the same day. We hope that everyone making the trip to France enjoys the tournament and fantastic atmosphere that accompanies such events, just remember to look after your health and wellbeing too!

Air pollution linked to thousands of deaths

Thousands of lives are being put at grave danger from exposure to pollution emitted from everyday household objects and appliances, according to the findings of a new report.

Health problems could be linked to linked to frequently used items such as air fresheners, candles, cleaning products, fly sprays, personal care products, mould or mildew, fires or wood-burning stoves and poorly maintained gas heaters and boilers, claims the report conducted by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), titled Every Breath We Take: the lifelong impact of air pollution.

A person’s house itself and the materials it has been constructed could also be a source of concern regarding chemical pollutants. The authors say: “These include the construction materials, as well as paints, glues, furniture, wallpaper and drapery. Cleaning and DIY products, air fresheners and other consumer products such as insecticide sprays that we use in the home are also important.”

It has long been common knowledge that smoking causes indoor air pollution, but now health experts have warned of several other items that are risking the onset of conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), respiratory problems, cancer and heart problems.

The report even claims indoor air pollution may have caused or contributed to at least 40,000 deaths a year in the UK, and 99,000 deaths in total in just one year across Europe.

Though being indoors may help to protect people from harmful outdoor pollution, this means that there is more time spent being exposed to pollution from inside their own homes, with the authors arguing that the drive to bringing energy costs by creating homes with tighter ventilation may be worsening the situation.

“Being indoors can offer some protection against outdoor air pollution, but it can also expose us to other air pollution sources,” the authors wrote.

“There is now good awareness of the risks from badly maintained gas appliances, radioactive radon gas and second-hand tobacco smoke, but indoors we can also be exposed to NO2 from gas cooking and solvents that slowly seep from plastics, paints and furnishings.

“The lemon and pine scents that we use to make our homes smell fresh can react chemically to generate air pollutants, and ozone-based air fresheners can also cause indoor air pollution.”

In particularly, the report highlighted the danger of potentially fatal carbon monoxide released from faulty boilers and heaters, in addition to the particulates and nitrogen oxides coming from heating and cooking appliances which can damage the lungs and heart.

Perhaps the most worrying alarming aspects of air pollution mentioned in the report is the threat posed by the common household items used daily by millions of people, like fresheners and personal hygiene, DIY and cleaning products.

Finally, the report concluded how there could be many more thousands of deaths from both inside and outside the home than has been previously thought.

Back in 2008, 29,000 deaths across the UK each year was the figure estimated as a result of long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution, but the latest estimates now put the figure at about 40,000.

Air pollution has been attributed to health problems such as asthma, cancer, dementia, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and stroke.

Air Pollution, Hay fever and the Treatment

Every year in the UK millions of people experience the discomfort and symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis, better known as hay fever. In fact, health experts say Britain currently has one of the highest rates of hay fever in the world with around a quarter of the population suffering with it.

2014 UK Air Pollution

As many will know, this week has seen many parts of the UK affected by high levels of air pollution. The smog-like conditions are a dangerous mix of dust from the Sahara with local and continental pollution. One poll conducted this week of 532 asthmatics for Asthma UK discovered that 30% have suffered an attack because of the pollution and 84% said they are using their blue reliever inhaler more frequently than usual.

Dr Keith Prowse, honorary medical adviser to the British Lung Foundation, spoke of the danger the Saharan dust and air pollution may have a “significant impact” on those with respiratory problems.
“People who use a reliever inhaler should make sure that they carry it with them. If they feel that their conditions are worsening then they should contact their GPs” he said.

According to the Defra (the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) website, those with lung and heart conditions have been told to cut down or avoid outdoor strenuous physical activity and those feeling the repercussions of pollution – including sore eyes, coughs and sore throats – are advised to reduce the amount of activity and time spent outdoors.

Hay fever symptoms and cause

Symptoms include sneezing, a blocked or runny, nose, headaches, red, itchy, or watery eyes, and are caused by an allergic reaction from pollen in the air that has been released from grasses, weeds or trees, usually during the spring and summer months. The plants produce ‘allergens’ – substances that trigger an allergic reaction.

For those unfortunately with hay fever, your body is producing immunoglobulin when you come into contact with pollen allergens and mistakes it for something harmful like a virus, your immune system overreacts and then the release of chemicals is triggered into certain cells in the eyes, nose and throat. One of the chemicals is histamine and it is this histamine which is responsible for the troublesome symptoms of hay fever.

Treatment

Prior to seeing a GP, you can speak to your local pharmacist about your symptoms as over-the-counter medicines may be able to help such as antihistamines; Loratadine is a popular non-drowsy antihistamine and can be taken as an ‘as required’ treatment when symptoms arise or as a ‘preventative’ method before you leave the house and know the pollen count is high. Non-drowsy antihistamine nasal sprays such as Prevalin can also be used to relieve the symptoms of hay fever in the nose and eyes. Alomide eye drops is another over-the-counter treatment are used to relieve the symptoms of hay fever such as red, itchy, watery and puffy eyes. The eye drops need to be used regularly to achieve relief from the symptoms. Once your symptoms improve, you should continue to use the drops regularly for as long as necessary to prevent the allergy.

There is also prescription-only corticosteroid nasal sprays such as Nasonex, which works at reducing the inflammation inside your nose after pollen has triggered an allergic reaction. Whether it’s hay fever, dust allergies or a seasonal problem, Nasonex can prevent you from suffering and allow you to enjoy life again.

All of the above treatments are available today from Medical Specialists™ Pharmacy at low prices, in addition to a wide range of asthma inhalers such as the blue reliever Ventolin Evohaler; asthma has been often linked to hay fever and both conditions need to be closely monitored and treated.

Who is at risk?

Around 2 in 10 people in the UK have hay fever, usually beginning in childhood and during the teenage years. The condition may actually disappear or improve in some cases, usually after suffering with symptoms each season for many years.

It is unclear what causes the immune system to react in the way it does to cause hay fever, but the condition tends to run in families. Your hay fever risk is also increased if you already have asthma or eczema or if you have already have hay fever, you are more likely to develop eczema or asthma.
The pollen count

The millions of people with hay fever are probably familiar with something called the pollen count, which is average number of pollen grains within one cubic metre of air over a period of 24 hours. As different people may have symptoms from certain types of pollen only, there are pollen counts for grass, tree and weed pollen and fungal spores and sufferers are usually advised to monitor weekly pollen forecasts so they can decide when it is best to begin or stop treatment. The pollen count is affected by weather and there is normally more pollen on dry, sunny days and much less pollen in the air when it is raining.

The pollen count forecast is normally judged as:

. Low: less than 30 grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air.
. Moderate: 30-49 grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air.
. High: 50-149 grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air.
. Very high: 150 or more grains of pollen in every cubic metre of air.
In the UK, the pollen count season is segregated into three sections:

. Tree pollen – late March to mid-May.
. Grass pollen – mid-May to July.
. Weed pollen – end of June to September.

This is only an approximate guide, with the pollen count season occasionally starting in January or ending as late as November.

As noted earlier, allergens may also cause asthma symptoms to flare-up such as a shortness of breath, tight chest and coughing and wheezing. There has been evidence to show a clear association between hay fever and asthma and your asthma symptoms may become more severe when your hay fever symptoms occur fever, or asthma symptoms may only flare-up when you have hay fever. People with both conditions should speak to their GP or an asthma nurse as soon as possible as it is imperative to treat both conditions with the appropriate medicines.

Air pollution puts obese children at higher risk from asthma

A new study shows that obese children exposed to high levels of air pollution could be three times more likely to develop asthma in comparison to their peers who are not obese and exposed to less air pollutants.

This conclusion was drawn up by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), who analysed 311 children in predominantly Dominican and African-American areas of New York City.

The air within each child’s home was monitored for a period of two weeks at age 5 or 6, in order to assess that child’s exposure to a type of air pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).

In addition, the child’s height and weight were tracked and respiratory questionnaires were asked. It was found that 20% of the children were suffering from asthma and going off body mass index, 20% could be classified as obese.

It was determined that high exposure to PAH exposure was only linked to asthma for the obese children. The link was due to alkylated forms of PAH; released by a variety of things such as candles, cooking, cigarette smoke, incense, and more.

A two-to-three-fold rise in asthma risk was witnessed amongst obese children that were exposed to significant levels of PAH chemicals 1-methylphenanthrene and 9-methylphenanthrene, but just PAH or obesity on their own could not foresee asthma risk.

Lead author Kyung Hwa Jung, PhD, associate research scientist in the Department of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, said: “Our results suggest that obesity may magnify the effects of these air pollutants, putting children at greater risk for having asthma.”

The study is useful as it could result in the development of better targeted treatment. “These findings suggest that we may be able to bring down childhood asthma rates by curbing indoor, as well as outdoor, air pollution and by implementing age-appropriate diet and exercise programs,” commented senior author Rachel Miller, MD, Professor of Medicine (in Pediatrics) and Environmental Health Sciences, chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at CUMC, and co-deputy director of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health.

Asthma and obesity are two conditions that have been on the increase in recent decades, both in the US and in the UK.

Obviously this study was conducted in the US, where the percentage of American children who are obese has risen from 7% in 1980 to 20% in 2008, while childhood asthma has gone up from 4% in 1980 to 10% in 2009.

In the UK, there are 5.4 million people currently receiving treatment for asthma, of which 1.1 million are children (1 in 11) and 4.3 million are adults (1 in 12). Last year a 11-year-old boy from Manchester hit the headlines after weighing in at a staggering 24 stone.

High levels of air pollution can age the brain by 3 years

A study recently presented in San Diego at The Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA) 65th Annual Scientific Meeting, has linked a high level of air pollution to cognitive decline, with data suggesting that increased pollution levels could be ageing the brains of over-50s by up to three years. In addition, previous research had also found that the problems of pollution are connected to cardiovascular and respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD. This is because pollutants such as cigarette smoke and car exhaust fumes emit gases and particles into the atmosphere, causing irritation to the airways.

The latest research on air pollution was conducted by the US-based National Institute on Aging, who analysed 14,793 men and women aged over 50. The scientists specifically looked at the results of cognitive tests and correlated the results against geographical data of air pollution.  Participants were tested on knowledge, language, orientation and word recall, being measured on a scale of 1 to 35.
As it currently stands, health experts estimate that air pollution is already effecting the heart and lungs and slashing the life expectancy of everybody living in the United Kingdom by approximately seven to eight months.

The U.S. scientists were studying exactly how the particle matter ‘PM2.5’ affected health and well-being of the participants. PM2.5 is released via dust, dirt, liquid droplets, soot and smoke. It is commonly breathed in after being emitted by vehicle exhaust emissions, in addition to gas boilers and heavy industry.  The name PM2.5 stems from the fact that the particles which are 2.5 micrometres in diameter or smaller, are unfortunately small enough to be inhaled and deposit deep inside the lungs and the brain.

In order to obtain accurate information, numerous factors were taken into account such as age, race/ethnicity, education, smoking behaviour and respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. It was determined that exposure to fine air particulate matter ranged from 4.1 to 20.7 micrograms (mcg) per cubic metre, and for every extra 10 micrograms of PM2.5 in a cubic metre of air (about the difference between inner London and rural Britain), the decline of brain power in the study subjects equated to roughly three years of ageing.

Dr Jennifer Ailshire, from the Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California, carried out the analysing by utilising data obtained from the American Environmental Protection Agency and the Health and Retirement Study. Regarding the results of the research, she said: “As a result of age-related declines in health and functioning, older adults are particularly vulnerable to the hazards of exposure to unhealthy air. Air pollution has been linked to increased cardiovascular and respiratory problems, and even premature death, in older populations, and there is emerging evidence that exposure to particulate air pollution may have adverse effects on brain health and functioning as well.”

Adding to Dr Ailshire’s comments was Professor Frank Kelly, a professor of environmental health at King’s College London. He offered his thoughts on the problem of air pollution and said: “The average amount of this pollutant in London is around 13 to 15 mcg per cubic metre, while in some rural areas away from traffic it can be as low as three or four mcg. The research shows that living somewhere with clean air means your will retain your brain power for a longer period of time than if you live in an urban area. Here is another study showing that the quality of the air that we breathe can not only affect for our heart and lungs, but our brains as well.”