Asthmatics ‘face increased risk of pulmonary embolism’

Continuing from where we left off a few days ago, we are again focusing on the lung condition asthma – of which an estimated 5.4 million in the UK alone suffer with according to the charity Asthma UK.

Research conducted by Scientists at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, suggests that having ‘severe’ asthma increases the risk of developing a potentially fatal blood clot in the lungs – also known as a pulmonary embolism.

A pulmonary embolism is a serious and sometimes life-threatening condition whereby one of the arteries in the lungs becomes blocked usually because of a blood clot and results in a prevention of blood reaching the lungs from the heart. There may be more than just the one clot and can differ in their size.

Symptoms can include a chest pain which feels like a sharp stabbing sensation that feels worse after inhalation, shortness of breath that can either slowly develop or strike suddenly, coughing (sometimes blood or mucus appear) and feeling faint or dizzy is another main sign of a pulmonary embolism.
They often happen when part or all of a blood clot moves from one of the deep veins in your legs, travelling into your lungs. A clot within one of these deep veins is known as ‘deep vein thrombosis’ (DVT), apparently occurring randomly but is usually following extended periods of inactivity, such as during a hospital stay with illness or after a long-haul flight.

Past studies have identified connections between chronic lung diseases and blood clots such as DVT. However this study, published online in the European Respiratory Journal, is the first of its kind to analyse if there are any associations with asthma.

The study involved 650 asthmatic participants from the Netherlands aged 18 to 88. They were compared against members of general population who did not have asthma. Investigators deduced that people with severe asthma were at an almost 9 times bigger risk of pulmonary embolism, whereas the study subjects found to have mild to moderate asthma had a 3.5-times elevated risk.

Study lead author Dr. Christof Majoor, of the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, spoke out in a news release from the European Lung Foundation, saying: “This is the first time a link has been found between asthma and pulmonary embolism and we believe these results have important clinical implications. Our findings suggest that people with severe asthma have an increased risk of pulmonary embolism and doctors should increase their awareness of the possibility of this occurrence in order to help prevent this serious event.”

Stephen Fry’s asthma worries at Christmas

Christmas day is now only four days away and when it comes to health, most people will be primarily concerned with how much stodgy food they are indulging in for fear of adding an extra few inches to their waistline.

Perhaps surprisingly though, there are another group of people besides the weight-conscious who should possibly be concerned at Christmas time – asthma sufferers.

Comedian, actor and TV Personality Stephen Fry is one of many celebrity asthma sufferers and Fry will be completely avoiding any festive bubbly with worry that even one drink could trigger an asthma attack and kill him.

He says: “Christmas parties are generally a lot of fun but I have to make sure that I avoid champagne because it triggers my asthma symptoms. People don’t always realise that there are all sorts of different triggers for asthma, including plenty of things that are in abundance during the festive season. Champagne can leave a lot of people feeling poorly the next day but for me it is far more serious because it could trigger a potentially fatal asthma attack.”

Fry’s comments came in the wake of the charity Asthma UK warning that approximately 200 people in Britain will require hospital treatment on Christmas day due to their asthma symptoms. Fry himself experienced a scary situation last month at a film screening when he was struck down with an asthma attack, and carelessly did not have a blue reliever inhaler in his possession, such as the widely used Ventolin Evohaler.

The 55-year old comedian suffered with breathing difficulties and had to resort to asking surrounding guests if anybody had an inhaler he could use. Luckily for him, other asthma sufferers at the screening were not so careless and did indeed have their inhalers. Fry later posted a tweet on his Twitter account saying: “Just had a surprise asthma attack at a screening. Got up to ask if anyone had an inhaler, so many hands went up. Saved.”

As the UK are fully in the midst of a bitterly cold winter, the decreasing temperatures alone are just one risk factor for triggering an asthma attack and therefore people are advised to wrap up warm.
However, as the cold winter months mean more people spend larger amounts of time indoors; this in itself can create a whole new set of potential asthma triggers that are just waiting to cause problems for sufferers.



For example, it might sound an exciting prospect giving your child a new pet puppy or kitten for Christmas, but if your child is an asthma sufferer then this could be disastrous for their lungs. These animals shed a high volume of something called ‘dander’ – a combination of dead skin cells and hair (or feathers) that can bring on asthma attacks and allergic reactions in those who are sensitive to these allergens. It if is determined by a doctor that your child’s allergies or asthma is worsened by dander then you may have to find an alternative home for your pet.

There are many other factors to consider though at Christmas from an indoor perspective.  Here are some important tips to reduce the risk of an asthma attack:

. Don’t use artificial snow. Although it looks festive enough and is aesthetically pleasing, fake snow straight from a can may unfortunately trigger asthma attacks. Perfumes and scented candles should also be avoided where possible.
. Don’t stress. The process of buying and wrapping presents can be a stressing time, and this isn’t even adding on the time needed to see friends, family and loved ones. Plan your time in advance in order to relax and not let stress get the better of you as this is one of many asthma triggers.
. Clean your Christmas tree and decorations. Artificial trees that have been stored in a dusty attic or damp basement through the year will gather dust and mould spores – both common asthma triggers. The process of unpacking the artificial tree out of its box can stir up all the allergens and create problems. A real tree – bought as close to Christmas as possible, is advised. However we recommend that both real and artificial trees should be taken outside and thoroughly shaken prior to any decorations being put on the tree. If your decorations have not been stored in a sealed bag, they should also be wiped down to eradicate dust and mould.
. Be careful about alcohol intake. Some asthma sufferers find that any alcoholic drink can erupt symptoms in them, whilst other such as Stephen Fry, find that they could only have symptoms after consuming a particular drink. Learn from Fry’s potentially-deadly mistake and have your reliever inhaler on you at all times.

Medical Specialists Pharmacy hopes we have made you more aware about the different factors to consider at Christmas if you are suffering from asthma or allergy problems. We do not want anybody’s Christmas to be effected through health issues and we hope you take our advice seriously.
In addition, we advise heading to our ‘Asthma and Allergies’ section of our website where we have a massive range of different inhalers and medications to ease your symptoms. In fact, many asthma suffers will also benefit from taking an anti-histamine such as Loratadine on a regular basis, to act as a precaution to allergic and asthmatic reactions, even throughout the winter months.

One in two men will develop cancer by 2027

As the number of men developing cancer is on the rise, UK health experts believe that by the year 2027 men will have a one in two chance of developing the disease.

The increase will change from the current 44 in 100 chance, to a 50 in 100 chance and is mostly because of the fact that people are generally living longer according to Cancer Research UK who teamed with Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine at Queen Mary, University of London to offer forecasts for the future.

Projections were formulated after studying previous information available about cancer incidence and mortality rates, in addition to projected population data for the UK.

In 2010 it was calculated that 324,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in the UK and this is expected to hit 416,000 by 2027. For men, the total is expected to reach over 221,000, up from 164,000 back in 2010.

The projections estimated that more than 194,000 women will be diagnosed with cancer in 2027, compared with 160,000 in 2010. Therefore, the predictions seem to be a similar pattern for women compared to men, with a lifetime risk which will increase from 40 to 44 out of 100 according to the researchers.

Cancer Research UK’s chief executive Harpal Kumar says that ‘it’s only through research that we will be able to beat cancer’, further adding: “We need to do more work to understand what drives cancer and how we can prevent it, as well as developing new treatments to reduce the number of people who will die from it.”

As mentioned previously, age is predicted to be the biggest risk factor for the disease and it is thought that the biggest increases in new cases will be seen in cancers of the bowel and prostate, as well as melanoma – the most dangerous type of skin cancer and most often brought on because of ultraviolet light (radiation) from the sun or excessive sunbed use.

Dr Kumar says the figures offer an outlook into the future and what challenges health authorities may face. One such challenge is developing an efficient and effective method of screening men for prostate cancer.

Not every cancer within the prostate gland is aggressive or potentially life-threatening and some can live with this all their lives and experience no health problems. Unfortunately though, doctors do not have a reliable testing procedure in their possession that can identify ‘safe’ tumours that are ok to leave alone.

Alan White, chairman of the Men’s Health Forum and professor of men’s health at Leeds Metropolitan University, argues that another problem will be persuading men to attend screenings for prostate cancer should an effective test ever be developed. Prof White says that even though men have a higher chance of developing bowel cancer than women, a lot less men than women actually bother to go for screening for this cancer.

Prof White says: “It’s desperately important that men take up any opportunity to go for cancer screening that they can. Some men are fatalistic about cancer and screening. But screening does make a difference. If cancers are spotted earlier they are easier to treat. We also know that men who discuss screening with their doctor or their partner are more likely to take up the offer.”

TV chef recipes contain more calories than ready meals

If you have ever sat down in front of the TV with a microwave ready meal and felt a degree of guilt watching one of the many celebrity chefs preaching about their ‘healthy’ meals, perhaps you don’t need to be worried anymore. A study featured in the Christmas edition on the British Medical Journal website, even go on to claim that recipes included in TV shows from chefs such as Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver show be given to viewers with accompanying health warnings and be aired after the watershed. The study authors also argue for nutritional information to be included on recipes in cookery books.

The UK government and NHS Choices both argue that ready meals are less healthy than meals prepared from scratch, and should be avoided if possible. One of their arguments is that these types of meals usually have a high saturated fat and sugar content, contributing to an ever-increasing number of Britain becoming obese.

Obesity levels are predicted to go through the roof over the next few decades,  with excess weight being responsible for a variety of health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure. Men who are overweight also risk suffering from erectile dysfunction problems.
Research that has been conducted in recent times have unearthed evidence to show that consumers can be swayed in their dietary choices by the unhealthy stigma attached to supermarket ready meals and television chef recipes boasting about their suitability within a healthy diet. However until now, there has been no study to be carried out comparing the nutritional content of the two.

With this in mind, NHS Tees and Newcastle University teamed up to compare the nutritional content of 100 ‘own brand’ ready meals from three leading supermarket chains (Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s) and 100 recipes for main meals in bestselling books by TV chefs. Recipes were analysed from ‘30 Minute Meals’ and ‘Ministry of Food’ by Jamie Oliver, ‘Baking Made Easy’ by Lorraine Pascale, ‘Kitchen’ by Nigella Lawson and ‘River Cottage Everyday’ by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Upon analysis, researchers discovered that recipes by TV chefs were less healthy than ready meals, comprising of ‘significantly more’ energy, protein, fat and saturated fat, and a lower total of fibre per portion than the ready meals. If this wasn’t damaging enough, it was also determined that the recipes from the TV chefs were more likely to achieve ‘red traffic light’ labels according to the Food Standards Agency criteria than ready meals. For those unaware, the traffic light system works by having a postage-stamp sized sticker that states the percentage of a person’s recommended daily allowance contained in each product – red for high, amber for medium and green for low.

It was calculated that on average, the recipes conjured up by the celebrity chefs contained 2,530 calories per portion and the ready meals fared slightly better, with 2,067 per portion. However, it was found that no meal option from either group reached the criteria set by the World Health Organisation for a ‘balanced healthy meal’. In addition, the study authors’ stress that any salt used for seasoning was not considered in their analysis.

In their report, the authors say: “This study shows that neither recipes created by popular television chefs nor ready meals produced by three leading UK supermarket chains meet national or international nutritional standards for a balanced diet. The recipes seemed to be less healthy than the ready meals on several metrics.”

They further add that good nutritional intake ‘is likely to be derived from home cooking of nutritionally balanced recipes primarily using raw ingredients, rather than relying on ready meals or recipes by television chefs’.

Concluding their findings, the authors comment: “Further reformulation of ready meals in line with international nutritional guidelines, and collaboration with television chefs to improve the nutritional quality of their recipes, may also help consumers to achieve a balanced diet.”

Overall, Medical Specialists Pharmacy would argue that not strictly following the recipes from celebrity television chefs is the way to go. Although, neither those nor ready meals appear to be meeting nutritional guidelines and could be hindering attempts to maintain a healthy weight. With Christmas around the corner and the over-indulgence that this period brings, weight concerns are at their highest now more than ever.

If you want to lose weight, this can be achieved by adopting a healthy lifestyle and diet in conjunction with a medically proven weight loss aid such as XLS-Medical, Alli, or the prescription medication Xenical.  All three weight loss aids are available today from Medical Specialists at incredibly low prices.

Cigarette packets to have larger health warnings

The European Union (EU) plan to introduce legislation prohibiting the sale of flavoured cigarettes, such as menthol. The EU wants to also make it mandatory for cigarette manufacturers to cover at least 75% of a packet of cigarettes with various health warnings for consumers. The aims will be the latest effort to discourage young people from starting smoking by making them more aware of the damage they are doing to their health, in addition to saving billions of pounds in the long-term with reduced diseases and hospital visits as a result of smoking-induced health conditions. Fortunately for older smokers, they will still be able to carry on enjoying flavoured pipe tobacco.

The proposed rules though do not go quite as far as those that came into play earlier this month in Australia, whereby all packets now have to be sold in plain packaging and carry graphic health warnings. However, governments in Britain and other countries will be given the go-ahead to enforce a similar policy should they wish.

The Changes will likely enrage tobacco companies who have already witness a sharp declined in cigarette sales in recent years and will fear that the stricter rules will hit their profits even more so and also effect markets in Asia and Africa.

Cigarette sales in the 27-nation EU bloc have decreased quite a lot over the last few years as more people are starting to realise the damages to health that smoking can do, and that it is just not worth it. Just some of the problems directly related to smoking include:

. Smoking accounts for 71% of all lung cancer deaths.
Smoking has been proven to be directly responsible for many types of cancer including: throat, lung, kidney, bladder, stomach, liver and cervix.
. Smokers are twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack in comparison to their non-smoking counterparts.
. Scientists say that the average smoker will lose 14 years of their life because of smoking.
. Sugar approximates to about 20% of a cigarette and many diabetics are unaware of this fact.
. Smoking not only increases the risk of a man being impotent, but it also damages sperm.
. Smokers who are also taking the contraceptive pill are about 20 times more likely to have a heart attack than someone who doesn’t smoke.
. Smokers are twice as likely to develop psoriasis as a non-smoker. Psoriasis is a common skin problem that results in patches of inflamed skin.
. Nicotine slows down your body’s ability to heal itself by dehydrating your skin.

Draft legislation for the proposed changes state: “Each unit packet shall carry combined health warnings (picture plus text). The combined warnings shall cover 75 per cent of the external area of both the front and back surface of the packet. However, a member state may maintain more stringent national provisions on grounds of overriding needs relating to the protection of public health.”
It is expected that cigarette companies will not go down without a fight though and already some have criticised the EU’s plans, arguing that graphic pictures showing the shocking effects of smoking will harm famous long-standing brands.

In fact, Reemtsma, the German subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco, has already hit out at the EU, blasting that the larger-scale warnings do not include new information for consumers and long established trademarks will be destroyed.

A spokesman for Reemtsma said: “Under the German constitution this is a major breach of our property rights and trademarks. It will not stop with tobacco, it will move on to alcohol and sweets. Anyone who can read knows the implied risks of smoking and existing health warnings are very clear. This is a step to a health dictatorship. Is that the future we want?”

Medical Specialists Pharmacy support the EU changes and we have reported on countless studies that have shown the awful detrimental impact that smoking just one cigarette each day can do to the body. This is summed up with the response from a European Commission spokesman in relation to the concerns about the legislation. The spokesman said: “We are aware of the concerns. Everything has been double-checked for the legal position and we can do it. Let’s not forget that 700,000 people die every year because of smoking.”

Better care needed for pregnant women

NHS watchdog The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has drawn-up guidelines stating that the NHS in England and Wales should offer a dedicated service seven days a week for women who have had a miscarriage during the first trimester (13 weeks) of their pregnancy or an ectopic pregnancy, with a 24-hour helpline available for women who experience any bleeding or pain.

Those behind the guidelines argue that doctors could be more sympathetic when dealing with women who are at risk of miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies and that these women are currently not being provided with sufficient information or offered enough support. Arguments have been made that doctors, nurses and even receptionists, are all under-equipped to deal with the huge emotional trauma that the women are going through.

Now though, women with early pregnancy complications can rest assured that there is seven-day service should they require it, where they can speak to specialists and scanning can be carried out. The aim is to stop vulnerable women from feeling afraid or alone and like they have nobody to speak to.

Julie Orford, chair of the Birth Trauma Association, was involved with the creation of the report. She herself has tragically suffered two miscarriages in between giving birth to two healthy children. Julie argues that there needs to be more sensitivity showed to the women from health professionals. She says: “For me there didn’t seem to be any sympathy, it was very much a procedure, you were given a cup of tea, you were given a leaflet on your choices, taken through to a room and no one really acknowledged the fact you’d just been given devastating news and that you’d lost your baby.”

Adding to Julie’s comments was Professor Mark Baker, Director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at NICE, who said in a press release:  “It can be very distressing and, in some cases, frightening to experience a miscarriage or be told your pregnancy is ectopic. It’s vital that women and their families receive good, consistent, timely and effective care and support that addresses their needs and enables them to make informed decisions. We know that not every woman is receiving this level of treatment at the moment but this guideline will address that inconsistency and ensure all women receive excellent care, no matter where they live.”

Estimates say that one in every five pregnancies end in miscarriage in the first 23 weeks, with 168,000 women affected each year in England alone. In addition, approximately 11 women in every 1,000 who become pregnant will have an ectopic pregnancy – where a fertilised egg implants itself out of the womb, 95% of the time this is in the fallopian tube. This is because either the tube has become damaged or it is failing to function properly.

Between 2006 and 2008 there were 35,495 confirmed ectopic pregnancies and tragically, six women had died during the first trimester due to their pregnancy. Nice warned: “About two-thirds of deaths caused by ectopic pregnancy are associated with substandard care, due to missed or late diagnosis.”
In their guidelines, NICE say there should be much better training offered to GPs so they can spot symptoms of either event in order to help detect an ectopic pregnancy earlier, as this could potentially avoid any problems later on in the woman’s pregnancy and reduce the chance of death.

750,000 people could have norovirus

It was just over a fortnight ago when Medical Specialists Pharmacy reported how the norovirus ‘winter vomiting bug’ had struck the UK with a fierce vengeance and resulted in many hospital ward closures. Now, weeks later, it seems things are getting much worse.

The latest set of Health Protection Agency (HPA) statistics will certainly raise a few eyebrows and they show just how serious the contagious the illness is. The HPA figures show that the winter vomiting bug is wreaking havoc across Britain with cases now standing at a five-year high and also up by 72% at the same time in 2011.

The HPA claim that more than 750,000 people could be affected by the outbreak as there have been 2,630 confirmed reports of the virus from laboratory tests and the HPA operate on the basis that for every confirmed case, there are an additional 288 cases that have yet to be reported. This means that there may be around 757,440 people struck down with the stomach bug.

A HPA spokespersons said: “Laboratory confirmed reports represent only a small proportion of the actual amount of norovirus activity in the community, because the vast majority of affected people do not access health care services as a result of their illness.”

The weekly figures from the HPA indicate more cases reported, however the total number of new reports has dropped 28% from the previous week’s total of 327 confirmed cases. However, HPA norovirus expert John Harris warns that the worst may be yet to come after Christmas. He says: “Our figures show a small drop in the number of confirmed cases over the last couple of weeks. We cannot read too much into this at present as this is typical of the norovirus season where we see a series of sharp rises and falls in activity between October and April with the bulk of cases usually occurring between January and March. People should be vigilant in their hygiene and we would like to remind anyone who has typical symptoms suggestive of norovirus infection to avoid visiting friends or relatives in hospital or care homes. Norovirus infection in hospitals is very disruptive as it can lead to ward closures.”

Mr Harris also advised what course of action to take in the event of developing the virus. He continued: “Having a norovirus infection is very unpleasant but it is short-lived and most people will fully recover in a couple of days. Make sure that you or anyone you are caring for takes plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Over-the-counter medicines can also be useful in reducing headaches and other aches and pains.”

The HPA’s figures have coincided with news this week that 300 of the 1,834 passengers aboard the luxury cruise linger ‘Oriana’ have been quarantined due to an outbreak of norovirus, forced to stay in their own cabins to prevent a further spread of the virus which causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea.
There have been reports that some passengers collapsed on the deck and corridors and toilets ‘smelt strongly of sick’ according to some people aboard the ship. The winter vomiting bug hit passengers after the vessel departed from Southampton on 4 December for the 10-day Baltic cruise.

Oriana is scheduled to arrive back in port at Southampton on Friday morning, slightly earlier than first planned and new passengers will not be allowed on board until health experts have undergone strict cleaning procedures within the public areas and cabins, predicted to take around 6-7 hours.
A spokeswoman for P&O cruises said that ‘enhanced sanitation protocols’ had been put into place to try and contain the virus, which includes requesting that affected passengers isolate themselves in their rooms and do not leave the ship for any day trips.

The spokeswoman said: “The safety and comfort of passengers and crew is always our number one priority. As is currently standard procedure across our fleet, all the ship’s passengers were provided with a precautionary health notice advising of widespread norovirus activity and the health measures to avoid contraction and spread, both on board and whilst ashore.”

Cruise ships are a notoriously dangerous environment for a rapid spread of norovirus. Earlier this year, a similar outbreak erupted on another ship; Boudicca, with 170 passengers of the 828 on board being effected.

Approximately 600,000 to 1 million people in the UK fall ill with norovirus every year, but there are certain steps you can take to prevent contracting the virus and prevent it spreading. For example, avoid sharing towels and flannels, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the toilet as well as prior to preparing meals, use a bleach-based household cleaner to disinfect any surfaces or areas that may be contaminated and wash all clothing and bedding at risk separately from other items.