50 percent of People Ignorant Over Causes of Heart Disease

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Sep 8,2008

Over half the public are still ignorant about coronary heart disease (CHD) – the UK’s leading killer disease, research launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester has shown.

Pharmacy researchers from Queen’s University in Belfast found an alarming 48% of people failed to define CHD, recognise its symptoms or identify its risk factors.

CHD is the leading cause of death in Northern Ireland (17%) and in the UK (17%)(1). The two main forms of CHD are heart attack and severe chest pain (angina). Symptoms include shortness of breath, irregular heart beat (or palpitations), chest pain, jaw or arm pain (particularly during exercise), and dizziness or fainting. Risk factors for CHD include smoking, poor diet, being overweight or obese, failing to do enough exercise, drinking too much alcohol, stress and/or social isolation, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

The study highlighted the need to educate the public about the disease, because many of the risk factors for CHD are preventable(2) and increased knowledge could lead to patients who are at risk making important lifestyle changes(3).

Head researcher Yazid Al Hamarneh, said: “Community pharmacists can provide expert advice and support on how to stop smoking, lose weight and make other lifestyle changes that will dramatically reduce the chances of developing CHD.

“Pharmacists are among the most accessible healthcare professionals, being conveniently located on the high street and you don’t need an appointment to speak with one. Pharmacies are also often open outside normal business hours.”

About Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)

Coronary heart disease is the term that describes what happens when the heart’s blood supply is blocked, or interrupted, by a build up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries. Over time, the walls of the arteries can become furred up with fatty deposits. This process is known as atherosclerosis, and the fatty deposits are called atheroma. If the coronary arteries become narrow, due to a build up of atheroma, the blood supply to the heart will be restricted. This can cause angina (chest pains). If a coronary artery becomes completely blocked, it can cause a heart attack. The medical term for a heart attack is myocardial infarction.

Coronary heart disease is the UK’s biggest killer, with one in every four men, and one in every six women dying from the disease. In the UK, approximately 300,000 people have a heart attack each year. ( http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=444 )

About the British Pharmaceutical Conference 2008 (BPC)

BPC 2008: Pharmacy in the 21st Century: Adding years to life and life to years. In 2008, as the NHS marks its 60th anniversary year, BPC will examine how pharmacy and the pharmaceutical services are helping to add years to life and life to the year of the UK population. The profession of pharmacy plays an important role in meeting the healthcare challenges associated with the UK’s ageing population.

How can pharmacists contribute to caring for the population as well as ensuring quality of life? Increasingly, scientists and practitioners have to consider the cost implications of this conundrum, and the evidence base for all interventions is becoming of paramount importance: BPC 2008 will debate these issues and open up discussion on them.

Visit: http://www.bpc2008.org/

The main sponsors of BPC 2008 are: Boots The Chemists (Lead Sponsor), AstraZeneca (Associate Sponsor and BPC-PJ Careers Forum Platinum Sponsor), Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) (Associate Sponsor) and GSK (BPC-PJ Careers Forum Platinum Sponsor).

Research released at BPC is published in the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice (IJPP).

References:

1) Numbers dying from CVD and CHD. Accessed 7 March, 2008. http://www.heartstats.com

2) Leo G. Rationale for intervention to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease: a general internist’s perspective. American Journal of Life Style Medicine 2007;1:20-3.

3) Shashivadan PH, Stanton PN. Patients’ beliefs about their cardiovascular disease. Heart Bmj 2005; 91:1235-9.

Source: Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and British Pharmaceutical Conference


Dangerous Side-Effects of Epilepsy Drugs Reduced in New Research

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Sep 8,2008

A breakthrough method has been found to reduce the dangerous side-effects of a medicine that successfully tackles epilepsy, according to research released at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester.

Epilepsy is an incurable condition which causes people to suffer repeated seizures caused by a burst of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. It affects about one in 30 people in the UK.(1)

Anti-epileptic medicines such as valproic acid help stabilise the electrical activity in the brain and prevent seizures in most epilepsy patients. Its use is restricted due to rare, but potentially life-threatening side effects, such as toxic liver damage, stomach ulcers and serious inflammation of the pancreas.

Pharmacy researchers combined amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) with the valporic acid, and this combination medicine significantly reduced the likelihood of valproic acid causing liver damage or ulcers. Amino acids are found in normal foods, and have a healing effect on gastric irritation.

The research team is also investigating whether the valproic acid combination medicine has any potential as an anti-cancer therapy.

Lead pharmacy researcher, Dr Sushant Kumar Shivastava, Department of Pharmaceutics, Banaras Hindu University, India, said: “Valproic acid is powerfully effective against different kinds of epilepsy and we are confident this research breakthrough represents a major future improvement for patients with epilepsy.”

The British Pharmaceutical Conference 2008 (BPC)

BPC 2008: Pharmacy in the 21st Century: Adding years to life and life to years. In 2008, as the NHS marks its 60th anniversary year, BPC will examine how pharmacy and the pharmaceutical services are helping to add years to life and life to the year of the UK population. The profession of pharmacy plays an important role in meeting the healthcare challenges associated with the UK’s ageing population.

How can pharmacists contribute to caring for the population as well as ensuring quality of life? Increasingly, scientists and practitioners have to consider the cost implications of this conundrum, and the evidence base for all interventions is becoming of paramount importance: BPC 2008 will debate these issues and open up discussion on them. Visit: http://www.bpc2008.org/

The main sponsors of BPC 2008 are: Boots The Chemists (Lead Sponsor), AstraZeneca (Associate Sponsor and BPC-PJ Careers Forum Platinum Sponsor), Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) (Associate Sponsor) and GSK (BPC-PJ Careers Forum Platinum Sponsor).

Research released at BPC is published in the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology (JPP).

Reference

1. Epilepsy: A General Introduction. Information leaflet. http://www.patient.co.uk Accessed 9 August 2008.

Source: Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and British Pharmaceutical Conference


Hooper Holmes today announced that the President of its Health and Wellness Division, Christopher J. Behling, will be a speaker at the 2008 Integrated Care Summit, co-hosted by DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance (DMAA) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Mr. Behling will present on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. in Hollywood, Florida.

Mr. Behling’s presentation entitled “Effectively Implementing Biometric Screenings” will discuss the importance of wellness screenings, as they are often the first interaction a participant has with the disease management process. While using vendors to complete screenings is a logistical necessity, creating a consistent quality experience and a positive first impression for participants is crucial. Mr. Behling, along with Wendy Boehme, Director, Benefits, Noranda Aluminum, and Frazer Buntin, Senior Director, Operations, Healthways Inc., will outline the best practices from the viewpoints of an employer, a disease management organization and a wellness screening provider.

The three-day conference is taking place from September 8-10, 2008 at the Westin Diplomat Resort in Hollywood, Florida. For more information please visit www.dmaa.org/ics08/index.asp. In addition to Wednesday’s presentation, Hooper Holmes will showcase its capabilities at exhibition booth #302.

Source: Hooper Holmes


Most government and learning disability organisations are still failing to give the UK’s 1.5 million people with learning disabilities (LD) a voice and a say in how their services are ‘personalised’.

UK Government’s policy is now that people with LD should receive personalised social care. Multimedia provides a proven tool to help people with LD achieve this. But the technology seems too challenging for the majority of social carers, says Andy Minnion, director of the Rix Centre.

“Through our R&D at the Rix Centre with local authorities and groups prepared to take the plunge, we have shown clearly that multimedia is an essential tool for personalising services for people with communication difficulties. Without these tools the danger is that the rhetoric of personalised services does not reflect the reality,” says Minnion.

“The 1.5 million people with LD are often let down by those who should be serving them.”

To break this blockage the Rix Centre is holding a conference, My New Media Life, to show managers and directors of social care how multimedia can enhance the choices and give voice to people with LD and help their carers and families.

A unique part of the conference will be presentations by people with LD showing how multimedia is changing their lives. These include:

Social Networkers with learning disabilities from Swansea and Glasgow – forging new online support networks ; and

‘Multimedia advocates’ from across the UK who use digital cameras to overcome communication barriers day-to-day, to organise their own support to achieve independence; and

Web developers with learning disabilities in East London – building a new generation of online ‘easy-read’ information for their peers.

My New Media Life is on October 1 2008 at The British Museum. It is cosponsored by SCIE, the government’s Social Care Institute for Excellence and supported by BP.

The Rix Centre was formed as a charity in 2004 to exploit new media for the benefit of the LD community. It is named after Lord Rix who has dedicated his life to helping people with disabilities. He will give the opening address.

Source: The Rix Centre


Categories

Archives

Blogroll

Meta