Tag: hospitals

Categories : Environmental Effects Mental HealthTags :

Heat Waves Increase Aggression in Mental Health Wards

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Mary Taylor from Pexels

According to a new study from Germany, heatwaves may increase aggressive patient behaviour in mental health wards.

Studies have shown an association between increased temperature and the incidence of violent crimes, accounting for about 10% of the variance in one study in Finland. This effect has also been seen within the context of American Football games, with more penalties for aggressive behaviour given for visiting teams on hotter days.

Researchers from ZfP Südwürttemberg and Ulm University in Germany drew on local weather data and incident reporting data to examine the impact of hot weather on mental health inpatient wards.

They discovered that there were an average of 15% more aggressive incidents on days over 30°C (9.7 per day) compared to days under 30°C (8.4 per day).

A clear relationship was also seen between the temperature of hot days (those over 30°C) and the number of aggressive incidents. As the temperature increased, the higher the rate of incidents, which reached a peak of 11.1 on the very hottest days (over 33.5°C).

The findings suggest that temperature is the cause of the increase in incidents, rather than another factor. No equivalent correlation was found between temperature on hot days and the use of restrictive practices by hospital staff.

Staff recorded aggressive incidents according to a standardised protocol, documenting the nature of the aggression (eg physical, verbal), the target (eg staff, patients), the impact and any subsequent measures taken.

The data for the study came from six German mental health hospitals and covered 13 years (2007-2019), 1007 beds and 164 435 admissions. Over this period, there were a total of 207 days over 30°C. All six hospitals were built according to modern building standards, but all lacked air-conditioning.

Lead author Dr Hans Knoblauch said: “The climate emergency means that many areas of the world could experience significantly more hot weather in the future.

“While more research into the mental health consequences is needed, these findings could have practical implications for mental healthcare, particularly around hospital design and architecture.”

His colleague, Professor Tilman Steinert, from Ulm University, commented: “These findings highlight an underappreciated impact of the climate emergency on mental health services. Increased aggression is an indicator of increased distress and an environment that is failing to help patients recover.

“Urgent action is now needed, to replicate the findings of this study using more measurements within mental health hospitals, to invest in those hospitals, and to tackle the climate crisis. Mental health patients deserve better.”

Source: EurekaAlert!

Journal information: Frank Eisele et al, Aggressive incidents in psychiatric hospitals on heat days, BJPsych Open (2021). DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2021.33

Categories : Gastrointestinal HospitalsTags :

High Risk for Upper GI Bleeding Developed During Hospital Stay

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

Patients who developed upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding during a hospital stay experienced worse adverse outcomes than those admitted for upper GI bleeding alone, according to a new study from France.

Currently hospitalised patients (inpatients) with upper GI bleeding showed a significantly higher mortality rate at 6 weeks than patients hospitalised for GI bleeding alone (outpatients), at 21.7% versus 8.8%, respectively, as well as increased frequency of rebleeding .

Upper GI bleeding is a common problem that occurs in 80 to 150 out of 100 000 people annually, with mortality rates between 2 and 15%. The condition is described as blood loss from a gastrointestinal source above the ligament of Treitz. 

Though upper GI bleeding in patients has fallen over the past decades, rates of rebleeding and mortality remained stable or risen slightly. The authors said that modifiable risk factors need to be identified to help reduce this.

Researchers investigated the outcomes among inpatients and outpatients with upper GI bleeding, collecting data on 2498 patients with upper GI bleeding from 46 hospitals. Inpatients were defined as patients who developed variceal or non-variceal bleeding at least 24 hours after hospitalisation, and outpatients (75% of participants) were defined as presenting with bleeding upon admission.

Primary outcomes included mortality and rebleeding rates, assessed at 6 weeks from onset. Hospital stay duration, and the requirement for radiological or surgical intervention were secondary outcomes.

Outpatients were younger (average age 67), more likely to be smokers and consumed more alcohol than inpatients. Inpatients had a significantly higher rate of comorbidities (39% vs 27%, respectively), and more inpatients had a Charlson score above 3 than outpatients (38.9% vs 26.6%). There was no difference in sex or body weight.

Outpatients had a shorter hospital stay of 9 days compared to 16 for inpatients. The  authors noted that the groups did not differ in needing radiological or surgical intervention.

More inpatients were taking aspirin, steroids, and heparin, while more outpatients were taking oral anticoagulants and NSAIDs. At bleeding onset, more inpatients were on proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) than outpatients (41.6% vs 27.5%). However, more outpatients received intravenous PPIs than inpatients (87% vs 79%).

“Despite the more prevalent use of PPI among inpatients, their [upper gastrointestinal bleeding] was mainly related to peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and [esophagitis],” the authors explained. “This may be explained by the higher intake of aspirin and steroids, known to increase PUD-related haemorrhage risks especially in the elderly and hospitalized patients.”

For all patients, risk factors associated with 6-week mortality were rebleeding, Charlson score > 3, haemodynamic instability, pre-Rockall score > 5 and being an inpatient.

Independent  mortality risk factors for inpatients were prothrombin < 50% and rebleeding, though bleeding-related mortality was lower among inpatients compared to outpatients (10.8% vs 20.6%).

“We found that mortality in outpatients was more likely to be directly related to [upper gastrointestinal bleeding] as opposed to inpatients where death resulted more commonly from other causes,” the authors stated.

When looking at patient groups separately, cirrhosis and antiplatelets were independent outcome predictors among outpatients, in addition to rebleeding, comorbidities, haemodynamic instability and severity of bleeding.

Difficulty in comparability of results to previous studies is a limitation to this study due to the 6-week mortality timeline versus the 28-day one for previous studies. The reason for inpatient hospitalisation also was not recorded, which could impact the results.

Source: MedPage Today

Journal information: El Hajj W, et al “Prognosis of variceal and non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding in already hospitalised patients: Results from a French prospective cohort” United European Gastroenterol J 2021; DOI: 10.1002/ueg2.12096.

Categories : Cancer COVIDTags :

Cancer Patients Have a Higher Mortality Risk from COVID

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels

Patients hospitalised with active cancer are more likely to die from COVID than those with a cancer history or diagnosis, according to a new study.

The findings published by Wiley early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, also indicate that the greatest risk of death due to COVID was in those with active blood cancers. No mortality risk increase was found in patients who received cancer treatments in the three months (or longer) prior to hospitalisation.

To find out how cancer, or the various therapies used to treat it, could affect the health of patients with COVID infections, a team analysed the NYU Langone Medical Center’s records of 4184 hospitalised patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID.

This group included 233 patients who had a current, or ‘active’, cancer diagnosis. They found that more patients with an active cancer diagnosis (34.3 percent) were likely to die from COVID than those with a history of cancer (27.6 percent) and those without any cancer history (20.0 percent).

Among patients with active cancer, those with blood-related cancers had the greatest risk of death. However, undergoing systemic anticancer therapy, including chemotherapy, molecularly targeted therapies, and immunotherapy, within three months prior to hospitalisation was not linked to a higher risk of death, and the investigators found there were no differences according to the type of cancer therapy being received.

Senior author Daniel Becker, said, “We completed a large chart review-based study of patients hospitalised with COVID and found that patients with active cancer, but not a history of cancer, were more likely to die. Notably, however, among those hospitalised with active cancer and COVID, recent cancer therapy was not associated with worse outcomes.”

“People with active cancer should take precautions against getting COVID, including vaccination, but need not avoid therapy for cancer.”

Source: Wiley

Categories : COVIDTags :

Risk of COVID Infection Tripled in Healthcare Workers

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Alex Mecl on Unsplash

A study of healthcare workers has shown their likelihood of being infected with COVID during the pandemic was three times higher compared to the general population, with about one in five of those infected workers being asymptomatic and unaware they had COVID.

The study also shows that it was not only frontline staff who faced the higher risk, suggesting that there was transmission between staff and within the wider community. The results are published in ERJ Open Research.

However, health care workers who had been infected were very unlikely to contract COVID a second time in the following six months.

The research was led by Professor James Chalmers, a consultant respiratory physician from the University of Dundee.

“We have always believed that front line health workers face a high risk of contracting COVID and that’s why we’ve tried to ensure they have the PPE needed to protect themselves,” said Prof Chalmers. “But many questions remain about the level of this risk and what other measures we can take to protect staff and reduce transmission of the disease.”

The study recruited 2063 staff working in a wide variety of healthcare roles in the East of Scotland. Between May and September 2020, the participants had blood tests for COVID antibodies, a very accurate indication of prior COVID infection. The researchers also recorded whether any participants developed an infection in subsequent months.

The health care workers results were compared with a randomly selected control group of blood samples taken by local GPs during the same time period.

These blood tests showed that 300 (14.5%) of the healthcare workers had been infected, a rate more than triple the proportion of people infected in the local population. The highest rates of infections among the workers were found in dentistry (26%), health care assistants (23.3%) and hospital porters (22.2%). The rate among admin staff was the same as that of doctors (21.1%).

Rates among people working in areas of the hospital where COVID patients were being treated were somewhat higher than those working in non-COVID areas (17.4% vs 13.5%). However, the majority of infections were in staff who were not working directly with COVID patients, suggesting there was transmission between staff or infections acquired in the community.

Out of the 300 healthcare workers testing positive, 56 (18.7%) did not think that they had ever caught COVID and were totally asymptomatic. This is an important finding, according to the researchers, since people without symptoms are likely to go to work, potentially infecting others.

In the months following their blood tests, 39 workers developed a symptomatic COVID infection, but only one of these was a worker who had previously tested positive. This equates to an 85% risk reduction, similar to the level of protection provided by COVID vaccines.

Prof Chalmers said: “A lot of attention during the pandemic has been around PPE for doctors and nurses but we found that dentists, healthcare assistants and porters were the staff most likely to test positive.

“We continued to monitor staff for up to seven months and found that having a positive antibody test gave 85% protection against a future infection. This is really good news for people who have already had COVID-19, as it means the chances of a second infection are very low.”

The team hopes to continue the research to see how long immunity persists and how vaccination affects infections among healthcare workers.

Professor Anita Simonds, President of the European Respiratory Society and Consultant in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at Royal Brompton Hospital, UK, was not involved in the research, offered comments.

She said: “This research shows the high levels of COVID infection among all healthcare workers, with the highest evidence of infection in dentists, healthcare assistants and porters. Staff working in critical care, who are likely to have been protected by using personal protective equipment at all times, were not disproportionately affected.

“It should be noted that among administrative staff, 21.1% were found to have been infected with COVID, indicating that all those working directly with patients, and those working in other hospital roles are at risk, and vaccination and risk assessment for appropriate levels of PPE in all these frontline groups are crucial.”

Source: European Respiratory Society

Categories : COVID General InterestTags :

Indian Doctors Hit Back at Guru’s Inflammatory Remarks

On By ModernMedia
Image source: Naveed Ahmed on Unsplash

Doctors in India have hit out against yoga guru Baba Ramdev over his controversial statements against modern medicine and mocking of COVID patients.

Recently, the controversial guru said that tens of thousands died of COVID after taking modern medicines, and also mocked patients for trying to get oxygen cylinders. 

The guru subsequently withdrew his statement after being criticised by the country’s health minister. But on Monday he again took a swipe at modern medicine for not having a cure for some diseases.

Despite India’s modern allopathic healthcare system, alternative therapies like ayurveda and homoeopathy are hugely popular in India. This has helped many gurus to launch successful businesses with sales of herbal medicines and products. India also has a Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ayush) that promotes traditional medicine systems.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), which represents allopathy doctors in India, has criticised the guru for his “insensitive” remarks in the middle of the pandemic. Such statements from a guru with millions of followers were “irresponsible and demoralising”, said doctors spoken to by the BBC.
The country has been grappling with a surge of infections caused by a ‘double mutant’ SARS-CoV-2 variant as well as prematurely relaxed social distancing rules.

The controversy
A video of Baba Ramdev mocking patients for trying to find oxygen went viral earlier this month, making references to oxygen shortages in several cities in April and May.

“God has given us free oxygen, why don’t we breathe that? How can there be a shortage when God has filled the atmosphere with oxygen? Fools are looking for oxygen cylinders. Just breathe the free oxygen. Why are you complaining about shortage of oxygen and beds and crematoriums?” he said.

The statement drew sharp criticism from doctors and families of COVID patients who demanded an apology.

Just two weeks later, another video surfaced in which he criticises doctors, blaming COVID deaths on them. Many doctors expressed their anger over Twitter, some went so far as to demand his arrest. In the face of mounting pressures, India’s Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan issued a statement asking the guru to withdraw his remarks.

“Allopathy and the doctors attached to it have given new lives to millions of people. It’s very unfortunate for you to say that people died from consuming allopathic medicines.

“We should not forget that this battle can only be won through united efforts. In this war, our doctors, nurses and other health workers are risking their lives to save people’s lives. Their dedication towards serving mankind in this crisis is unparalleled and exemplary,” Dr Vardhan said.

Baba Ramdev withdrew his controversial statement in a Sunday tweet — only to issue a letter the next day asking the IMA why modern medicine had no cure for 25 diseases, including diabetes and hypertension.

This has again infuriated doctors. Prominent pulmonologist Dr A Fathahudeen, who has treated thousands of COVID patients, told the BBC that such statements cause lasting damage.

“For more than a year, healthcare workers like me have been in a war-like situation. We have saved tens of thousand of lives. It’s really unfortunate, insulting and hurtful to read such statements,” he said.

Dr Fathahudeen added that modern medicine had evolved over the years with constant research and studies. “We follow evidence-based practice. At any given time, thousands of researchers are working to come up with cures. Look at the progress we have made in cancer treatment. We have to constantly evolve and learn. It’s hard to trust any branch of medicine that offers absolute cure for every disease.”

Dr Fathahudeen also said that such statements manifest doubts in the minds of people when trust in medicines and vaccines is most needed in the middle of a raging pandemic.

Baba Ramdev’s rise to fame
Televised yoga classes were Baba Ramdev’s ticket to fame; he had a following of millions and he received worldwide praise for promoting yoga and healthy living.

He successfully leveraged his fame to create a business empire. In 2006, he helped launch a company called Patanjali Ayurveda to sell herbal medicines and a few years later, the business expanded to sell almost any product. Since last year, the company has been selling a product called Coronil that it has made a number of false claims over, including that it was a WHO-approved COVID treatment.

Source: BBC News

Categories : Hospitals Mental HealthTags :

Social Support Boosts Patient Survival by 29%

On By ModernMedia

New research from Brigham Young University found that providing medical patients with social support increases odds of survival and prolongs life. It comes as healthcare is searching for new ways to improve medical treatment and outcomes.

“The premise of the research is that everyone is strongly influenced by their social context,” said BYU counseling psychology professor Timothy B. Smith, lead author of the study. “Relationships influence our behavior and our physical health. We now know that it is possible to prolong life by fostering coping and reducing distress.”

Co-author Julianne Holt-Lunstad, BYU psychology professor, said there is now ample evidence that social needs should be addressed within medical settings.

“From pediatrics to geriatrics, physicians may encounter patients who are struggling. These data suggest that social interventions integrated within clinical treatments that help patients cope and reduce distress also improve their survival,” she said.

Analysing data from 106 randomised controlled trials with over 40 000 patients, the researchers examined the effects of psychosocial support. Group meetings or family sessions that promoted healthy behaviours by encouraging exercise, the completion of medical treatments, or offering group support for diet adherence increased survival by 29%.

“Providing medical patients with social support can be just as helpful as providing cardiac rehabilitation for someone recovering from heart disease,” said Smith. “It can be just as helpful as a diet or lifestyle program for obese patients or treatment for alcoholism among patients with alcoholism.”

The findings  could be used to implement support programs in hospitals and clinics for patients, especially those at risk of not completing treatments. It could also inform programmes for family members or caregivers.

“We already had robust evidence that social connection and other social factors significantly influence health outcomes including risk for premature mortality, but it was unclear what can be done about it to reduce risk,” said Holt-Lunstad. “Is it the role of healthcare, or should this be addressed outside the healthcare system? This research combined with the other consensus reports suggests that it is a role of the healthcare system.”

“Ultimately, these data should be used to foster collaboration between medical professionals and mental health professionals,” said Smith. “About half of all patient medical visits are about conditions that entail psychological considerations. Large hospitals now routinely hire psychologists to consult with physicians and to evaluate or work with patients, but more integration is needed in smaller hospitals and clinics.”

The findings also hold important implications for medical patients. People respond differently to medical conditions. While some will immediately take action in rehabilitation or preventative measures, others might delay or even avoid engaging in prescribed healthy behaviors. On top of that, depression and anxiety rates can be high among patients, which can limit responsiveness to treatments, making social support efforts even more critical.

“We know that when hospitals implement a social support group, people simply live longer,” said Connor Workman, a BYU student who assisted with the research during his undergraduate years. “The data show that relationships have a tangible effect on a person’s mortality and health. This will give decision-makers at hospitals the information they need to start pushing out programs and implementing the right social connections for patients.”

Source:  Brigham Young University

Categories : Ageing Cardiovascular Disease ExerciseTags :

Tailored Heart Failure Rehabilitation Improves Outcomes

On By ModernMedia

An innovative early cardiac rehabilitation intervention customised for the individual improved physical function, frailty, quality of life, and depression in hospitalised heart failure patients. 

Photo from Olivier Collett on Unsplash

These findings were published  in the New England Journal of Medicine and also presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 70th Annual Scientific Session.  

“Designing earlier and more personalised individual-specific approaches to heart failure rehab shows great promise for improving outcomes for this common but complex condition that is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation for older adults,” said National Institute on Aging (NIA) Director Richard J Hodes, MD. “These results mark encouraging progress on a path to better overall quality of life and physical function for the millions of older Americans who develop heart failure each year.”

The study team was led by Dalane W Kitzman, MD, professor of cardiovascular medicine and geriatrics/gerontology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and they followed 349 clinical trial participants with heart failure enrolled in “A Trial of Rehabilitation Therapy in Older Acute Heart Failure Patients” (REHAB-HF). On average, participants had five comorbidities that reduced of function — diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, lung disease or kidney disease.

In an earlier pilot study, Kitzman and colleagues found striking deficits in strength, mobility and balance, along with the expected loss of endurance in older patients with acute heart failure, who were mostly fail or pre-fail. The team decided to focus on improving patients’ physical function, weakened already by chronic heart failure and age, and which was worsened by the traditional cardiac hospital experience involving lots of bedrest and resulting in loss of functions often persisting after discharge.

To address this. The REHAB-HF team designed earlier and more customised exercise programs focusing on improving balance, strength, mobility and endurance. They also began REHAB-HF during a patient’s hospital stay when possible rather than the usual six weeks post-discharge. After discharge, participants shifted to outpatient sessions three times per week for three months.

Compared to a control group getting usual cardiac rehab care, REHAB-HF participants showed significant gains in measures of physical functioning and overall quality of life, including tests for lower extremity function and mobility, and a six-minute walk test. Self-perception of their health status and depression improved in surveys compared to pre-trial baselines. Over 80% of REHAB-HF participants reported they were still doing their exercises six months after study completion.

“These findings will inform choices of heart failure rehabilitation strategies that could lead to better physical and emotional outcomes,” said Evan Hadley, M.D., director of NIA’s Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology. “Tailored interventions like REHAB-HF that target heart failure’s related decline in physical abilities can result in real overall benefits for patients.”

The study did not show significant differences in related clinical events including rates of hospital readmission for any reason or for heart-failure related rehospitalizations. The research team plans to further explore that and other issues through future expansions of REHAB-HF into larger and longer-term trials with broader participant subgroups.

Source: National Institute on Aging

Journal information: Kitzman et al. Rehabilitation Intervention in Older Patients with Acute Heart Failure with Preserved versus Reduced Ejection Fraction. New England Journal of Medicine. 2021 May 16 doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2026141.

Categories : HospitalsTags :

Cyber Attack Cripples Ireland’s Health Services

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Nahel Abdul Hadi on Unsplash

A “significant ransomware attack” caused widespread disruption to Ireland’s health service, forcing cancellations and blocking services.

Paul Reid, Ireland’s Health Service Executive chief executive, told RTÉ there had been a “human-operated” attempt to access data for a likely ransom. “There has been no ransom demand at this stage. The key thing is to contain the issue. We are in the containment phase.”

Reid said the HSE was working with police, the defence forces and third-party cybersecurity experts to respond to the cyber attack. He apologised to patients and the public for the disruption.

The attack has affected national and local systems that provide core services. However COVID vaccinations and ambulance services were unaffected.

Several hospitals cancelled outpatient visits or asked patients with appointments to not attend. The Rotunda, a Dublin maternity hospital, said it was experiencing a “critical emergency”, cancelling all outpatients visits save for women over 35 weeks pregnant.

At Cork university hospital, the oncology department was reportedly brought to a halt. The child and family agency Tusla said its IT systems, including the portal through which child protection referrals are made, were offline.

In the US earlier this week, the Colonial petrochemical pipeline was crippled in a major cyberattack by a cybercriminal group called Darkside, resulting in fuel shortages and states of emergency being declared. The pipeline company reportedly paid a ransom fee of $5 million to get control back of their systems.

Master of the Rotunda Hospital Professor Fergal Malone told Morning Ireland that accessing patient records and data was the reason for the cancellations.

There was a backup plan to use an “old-fashioned” paper-based system, he said, but added that “throughput would be much slower” this way.

Malone said the hospital discovered unusual activity in its IT systems at about 2am and later detected what appeared to be a ransomware virus. “We use a common system throughout the HSE in terms of registering patients and it seems that must have been the entry point or source,” he told RTÉ. “It means we have had to shut down all our computer systems.”

However, all patients were safe. “We have systems in place to revert back to old-fashioned record-keeping.” Lifesaving equipment was not affected. “Patients will come in in labour over the weekend and we will be well able to look after them.”

Source: The Guardian

Categories : COVID HospitalsTags :

Indian Medical Trainee Exams Postponed to Boost Personnel

On By ModernMedia
Indian flag. Photo by Naveed Ahmed on Unsplash

India postponed exams for trainee doctors and nurses on Monday, freeing them up to fight the world’s biggest surge in COVID infections, as the health system buckles under the weight of new cases, and a lack of beds and oxygen.

The total number of infections so far rose to just short of 20 million, propelled by a 12th straight day of more than 300 000 new cases.

Actual numbers in India could be five to 10 times higher than those reported, according to medical exports.

Hospitals have been overloaded, oxygen has run short, and morgues and crematoriums have struggled with the number of corpses. 
“Every time we have to struggle to get our quota of our oxygen cylinders,” said BH Narayan Rao, a district official in the southern town of Chamarajanagar, where 24 COVID patients died, some suspected from lack of oxygen.

“It’s a day-to-day fight,” added Rao, describing the struggle for supplies.

In many cases, volunteer groups have come to the rescue. Outside a temple in India’s capital, New Delhi, Sikh volunteers provided oxygen to patients lying on benches inside makeshift tents, hooked up to a giant cylinder. A new patient would come in every 20 minutes.

“No one should die because of a lack of oxygen. It’s a small thing otherwise, but nowadays, it is the one thing every one needs,” Gurpreet Singh Rummy, who runs the service, told Reuters.

Offering a glimmer of hope, the country’s health ministry said that positive cases relative to the number of tests fell on Monday for the first time since at least April 15, and modelling shows that the virus could peak on Wednesday.

While 11 states and regions have put movement curbs in place to stem transmissions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, widely criticised for allowing the crisis to spin out of control, is reluctant to announce a national lockdown, concerned about the economic impact.

“In my opinion, only a national stay at home order and declaring medical emergency will help to address the current healthcare needs,” Bhramar Mukherjee, an epidemiologist with the University of Michigan, said on Twitter.

As medical facilities near collapse, the government postponed an exam for doctors and nurses to free up some to join in the COVID fight, it said in a statement.

Prime Minister Modi has provoked criticism for not acting earlier to limit the spread and for allowing millions of people, mostly without masks, to attend religious festivals and political rallies during March and April.

In early March, a forum of government scientific advisers warned officials of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking hold, five of its members told Reuters.

Four of the scientists said in spite of the warning, the federal government did not try and impose strict curbs.

Meanwhile, in response to India’s crisis, aid has poured in. On Sunday, the UK government said it will send another 1000 ventilators to India. 

Several nations have shut their borders to Indian arrival as the Indian COVID variant has now reached at least 17 countries including the UK, Iran and Switzerland.

Source: Reuters

Categories : Gastrointestinal General InterestTags :

Woman Suffered ‘Excruciating’ Pain From Rare Gastrointestinal Condition

On By ModernMedia

An undiagnosed, rare gastrointestinal condition left a 32-year old UK woman in “excruciating” pain for 16 months before a life-saving emergency operation.

In January 2020,  Rebecca Bostock started to experience stomach swelling and had difficult keeping her food down. After she was rushed into hospital on Good Friday this year, her mysterious illness was found to be Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS).

“I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through,” she said.

Ms Bostock, 32, underwent an emergency operation at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Nurses there told her they had only treated three cases of SMAS in 27 years. She was also told that she likely survived because she had been rushed into hospital on that day.

“My stomach was swollen so much that I couldn’t breathe, I was being sick and couldn’t keep any medication down,” Ms Bestock said. “I was on a downward spiral. They took me into imaging and diagnosed SMAS and I was taken away for the operation. They said I needed the operation straight away or I wouldn’t survive even a couple more hours.”

Ms Bostock said she had been experiencing pain for 16 months, with stomach swelling, fever, sickness, diarrhoea and dizziness, and visited the GP and emergency departments several times. She was told there that the pain was likely to be caused by endometriosis or irritable bowel syndrome. 

“I was referred to a gynaecologist around the time of the first lockdown but everything shut down and I didn’t see one for months,” she said. “I was advised to change my diet, which seemed to help at first, but then the symptoms deteriorated again to the point where I struggled to walk and couldn’t breathe.”

SMAS is a rare disease, affecting some 0.1 to 0.3% of the population, and is defined as compression of the third portion of the duodenum between the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery. It is now mostly treated by laparoscopic duodenojejunostomy. The operation released the blockage, “re-plumbing” her stomach as the surgeon told her.

She is still unable to eat solid foods but hopes to introduce them to her diet soon and wants to raise awareness of the rare condition so that others can learn to spot the signs earlier.

“I want to tell my story to raise awareness I feel blessed and relieved,” she said. “I’m so thankful to the doctors and nurses who saved my life. I get so emotional thinking about it and I can’t thank them enough. It is so rare and even doctors don’t know about it, so helping people to spot the signs and be able to rule it out is so important.”

Source: BBC News