One Pill to Rule Them All!!

 A new cocktail of medications in a single pill could help reduce the risk of heart attacks by 72 percent and strokes by 64 percent in people over the age of fifty. This latest polypill that targets high blood pressure and cholesterol contains a combination of three blood pressure drugs i.e. amlodipine, losartan and hydrochlorothiazide along with simvastatin - to lower 'bad' cholesterol. All these drugs are already widely used to prevent heart attacks and strokes, but people often find it hard to remember or struggle to take several different tablets on a daily basis. In order to make the preventive process easier for the public, such a polypill has been created. Unlike earlier 'super' pill formulations to treat high cholesterol and blood pressure, the latest version of the polypill does not contain aspirin, as it may increase the risk of complications such as stomach bleeding.

In a recent study conducted in the U.K. to prove the efficacy of the polypill, eighty-four men and women over the age of fifty were split into two groups. For a period of three months, one group was given the polypill and the other group, a placebo or inactive tablet. After three months, the groups were switched so as to study the effects of the medication on all subjects and to reduce the effect of other variables that may have influenced the results. At the end of the six-month trial period, the results of this study showed that that the polypill reduced blood pressure by 12% and LDL cholesterol by 39%. This is by far the largest reduction in BP and cholesterol readings from any polypill trial. The study is also considered a milestone in the field of heart disease and stroke prevention due to its use of crossover trial groups, rather than the more traditional parallel group design, as it provides the results of the research with a significantly higher statistical upper hand as compared to other studies. The study did not test the risks and harms of the polypill considering that all four drugs have long been successfully used to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol. At the end of the trial, some of the subjects reported side effects such as swelling of the ankles, tongues and lips, skin rashes, muscle pain and coughs, but none felt that these symptoms were a deterrent from using the polypill.

Researchers on the study believe that if this polypill was approved, it could reduce the number of deaths from heart disease by a staggering fifty percent. And while there are no hundred percent guarantees against a heart attack or a stroke, the results of the study indicate that such medical emergencies could be delayed by up to eleven years if the pill is taken daily. The next step then is to get the regulatory bodies concerned to approve the polypill on an urgent basis so that more people can benefit from its far-reaching health benefits.

While such research into polypills is encouraging, experts at the British Heart Foundation are cautious about prescribing such medication on a large scale. The biggest worry is that people will regard such preventative medications as an alternative to a healthy balanced lifestyle. According to them, eating well, not smoking and exercising regularly should still be emphasized as the best and most effective ways to prevent heart disease and strokes. Before the polypill is available over-the-counter, there is also a need for more evidence that takes into consideration actual death rates rather than only blood pressure and cholesterol measurements. The risks and potential harm of such a polypill needs to be investigated in detail as well, before any large-scale prescription is allowed.

References:

1. Wellcome Trust. "Polypill halves predicted heart disease and stroke risk, study suggests." ScienceDaily, 26 May 2011. Web. 3 Aug. 2012.

Eating Away that Allergy

Nearly three percent of all children below the age of three suffer from an egg allergy. Egg allergies like other food allergies can cause symptoms such as breathing difficulties, wheezing, skin rashes, low blood pressure, and in severe cases, anaphylactic shock. While most children outgrow the allergy as they grow older, there are still those who carry this allergy into early adulthood. The only definite way to treat a food allergy is to completely avoid the food concerned. When it comes to egg allergies, these diet restrictions become even more difficult as many products and food preparations contain eggs or traces of eggs. For families with children suffering from egg allergies, this can make eating out a nightmare.

According to Dr. Burks and his team at the University of North Carolina, there may be a new treatment alternative for children who suffer from egg allergies. The study, recently published by the New England Journal of Medicine proposes the idea of treating egg allergies in children by feeding them - eggs. While the idea may seem absurd and even dangerous, it is not the first time such a theory has been put forth. In 2009, similar trials were conducted on children with peanut and milk allergies with promising results. Dr. Burks believes that it is possible to reverse allergies in some children by retraining their immune systems to accept small amounts of the food. This works by increasing their tolerance levels and reducing any adverse reactions.
The study was conducted under strict medical supervision and under no circumstances should be tried at home. The fifty-five children chosen for the study ranged between the ages of five to eleven and all suffered from some degree of allergic reactions to eggs and products that contained eggs. While these reactions were severe enough to not fade away in time, no children included in the study suffered from reactions strong enough to result in anaphylactic shock. Dr. Burks and his team of researchers divided the children into two groups - one that was fed small amounts of egg over a period of time and the other that was fed a placebo. At the end of ten months of the study, a food test was conducted where all the children were given half an egg to eat. Results showed that while none of the children in the placebo group passed the test without any allergic reactions, more than half of the children in the oral immunotherapy group were able to eat the egg with none or few symptoms. The challenge was repeated after 22 months with the same encouraging results. Following an abstinence period of no egg consumption at all by the immunotherapy group, a final test showed that eleven children from the study were able to eat a whole cooked egg along with ten grams of egg-white protein without any symptoms or allergic reactions whatsoever. In other words, they were completely cured of their allergy. The other children showed a reduction in their symptoms and an increased tolerance of food products that contained eggs. According to the experts, this study shows that food allergies can be treated and even those children who were not cured still benefited from the immunotherapy trials. However, it may take another decade or so before oral immunotherapy is considered a feasible treatment for the general public as larger studies are necessary and such treatment takes up to two years before the benefits become evident. The good news is that with the promising results of this study more and more people are now volunteering as subjects for such future trials and a possible cure for common food allergies may soon become a reality.

References:

1. University of North Carolina School of Medicine. "Researchers Discover Promising New Treatment for Egg Allergy." ScienceDaily, 18 Jul. 2012. Web. 3 Aug. 2012.