Health and Medical Information

Archive for July, 2008

In the deserts of the Southwestern United States, Mexico, and different parts of South America exists a particularly nasty variety of mold that can cause an extremely serious skin disease. This is Coccidioides immitis and if left untreated, it can turn fatal.

Coccidioidomycosis (or Valley Fever) is caused by inhaling the spores of C. immitis. The clinical features of this disease (when there are any symptoms at all) usually include rashes, headaches, coughing, fever, and myalgia.

Myalgia is another name for muscle pain and this can be the cause of many different disorders and diseases. The most frequent cause of this is the extensive use of a certain muscle or a set of muscles.

If the patient does not have a history of accidents, then it is probably due to a viral or a bacterial infection. If it is a long term symptom, then it could be a symptom of some kind of nutritional deficiency.

One of the most common causes of the inhalation of the C. immitis spores is the disturbance of contaminated, dusty soil.

This can be due to either a person exposing themselves to the soil while in the process of work, recreation, or as a result of a natural disaster such as an earthquake or a dust storm. The states where the disease is known to be endemic are California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

The incidence of this disease in the year 1995 in Arizona was 15 infections per 100,000 people.

Those at risk for this disease are those who work in areas where the disease is endemic and do work that exposes them to contaminated dust and soil, which are construction workers, archeologists, or any kind of agricultural worker.

Pregnant women that are in their third trimester, Asians, African Americans, and anyone who has a weakened immune system are also particularly at risk to contract this disease.

Some people who contract this disease do not recover and this can bring on chronic pulmonary infection or even a disseminated infection that can be located all over the body.

If not treated or a person with HIV or AIDs does not recover completely from this disease, severe pulmonary disease may surface.

In 2001, a group of archeologists who had been working at a dig in Utah developed the disease within about two weeks of being exposed to the contaminated soil. Since then, there has been a new regulation put into place requiring the watering of the soil before digging can begin and for the use of breathing masks.

Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.

Mold has been around since before us and has been having an effect on us since the time of Moses, yet we have only recently begun to see the true effects of mold on the human body.

Mold not only affects the human body, but also the bodies of animals, such as our dogs, cats, and even our birds. We have become aware that mold is not something that we want living where we do, but a lot of us do not feel that there is much that we can do about it.

Most molds fit into three different categories and are classified according to what kind of effect they have on us and our health.

Molds that are considered toxic produce what are called mycotoxins and even though these molds rarely occur where we live, they can cause all kinds of health complications and some of these can lead to death in the most serious of circumstances.

Penicilliosis is native to the region of Southeast Asia and has a fairly high mortality rate without treatment, but even with treatment the number of deaths total about one in five.

Another serious occurrence associated with mold is called aspergilloma and it happens when fungus begins to grow in balls inside any cavities existing in the body, particularly the lungs. Stachybotrys mold produces mycotoxins and is the most famous of the different black molds that exist and has been referenced by the media as toxic black mold.

Allergenic molds seem to affect people the most often and as their name implies, they usually cause some common allergy symptoms, but can be quite a nuisance.

They can aggravate existing allergies or asthma, making the symptoms that a person already has become worse over time. Anti-histamines may help a small amount, but getting rid of the contamination is usually the only way to keep the symptoms from returning.

Pathogenic molds are less rare than toxic molds or allergenic molds, but they can be just as dangerous in people that have compromised immune systems such as those who are HIV-positive or has AIDS, cancer, or is recovering from surgery of any kind. The elderly, pets, and small children are also more at risk than a normal healthy adult person would be.

If you believe that mold exists in your home, you should perform some do-it-yourself mold tests and when you get the results back, hire a professional to get rid of the infestation as soon as possible.

Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Houston Fire Damage Water Restoration Contractor companies and
Los Angeles Water Damage and Restoration Services.

Many people diagnosed with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) experience similar feelings: they feel scared, overwhelmed by the disease and its implications, and even confused about how it could have happened. If your disease is the result of Fen-Phen use, you may also be feeling angry. Whatever you’re feeling, understand that it is normal. You will likely run the gamut of emotions by the time your doctor has established an effective PPH treatment and you have returned to a more normal lifestyle.

No matter how you feel, Primary Pulmonary Hypertension and PPH treatment are much easier to cope with if you stay involved in the treatment process, and gain as much knowledge about the disease and your treatment as possible.

It is difficult to maintain a sense of security at a time when many aspects of your life may feel out of control. Getting as much information as possible about the disease and your treatment options can help a great deal with these feelings. Most patients as well as doctors agree that having this information can make it easier to cope with the disease and with treatment.

After being diagnosed, the process of establishing a treatment plan is often long and exhaustive. People tend to have unique responses to PPH treatment medications, and the only sure way to know which medication will work most effectively is to try each in turn until the most effective treatment is found. Depending on your responses to each drug, your doctor may decide that Tracleer treatment is your best option, and this drug has its own unique set of risks which may be difficult to cope with.

It is important that you feel as comfortable as possible during diagnosis and treatment processes. Ask as many questions of your doctor as you feel are necessary. There are no “wrong” questions. Included here is a list of possible questions to ask your doctor. You may find it helpful to write these down, and include any other questions that come to you.

Remember that information not only helps you feel more in control, it will make you safer as well. If you and your friends and family know as much as possible about the disease, its symptoms, the side effects of PPH treatment and the side effects of this treatment, it will enable you to get help more quickly if you experience any of them.

* How severe is your condition? What is your long-term prognosis?
* What symptoms might you experience in the future?
* Which of these are “warning-signs”? What should you do if you experience these?
* What are your treatment options? Is this treatment the best choice?
* What are the side effects of it?
* What tests will your doctor do to determine if the treatment is working?
* What kinds of lifestyle changes should you make?
* Are there any activities, foods, or over-the-counter medications you should avoid?

There are two serious side effects associated with Tracleer treatment that may leave you feeling even more overwhelmed or scared if your doctor decides this is the best PPH treatment for you.

It is known to cause liver damage, and it is also not prescribed for pregnant women because of the damage it causes to unborn babies. For this reason, it is not possible to become pregnant while taking it. For young women who are hoping to start a family, this can be devastating thing to have to accept.

For people with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension who are undergoing this treatment and PPH treatment in general, another way to help reduce the anxiety and get some needed emotion support is by finding a support group in your area. Your doctor or another health professional may be able to recommend a group near you.

If you are unable to find a support group using this method, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association web site provides a list of support groups available in all US regions, as well as in other countries of the world. Getting in touch with other people who share your concerns and who are going through the same things you are can help make PPH less frightening and easier to cope with.

Although PPH is not curable, the PPH treatments available make it possible to achieve a much more normal lifestyle than was possible even ten years ago. Staying positive with this disease can be difficult, but with knowledge of the disease, and the support of family and friends it is possible.

Nick Johnson is lead counsel with Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs in many states and focuses on injury cases involving Fen-Phen and PPH, Paxil, Mesothelioma and Nursing Home Abuse. Call Nick Johnson at 1-888-311-5522 or visit http://www.jbclawfirm.com

Pulmonary hypertension refers to a medical condition in which there is an elevated blood pressure in the pulmonary artery which can restrict blood flow to the lungs and cause the heart’s right ventricle to overwork itself, leading to a variety of symptoms (including dizziness, fainting, and shortness of breath) as well a marked decreased ability to exert oneself (such as through exercise or a lot of activity).

The term primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), although it’s now being used less in the medical realm in favor of the term idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, is still a term used readily in literature as well as in the general public, and refers to pulmonary hypertension that has an unknown or unverified cause.

PPH has many possible causes, but because the term primary pulmonary hypertension was coined due to the fact that its cause is unknown, specific causes are difficult to pinpoint. Causes of the different types of pulmonary hypertension in general can include left heart failure, congenital heart disease, lung diseases, HIV and other autoimmune disorders, pulmonary embolism, and genetics.

One of the biggest suspected causes of primary pulmonary hypertension is the use of certain anti-obesity and weight-loss pills, such as Fen-Phen, which the FDA took off the market in September 1997 after reports linked it to pulmonary hypertension and other conditions.

If you have primary pulmonary hypertension, you’ll want to consider an effective PPH treatment. One of the most popular and beneficial PPH treatments is an FDA-approved drug called Tracleer. Why is this treatment so beneficial? Tracleer treatment, produced by Patheon Inc. and marketed by Actelion Pharmaceuticals, is a vasodilator drug in tablet form that is taken orally in order to help block the effects of endothelin, a vasoconstrictor naturally found in the body to shrink blood vessels, but is found in much higher concentrations in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension.

In addition, PPH treatment using this helps to relax the lung’s blood vessels as well as increase the level of oxygen in the blood. For patients with primary pulmonary hypertension, what this means in a practical sense is that they are able to perform regular activities at an improved level, without becoming fatigued, dizzy, or short of breath right away, and they are able to tolerate exercise more.

However, like all drugs, including others used for PPH treatment, it does have a number of side-effects that patients taking it or considering its use should become aware of. Some of the more common side-effects associated with this treatment include headaches, nasal congestion, flushing out, passing out, and even abnormally low blood pressure.

The most serious possible side-effect associated with this treatment, however, involves the liver. Tracleer can actually impair normal liver function, and even cause liver damage, which may or may not be permanent in nature. As a result, patients with primary pulmonary hypertension on this treatment require monthly blood tests of the liver’s function.

In addition to side-effects, Tracleer treatment also has one major contraindication: pregnant women or women who may be or are trying to become pregnant must not take it, as this particularly form of PPH treatment has been proven to be teratogenic (known to harm a fetus, cause birth defects, or miscarriage).

Therefore, in addition to monthly liver blood tests, female patients on it must take monthly pregnancy tests in case pregnancy occurs, at which point it must be stopped immediately. Further, if you’re a female on Tracleer treatment and you’re using a hormonal method of birth control, you will also have to supplement with a barrier method (like condoms) because it has been shown to reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills, patches, rings, injections, and implants.

While this treatment often has more side-effects and potential complications than other types of PPH treatment, such as Flolan and Remodulin (two of the other most common types of PPH treatment), it is the preferred type for many because of its convenience in that it can be taken orally.

Patients with primary pulmonary hypertension may wish to talk to their doctors about different types of PPH treatment, including Tracleer treatment. It is available by prescription only and should only be taken under a doctor’s advice and directions.

If you have pulmonary hypertension with an unknown cause, and you believe you may have developed primary pulmonary hypertension because of your use of the anti-obesity, weight-loss pill Fen-Phen, then in addition to asking your doctor about Tracleer treatment, it is recommended you seek the legal counsel from a reputable law firm or PPH attorney specializing in Fen-Phen litigation cases. You may qualify for compensation.

Nick Johnson is lead counsel with Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs in many states and focuses on injury cases involving Fen-Phen and PPH, Paxil, Mesothelioma and Nursing Home Abuse. Call Nick Johnson at 1-888-311-5522 or visit http://www.jbclawfirm.com