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Blood
Clots for Economy
Calss passengers
The tragic death of a young
healthy British woman after landing from a long, 20-hour flight from
Australia left her parent devastated. This case is a serious one, and
everybody should be aware of the causes and the remedies. The official
cause of her death was the formation of a blood clot, which formed in the
leg and then moved upward with the blood stream to block one of the heart
blood veins.
The small space allocated for the passengers in the economy class is
probably to be blamed for the cause of the clot.
If the legs do not move for a long period of time, blood may accumulate,
and hence causes DTV (Deep vein Thrombosis). A piece of clotted blood may
move up stream with the flow of the blood, and might affect some vital
organs such as the Heart (Angina and Heart Attack), the Lungs (Pulmonary
embolism) or it could move to the brain causing a stroke. All of these
conditions could be fatal.
Passengers who are more prone to a DTV are pregnant women, or who are
using the pills, the HRT, the heavy smokers, people with varicose veins,
or who suffer from haematological problems. Other passengers in danger of
the DTV also include those who are dehydrated and those who went recently
through a surgical operation. So if you are within any of the above
categories, you should consult your GP. However, DTV might strike without
any warning, and therefore every passenger is advised to take the
following precautions:
Do some exercises
Cardiologists advise airways
passengers to do some exercises during the flight. Simple movements for
the legs are essential to help the muscles pump the blood at all times.
These should be repeated every fifteen minutes. Simply place your foot on
the ground , lift your toes as far as you can and keep them in that
position for few seconds. Repeat the same procedure by pushing your toes
away from your knee as far as you can and keep in that position for a
couple of seconds. Repeat this for a couple of times each session.
Leave your chair
Leave the chair for a while and walk along the isle. Repeat that every
half and hour and do not feel embarrassed that your neighbor might be
looking uncomfortable. It is also for his own good as well, as he will
have to move and make way for you. Your walk, even though short, is
essential as it will keep the muscles pumping blood and hence minimise the
possibility of clotting.
Sit in a proper way
Try to avoid leg crossing as this will restrict the flow of the blood.
Leave plenty of room for your leg movement by keeping your hand held
luggage in their proper place. As you go to sleep while in your chair,
make sure that your legs are not restricted in their movement and they are
not under pressure. If you are short legged, do not leave them dangling,
place something underneath them, such as a piece of luggage or/and an
extra pillow.
Drinks
Avoid alcohol consumption as it is a diuretic agent, which leave the body
dehydrated and hence the blood will be less fluid.
Aspirin
One 75 mg. Aspirin before take off and forr three days after landing will
reduce the possibility of the formation of a clot. However, If you are a
stomach ulcer sufferer, you should consult your Doctor before taking the
Aspirin.
Clothing
Wear some light clothing and airy outfit; do not wear some very tight
socks. Take off your shoes while sitting, or at least loosen the laces.
Any symptoms?
Any indication of pain or ache during or after the flight or an unusual
redness in the legs, should be followed up and a specialist should be
consulted The movement of any clot up the blood stream can be fatal.
Drink
plenty of water
It is advisable to carry some two liters of water before boarding. It is
more important to observe a good water intake especially if you are
traveling from a hot country. Do not consume dioretic liquids such
as Cola, coffee and tea.
Several daily papers published long articles on the subject of blood
clotting after a long flight and what was termed "Second Class
syndrome". These articles indicate clearly that since the beginning
of aviation and until the early eighties, the distance between each chair
and the one adjacent to it was 34 inches. However the huge increase in air
traffic and the number of passengers over the years resulted in the
decrease of this distance to less that 28 inches, a situation whereby a
restriction to the movements of passengers was inevitable. This resulted
in an increase in the possibility of Deep Vein Thrombosis to passengers
occupying these seats. As for the width of the chairs, Which Holiday
published a study showing that it should not be less than 19 inches,
although a width of 15.5 inches was observed in some cases.
| AIDS
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome.
AIDS is a collection of illnesses
caused by a virus called human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. HIV
is found in the blood, semen and vaginal secretions of an infected
person.
The HIV virus is mainly spread by
unprotected sex and sharing needles with an HIV-infected person.
Babies born to HIV-infected women may become infected. Casual
contact or insects will not infect you.
Worldwide, the Joint United Nations
Program on HIV/AIDS estimates 21.8 million people are living with
HIV/AIDS. Of that number, the majority (21 million) are adults, and
women are approximately 42 percent.
During 1995, HIV-associated illnesses
caused the deaths of 1.3 million people, including 300,000 children
under the age of 5. Since the beginning of the global AIDS epidemic,
over 9 million children under the age of 15 have lost their mothers
to HIV/AIDS.
There is no cure for AIDS, however
the FDA has approved the use of certain prescription drugs such as
AZT in the treatment of AIDS-related illnesses. |
TEST
TUBE BABY ADAM SAVE HIS SISTER
Doctorinternet-special
Health editors all over the world reported lately that an American family,
used one of fifteen embryous grown in a test tube to get a designed baby
boy to help their first daughter to overcome her ailment. Scientists were
able to examine his genes and using a special genetic test called PGD to
choose an embryo, not only free from this disease but also its cells are
compatable with his sister, to be able to perform the transplant. Then,
Adam, still an embryo was implanted in his mother`s womb.
The new born child was named Adam (perhaps after the biblical Adam) as he
is the first of his kind as was Adam. Adam Nash was born on the 29th of
August last. On the 26th of September last, stem cells were taken from
Adam`s umbulical cord and were injected into the blood stream of his
sister Molly, who was born suffering from Fanconi Anaemia which affect the
bone marrow. Adam said to be healthy and his sister Molly is far better
than before.
Dr Charles storm, the specialist who is taking care of Molly is the
Director of Inherited medicine at the masonic centre /Ilinoise says they
were aware that time was not in their favour. He added that the child
Molly has now between 85 and 90% better survival chance than before.
Doctors will be able to know that in few weeks time. It should be
mentioned her that the embryo is 100% from Mr and Mrs Nash.
Although this experiment is the first of its kind to help save a child`s
life, a wide open discussion flared regarding the ethics of using such a
method to get designer babies.
One of the specialists, Profesor Ian Craft from London is one of the
scientists who support this method. He appeared on ITV screen, GMTV
programe on the 4th of October to state that.
Although there are many scientists and others who support the idea of
designer babies, there are others who does not, and think that this method
should be rejected outright. One even says that this method should be
confined to farmyards only.
Doctorinternet Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist Mr K. Sharif (
MBBCh, MRCOG,MFFP,MD leading infertility expert, sent this special comment
to doctorinternet:
" The recent case in America represents a great example of the
success of assisted reproductive techniques in helping patients well
beyond the boundaries of infertility. Some couples carry faulty genes and
this predisposes their children to have severe and occasionally fatal
diseases. Although not all the children will be affected, never the less,
for these couples it feels like a lottery to have children; they do not
know if the child will be affected or not. The technique of
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) allows screening for these faulty
genes in the embryos that
are created through in-vitro fertilisation (test- tube babies). Only those
embryos without the faulty genes would be replaced, and the child
resulting will not have the disease. The case in America is unique because
this new child not only does not have the disease, but also will be able
to help his sister overcome her severe illness through stem cell donation;
a double success to make this family's life healthier and more happy. In
essence, this is what medicine should be all about".
All rights reserved
AIDS
strikes heavily among NJ minorities.
By ED SUSMAN, UPI Science News
DURBAN, South Africa, July 10 (UPI) -- U.S. government researchers say
Monday pockets of AIDS infection discovered in New Jersey equivalent to
what
was seen 15 years ago in Africa suggest a possible further explosion of
the
infection in parts of the United States.
In Jersey City, about 2.5 percent of the adult African-American population
of the city is either ill with AIDS or are infected with human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) -- which causes the disease, said Hazel
Dean-Gaitor, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
In a presentation at the XIII International AIDS Conference in Durban,
South Africa. Her data also showed an incidence rate of HIV/AIDS of 2.2
percent among adult African-American population of Newark.
"These are very high, disturbing figures," said Dr. Rob Janssen,
director
of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. "These are figures that were similar
to
what we were seeing in Africa 15 years ago." Since then the epidemic
in
Africa has raced out of control to the point where up to 35 percent of the
population in some countries is infected."
Janssen said a lot of the infections are occurring in injecting drug users
and among women who are infected after having sexual intercourse with men
who are drug abusers. He said that in the United States the overall
incidence of HIV/AIDS is about 0.3 percent.
Dean-Gaitor noted that the rate in Jersey City is 13 times higher than
Flint, Mich., the city with the lowest incidence rate among the 51
communities measured in the CDC survey.
She also found in her survey of minority populations that Hispanics living
in Newark had the highest HIV/AIDS incidence rate among those cities
reporting. The rate was 0.7 percent, five times higher than in
Albuquerque,
NM.
Janssen noted that the survey did not include data from cities in Florida
or New York because those states do not have mandatory HIV reporting
requirements. He said he would expect to find pockets of high incidence
among minority groups in cities in those states as well.
In another study, CDC's Laura Cann, chief of research in the Division of
Adolescent Health, said trends among high school students continue to show
that adolescents are engaging in less risky sexual behavior. Since 1991,
the
rate of these children who have engaged in sexual intercourse has been
declining. At the same time, the percent of adolescents that do
participate
in sex are using condoms more often.
"Condom use is up 26 percent," Cann said. "Intercourse has
decreased 8
percent during the decade. This is good news on both fronts." Janssen
said
the study shows that messages delivered to youth regarding sex education
does not create an increase in sexual experimentation, but it does promote
less risky sexual activity in youth that are sexually active.
--
Copyright 2000 by United Press International.
All rights reserved.
--
Hepatitis B
100 times easier to catch than HIV!
Get vaccinated against this disease!
What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a sexually transmitted liver
disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV
is spread much like HIV, the virus that causes
AIDS. HBV, however, is easier to catch than HIV
because it is over 100 times more concentrated in
an infected person's blood and it can exist on
surfaces outside the body.
How serious is hepatitis B?
HBV infection can cause severe liver disease,
including liver failure (cirrhosis) and liver
cancer. Over 5,000 people die every year from
hepatitis B-related liver disease.
How great is my risk for getting HBV infection?
HBV infects one out of every 20 people living in
the United States. Gay and bisexual men who have
multiple partners are 10 to 15 times more likely
to acquire HBV than the general population.
How do I protect myself from HBV infection?
Get the hepatitis B shots
Continue to practice "safer" sex
Put a barrier between you and another person's
body fluids and blood (e.g., condom, dental dam)
Tell your friends at risk to get vaccinated with
hepatitis B vaccine!
Hepatitis B vaccination is your best protection
against this disease.
How is HBV spread?
HBV is not just a sexually transmitted disease. It
is a hardy virus that can exist on almost any
surface for up to one month. HBV is found in the
blood, semen, and vaginal secretions of infected
people, and low concentrations can be found in
saliva.
HBV can be spread by:
unprotected anal or vaginal sex
sharing needles used for drugs, body piercing, or
tattooing
contact with open sores
sharing toothbrushes, razors, nail clippers, or
washcloths
living in a household with a person with ongoing
HBV infection.
human bites
You do not get HBV from sneezing, coughing, or
holding hands.
What are the symptoms of HBV?
extreme tiredness
joint pain
loss of appetite
nausea, vomiting
fever
dark-colored urine
bloated and tender belly
yellowish tinged skin and eyes
Only about half of people who are infected with
HBV get symptoms. People who are infected with
HBV, whether they have symptoms or not, can spread
the disease to others!
Do people fully recover from HBV?
Approximately 6% of adults who become infected
will carry HBV in their bodies for years or for
life and remain contagious. These people are
called "chronically infected." Chronically
infected people usually do not have symptoms, but
are at increased risk for liver failure and liver
cancer and need ongoing medical care.
"I'll have to tell Jack to go in for his
hepatitis B
shots, too."
How do I know if I have or have had hepatitis B?
The only way to know for sure is to have your
blood tested. Up to 70% of gay and bisexual men
have already been infected with HBV.
Will hepatitis B vaccine protect me from hepatitis
A or hepatitis C?
NO. Hepatitis A and hepatitis C are different
diseases caused by different viruses. Hepatitis A
occurs often in men who have sex with men. There
is a vaccine for hepatitis A. Talk to your doctor
about whether you need this vaccine. There is no
vaccine for hepatitis C.
Where can I receive hepatitis B shots?
Talk to your health care provider or your local
public health department.
Vaccinations protect your health!
This brochure was developed in cooperation with
the Youth and AIDS Projects, a service program of
the University of Minnesota.
This brochure has been reviewed by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. It may be
reproduced without permission. If you alter it,
please acknowledge that it was adapted from the
Immunization Action Coalition.
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