Effects of Allergic Rhinitis

Those with allergies are accustomed to itchy burning eyes, sneezing and the development of a runny nose. But what they might not know, is that, according to research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, this condition may predispose to poor sleeping habits. Allergic Rhinitis, or allergy-associated inflammation of the mucous lining of the nose and throat, is a condition that is caused when the body mounts an overzealous immune response to particles such as plant pollens, molds and animal hairs. Researchers explored the association between allergic rhinitis and sleep in 591 patients.

Patients with allergic rhinitis were compared with normal individuals for at least one year with respect to their quality of sleep. Of the allergic rhinitis patients, 42% (vs. 18% of those without allergic rhinitis) reported difficulty falling asleep and 63% lacked adequate sleep compared with 25% controls. In addition, 44% reported tiredness on awakening, despite normal sleep.

Those with allergic rhinitis also reported headache at awakening, anxiety, and depression more frequent than in the controls. Overall, the research showed that those with allergies suffer from more that just a runny nose. Given its affect on sleeping habits, allergic rhinitis may have wide ranging effects including sleep deprivation and work productivity.

Courtesy - http://www.insidermedicine.ca

Heart Disease LAD History, Microsoft Launches EMR, Behind the Counter Rx, Bird Flu Mutations

(October 5, 2007 - Insidermedicine) From Germany - Having a sibling with so-called "left anterior descending" coronary artery disease is an important risk factor for developing heart disease. Those whose siblings had this problem were 3 times more likely to have a heart attack than those who only had a family history of heart disease. The findings may have important implications for screening.

From Washington - The Redmond-based software giant, Microsoft, is entering the healthcare arena. The company is launching an electronic medical record, called HealthVault, that patients can use to store their confidential medical information. The company believes that the EMR will lower medical errors and improve the portability of important information.
From Maryland - The FDA is considering a third class of medicines that would exist between presciption drugs and those available over the counter. "Behind-the-counter" medicines physically reside behind a pharmacist's counter and require a conversation with a pharmacist. The class might include drugs like the contraceptive plan B and cold remedies containing pseudophedrine.

And finally, from Wisconsin - Researchers have identified changes that allow the bird flu to become more likely to infect humans. Over the past decade, over 250 human cases have been identified, of which 150 were lethal. A single point mutation could allow the virus to better infect the upper respiratory tracts of humans.

For Insidermedicine in 60, - Dr. Susan Sharma.
courtesy - http://www.insidermedicine.ca/