News Tough Pain Relief Choices in the COVID-19 Pandemic - WebMD

-

Feb. 1, 2021 -- More people with fever and body aches are turning to common pain relief drugs to ease symptoms, but the drugs have come under new scrutiny as investigators work to determine whether they are a safe way to relieve the pain of COVID-19 vaccination or symptoms of the disease.

Early on in the pandemic, French health officials warned that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, could worsen coronavirus disease, and they recommended switching to acetaminophen instead.

The National Health Service in the United Kingdom followed with a similar recommendation for acetaminophen.

But the European Medicines Agency took a different approach, reporting "no scientific evidence" that NSAIDs could worsen COVID-19. The FDA also opted not to take a stance.

The debate prompted discussion on social media, with various reactions from around the world. It also inspired Craig Wilen, MD, from Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, CT, and his team to examine the effect of NSAIDs on COVID-19 infection and immune response. Their findings were published online Jan. 20 in the Journal of Virology.

"It really bothered me that nonevidence-based decisions were driving the conversation," Wilen said. "Millions of people are taking NSAIDs every day and clinical decisions about their care shouldn't be made on a hypothesis."

British researchers, also questioning the safety of NSAIDs in patients with COVID-19, delved into National Health Service records to study two large groups of patients, some of whom were taking the pain relievers.

"We were watching the controversy and the lack of evidence and wanted to contribute," lead investigator Angel Wong, PhD, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said.

And with nearly 11 million NSAID prescriptions filled in England alone in the past 12 months, the inconsistency was concerning.

The team compared COVID-19-related deaths in two groups: one group of more than 700,000 people taking NSAIDs, including patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis; and another of almost 3.5 million people not on the medication.

The investigators found no evidence of a harmful effect of NSAIDs on COVID-19-related deaths; their results were published online Jan. 21 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The results, they point out, are in line with a Danish study that also showed no evidence of a higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes with NSAID use.

"It's reassuring," Wong said, "that patients can safely continue treatment."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rash behind ear: Causes, other symptoms, and treatment - Medical News Today

-
Image
A rash behind the ear may occur due to a variety of different medical conditions. Certain viral infections and autoimmune diseases may cause a rash behind the ear in both children and adults. While some causes, such as contact dermatitis, are not concerning, other causes, including rubella, may be more serious. In this article, we look at some of the causes of a rash behind the ear, as well as the other symptoms that they may produce and how to treat them. Contact dermatitis is an allergic reaction to a particular substance. If an allergy-inducing substance comes into contact with the skin behind the ear, a rash can form. Allergens that may cause contact dermatitis behind the ears include: shampoos soaps other hair care products For example, hair dye products contain an ingredient called paraphenylenediamine (PPD), which is a common contact allergen. Symptoms Contact dermatitis causes itchiness, dryness, and flaking of the skin that came into contact with the allergen. Diagnosis A doc
Read more

Robert Zakar gives back to community

-
Image
tb in pregnancy :: Article Creator TB Fight Goes To Vulnerable Communities Tuberculosis (TB) is still the most deadly infectious disease in the world, killing over 4 000 people every day, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). As such, in compliance with the latest WHO Latent TB Infection (LTBI) guidelines, in 2020, the Ministry of Health rolled out short-course rifapentine-based TB Preventive Therapies (TPT) nationally as one way of providing equitable access to TB preventive therapy to all those eligible. Latent TB infection means that not everyone who is infected with TB immediately develops the TB disease. Some people go on to have a dormant form of TB that can be reactivated over time or when the immune system is suppressed. So treating LTBI will prevent the person from getting active TB. However, most people in rural areas are still not aware of how they can access the treatment. To complement government's efforts in respo
Read more

Download Communicable Disease School Nurse Guidance

-
Image
toenail bacterial infection :: Article Creator How Do I Get Rid Of Toenail Fungus? Q: It looks like I have fungus beneath my toenail, but how can I be sure? Does toenail fungus go away on its own? Yellowing, brittle and unusual-looking toenails can be a sign that a fungal nail infection, called onychomycosis, has taken root. Experts say these infections don't go away on their own and can easily spread from person to person without treatment. "Fungus tends to be greedy," said Dr. Boni Elewski, chair of the department of dermatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. If you pick it up from close contact with someone who is infected or by walking barefoot in a locker room, for instance, it can then crawl under your toenail and spread into the nail itself, she said. Wearing moist, sweaty shoes can encourage the fungus to grow. Toenail fungus affects an estimated one in 10 people worldwide, and becomes more common with age — afflicti
Read more