Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain With Muscle Relaxants And Neuromodulators
Pain management is a high priority for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, so three researchers in Australia analysed existing study data to see whether two different classes of drugs can help. When looking at muscle relaxants, they discovered that neither the benzodiazepine agents, diazepam and triazolam, nor the non- benzodiazepine agent, zopiclone, reduce pain when taken for one to 14 days. However, even this short use was associated for both agents with drowsiness and dizziness. When looking at neuromodulators, the researchers discovered weak evidence that using oral nefopam, topical capsaicin and oromucosal cannabis for one to seven days can reduce pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis better than placebo.
England's Doctors Seeing More Cases Of Vitamin D Deficiency
Reports are coming in that England's doctors are seeing more cases of Vitamin D deficiency, with at least one expert describing the issue as a major problem. I remember my father telling me how when he was a child in London in the 1930s he developed rickets, a softening of the bones due to lack of vitamin D. He was not alone. Rickets was widespread in England at the time, but by the 1950s the disease began to disappear because of supplements like cod-liver oil and the Clean Air Act of 1956, which got rid of the smog, allowing sunlight to fall on children's skin.
After Hip Fracture, Coexisting Medical Conditions Increase Treatment Costs And Lengthen Hospitalization
More than 250, 000 hip fractures occur every year in the U.S., often resulting in hospitalization, surgery, nursing-home admission, long-term disability, and/or extended periods of rehabilitation. Independent existing medical conditions (otherwise known as comorbidities) significantly increase the treatment cost and length of hospitalization for older adults who have sustained a hip fracture, according to a new study recently published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. "The purpose of our investigation was to gain a better understanding of the coexisting medical conditions that impact the cost of treating patients with hip fractures and how those conditions affect the overall cost and duration of hospitalization, " said orthopaedic surgeon Kevin P.