Marion County Medical Center

Health Shorts

September 2002

Don't Let Gum Disease Gnaw at You
Healthy gums are associated with overall good health and a lower risk of heart disease. When your dentist talks to you about gum disease, he or she is usually referring to one of two conditions:

Gingivitis, a mild, early form that affects a large percentage of Americans, occurs when gums become inflamed by the presence of plaque along the gum line. While gums may not be noticeably sore, they are red, slightly swollen and tender and may bleed with vigorous brushing. Gingivitis will subside when plaque is removed by regular brushing or flossing and by more thorough cleaning by a dental hygienist.

Chronic periodontal disease, which is more likely to be associated with a higher risk of heart disease, occurs when dental plaque and tartar spread beneath the gum line, developing pockets, irritating gum tissue and causing gums to detach from teeth. Eventually, teeth will loosen and even fall out. Treatment may require oral surgery or ultrasonic scaling and root planing.
[SOURCE: "Maintaining Healthy Teeth and Gums," Mayo Clinic Health Letter Medical Essay, June, 2002]

Pregnant Women: See Your Dentist
A pregnant woman has good reason to maintain good oral hygiene and visit her dentist regularly. One study concluded that a woman with gum disease has a seven-fold increased risk of delivering her baby prematurely.
[SOURCE: "Pregnant? Call the Dentist: Baby Your Gums To cut the Risk of Early Delivery," Prevention, February, 2002; Journal of the American Dental Association, July, 2001]

Gum Disease Takes Toll
At least 75 percent of Americans have suffered from periodontal disease at some time in their lives, according to a report by the American Dental Association. Severe gum disease affects about 25 percent of seniors, ages 65 to 74.
[SOURCE: "Study Cites High Incidence of Periodontal Disease," Chain Drug Review, October 9, 2000]

No Vacation from Oral Hygiene
For the sake of science, a small group of dental students took a vacation from brushing and flossing. After 21 days, they all showed signs of periodontal disease, with plaque and noticeable inflammation. Most Americans don't neglect dental hygiene for as long as three weeks, but even a few days is sufficient for plaque to harden to the point that it can be removed only by professional cleaning. Flossing is essential to remove the plaque between the teeth and to stimulate the gums.
[SOURCE: "Gingivitis Can Gain Foothold Quickly," Health & Medicine Week, April 2, 2001]

Tea May Help Damaged Livers
Green tea, believed to be beneficial to the heart and effective in preventing cancer, might also play a role in alleviating the shortage of donor livers available for transplantation.

A large number of donor organs come from accident victims, a population often associated with alcohol consumption. Consumption of alcohol causes fatty deposits to develop in the liver tissue, and fatty livers are rarely accepted for donation.

A recent study found that green tea extracts, which contain high levels of polyphenols, can inhibit lipid peroxidation, greatly reducing the risk of graft injury and increasing survival of fatty livers to 75 percent. These findings suggest that green tea polyphenols could be effective in recovering many livers previously considered useless, thereby increasing the pool of livers available for donation.
[SOURCE: "Green Tea Extract Could Help Alleviate Shortage of Livers Available for Transplant." Immunotherapy Weekly, May 22, 2002]

Artificial Liver Much Closer
New developments in tissue engineering have brought the prospect of an artificial liver one step closer. Scientists previously had been able to create only simple tissues, such as knee cartilage. Since nutrients are only able to diffuse across a few cell layers, artificial recreation of larger organs such as livers and kidneys has been impossible. Massachusetts researchers Jay Vacanti, who in 1997 grew a human ear on the back of a mouse, and Jay Borenstein have succeeded in recreating a network of blood vessels which would be necessary for artificial organs to sustain themselves within the body.
[SOURCE: "Researchers Have High Hopes of Building an Artificial Liver," Immunotherapy Weekly, May 22, 2002]

OTC Drugs Can Damage Liver
Many common, over-the-counter medications can damage the liver. The pain reliever acetaminophen, sold as Tylenol or as an ingredient in other medications, can cause potentially fatal liver damage if taken in large doses or in conjunction with alcohol or other drugs. Those who are fasting or have previously existing liver disorders are particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects.
[SOURCE: "Liver Risk with Acetaminophen-Is the Public Getting the Message?" Drug Week, July 13, 2001]

Looking Out for Lupus
The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that more than 16,000 Americans, most of them women, develop lupus each year. Symptoms include:

a reddish butterfly-shaped rash across the nose and cheeks,
fever with no apparent cause,
painful, swollen joints,
unexplained hair or weight loss,
sensitivity to sunlight,
ulcers in the mouth or nose,
weakness and tiredness,
anemia.

Usually a cluster of symptoms is present.
[SOURCE: "Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Guidelines for Control," Consultant, February, 2000]

Lupus Symptoms as Side Effects
Symptoms resembling systemic lupus erythematosus sometimes occur as a side effect of medical treatment. Drug-induced lupus may result from use of certain medications, including drugs used to treat heart disease, hypertension and seizures. Drug-induced lupus is usually a milder form and typically goes away when use of the medication is discontinued.
[SOURCE: Kashef, Ziba. "Living with Lupus." Essence, October, 1995]

Some Ways To Save Your Liver

Don't take unnecessary medications or herbal supplements.
When given any new prescription, ask your doctor or pharmacist about possible interactions with drugs you are already taking.
Avoid street drugs, and don't drink alcohol to excess.
Don't mix alcohol with other drugs or medications.
Don't engage in indiscriminate sex. Hepatitis B and C are more easily spread through intimate contact than AIDS.
Eat a healthy, well balanced diet with a minimum of deep-fried, fatty, smoked, cured or salty foods.

[SOURCE: Adapted from American Liver Foundation, "50 Ways To Love Your Liver,", 2002]

Heat Soothes Low Back Pain
In a study of 371 low back pain patients, subjects who wore a heat wrap (104 degree Fahrenheit) for eight hours a day got better relief from muscle stiffness and pain than those taking ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), acetaminophen (Tylenol) or other over-the-counter pain killers.
[SOURCE: "Remedies," Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50, September, 2002]

Youth at Risk for Spinal Injuries
According to the National Institutes of Health, about 11,000 Americans suffer spinal cord injuries each year. Of those injured, 47 percent become paraplegic and 52 percent, quadriplegic. Teens and young adults ages 16 to 30 suffer 55 percent of all spinal cord injuries.

There are currently 250,000 permanently paralyzed persons in the United States.
[SOURCE: "Pain and Central Nervous System Week, December 17, 2001]

Rehab Takes Steps Forward
Of the 250,000 Americans with spinal cord injuries about half have an incomplete injury, meaning that they have some movement and feeling in the lower extremities.

Researchers working on new rehabilitation techniques are hoping to help many of these patients by either retraining or stimulating spinal cord nerves so that patients can regain some motor skills.
[SOURCE: "Could the Future of Rehab Include Walking Paraplegics, Quadriplegics?" Rehab Continuum Report, June, 2002]

Preventing Spinal Cord Injuries
The finality of a spinal cord injury reinforces the importance of prevention. The causes of spinal cord injuries resulting in paraplegia and quadriplegia often involve car and motorcycle crashes, gunshot wounds, violence, falls and sports injuries.

Diving accidents pose a high risk and are largely preventable. Teens and young adults should be aware of the risks of excessive speed, of drinking and driving and of diving into water without first checking the depth.
[SOURCE: John McDonald, "Spinal-Cord Injury," The Lancet, February 2, 2002]

Health Shorts

September 2002

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