TB patients face higher lung cancer risk, say researchers

Posted: 05 January 2011

TAIPEI - Tuberculosis patients are 11 times more likely than the average to develop lung cancer, according to a new study published by a group of Taiwanese scientists.

The researchers followed more than 700,000 randomly selected individuals over a period of six years, including 4,480 diagnosed with tuberculosis, they said in a statement Wednesday.

"The incidence of lung cancer in these tuberculosis patients was 11 times greater than people without tuberculosis," said one of the researchers, Chen Chih-yi, from China Medical University in the central Taiwan city of Taichung.

"This study suggests that it is also important to watch out for lung cancer prevention in the campaign against tuberculosis."

The findings, published in the January issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, support the notion of a link between tuberculosis and lung cancer, which has so far been suspected but not definitively proved.

"Tuberculosis is a very common chronic disease worldwide. People in developing and undeveloped areas suffer from it mostly," said Chen.

"It is well known that lung cancer is causally associated with smoking. Less attention has been focused on whether people with tuberculosis are also at higher risk of developing lung cancer."

- AFP/sf


Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:TB patients face higher lung cancer risk, say researchers

Related articles

• Study finds evidence of increased lung cancer risk among tuberculosis patients (eurekalert.org)
• Bacterial Lung Infection - Is Lung Cancer Next? (everydayhealth.com)
• What Causes Lung Cancer? (brighthub.com)
• Don't Quitters Still Get Cancer? (everydayhealth.com)
• Trials May Help Cut UK Lung Cancer Deaths (news.sky.com)
• Can coughing be a symptom of lung cancer? (zocdoc.com)
• An Overview of Stage IV Lung Cancer (brighthub.com)
• The Changing Course of Lung Cancer Treatment (everydayhealth.com)
• Controlling symptoms can lead to improved quality of life for end-of-life patients (scienceblog.com)
• Controlling symptoms can lead to improved quality of life for end-of-life patients (eurekalert.org)

Advancement of traffic, detriment to our health

There is always a trade-off to the level of technology in each era we live in. Speed and convenience are two of the major benefits we get from the "advanced" technology that we now enjoy, so to speak, compared to 50 years and earlier of living.

But, the price we have to pay for these?

We pay with our health, which is just one of the many fees "imposed to us forcefully".

Should we be getting back to using 'horse-and-carriage'?

Read on...
-----

Traffic pollution leads to increased pneumonia deaths

PARIS - Exhaust fumes from road traffic and other types of fuel combustion are closely linked to excess deaths due to pneumonia, according to a study released Tuesday.

Cross-referencing three sets of data atmospheric emissions, published causes of death and expected causes of death in England for the period 1996-2004, George Knox of Birmingham University attributed some 4,000 extra pneumonia deaths each year to engine pollution.

That is the same number of people killed during the infamous week-long London smog of December 1952, he said.

Levels of air pollution varied substantially from one local administrative region to another, with correspondingly high mortality rate linked to pneumonia, reported the study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Nearly 390,000 deaths over the eight years studied were officially attributed to pneumonia.

"Many 'pneumonia' deaths were probably caused by direct chemical injury, as in the 1952 London smog, and thus are better regarded as 'acute respiratory distress syndrome' or 'acute lung injury'," Knox concluded.

Even after potentially confounding social factors such as tobacco consumption were taken into account, pneumonia "was strongly and independently linked to emissions," he told AFP in an e-mail.

Excess death from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and rheumatic heart disease, both characterised by lung failure, could also be precipitated by engine exhaust.

While it is possible that there is a similar proportion of excess pneumonia deaths in other countries with similar levels of pollution from fossil fuel combustion, "extrapolation is impossible," Knox said.

"I think every country has to do its own studies of geographic distributions of pollutants and individual deaths," he told AFP. - AFP/ar


From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Traffic pollution leads to increased pneumonia deaths
-----

Related articles

• New mechanism triggers endothelial permeability in vivo
• Study shows implications for disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Limber lungs: one type of airway cell can regenerate another lung cell type
• Harig: Wife's health scare inspires Leishman
• COPD Tied to Raised Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease increases the risk of sudden cardiac death
• New method of investigating human lung tissue enables improved drug target validation for copd treatment
• Vitamin D Deficiency Common in Patients with Lung Disease
• Half of swine flu death cases got delayed treatment: Study
• Government to establish rehabilitation centres for addicts

Save your breath

Image via Wikipedia

Early detection and treatment can help COPD sufferers breathe better

Eveline Gan
eveline@mediacorp.com.sg


FOR more than three decades, Mr Mohamed Zaid Bin Sahari, a heavy smoker, lived with a chronic cough that he thought was a common smoker's ailment. Then in 2000, he started suffering from breathlessness.

"Every step that I took felt like I just ran 1km," said the 56-year-old, who used to puff 40 sticks of cigarettes daily.

The condition, which affected him so much that he was unable to walk or talk, almost killed him in 2007.

The unbearable breathlessness Mr Mohamed Zaid experienced was a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious respiratory disease that is the eighth most common cause of deaths in Singapore, according to the Ministry of Health.

Presently, about 64,000 people here suffer from moderate to severe COPD. And the number is expected to rise, according to respiratory specialist Dr Ong Kian Chung, president of the COPD Association (Singapore).

Dr Ong added that sufferers are also expected to exhibit symptoms of the disease at a younger age, as youth are experimenting smoking at an average age of 16.

Smokers, including second-hand smokers, are at risk of the condition because harmful gases from smoking can cause an abnormal inflammatory response in the lungs. Those who are regularly exposed to pollutants, such as industrial dust and exhaust fumes, are also at risk.

Out of breath

The debilitating disease, which generally affects those above 40 years old, causes the patient to gradually lose the ability to breathe. "It restricts the patients' ability to carry out normal activities and is often undiagnosed in the early and moderate stages," said Dr Ong.

For Mr Mohamed Zaid, being out of breath constantly meant that he was unable to keep up with his daily activities. He also had to take medical leave from work often because he felt unwell. Mr Mohamed Zaid is currently unemployed.

"In the worst-case scenario, the patient literally runs out of breath and it can be fatal," said Dr Ong.

The good news is that COPD can be treated, the doctor said.

And the earlier the diagnosis and treatment, the better the end result, added Dr Tan Tze Lee, a general practitioner at The Edinburgh Clinic, and vice-president of COPD Association (Singapore).

According to Dr Tan, early detection and treatment has been shown to improve patients' health and quality of life.

Simply breathe into the mouthpiece of the spirometer to find out if you have the condition.

GPs to offer COPD screening

Presently, 200 local GPs are equipped and trained to offer COPD screening in their clinics using handheld spirometers, which are usually available only at specialist clinics and hospitals. (Visit www.copdas.com for clinic details.) A spirometer is an instrument that measures how well the lungs are working.

Under the "Save Your Breath Singapore" scheme initiated by the COPD Association (Singapore), patients can find out if they're suffering from the disease by taking a breathing test. Screening and consultation fees vary at different clinics.

Smokers and ex-smokers above 40 years old, especially those with chronic cough, lots of phlegm and who suffer from breathlessness, are urged to go for the spirometry test.

Unfortunately for Mr Mohamed Zaid, smoking has caused irreparable damage to his lungs. Although he feels better with treatment, Mr Mohamed Zaid's lung function is currently only at a low 32 per cent. A normal person's lung function is typically above 80 per cent.

"Mr Mohamed Zaid is one example of a COPD patient who suffered the disease for years without knowing it. By the time it was found out, his lungs have severely deteriorated," said Dr Ong, who added that more than half of COPD sufferers are unaware of their condition.

Dr Tan added: "Once the damage of the lungs occurs, it's not reversible. It simply becomes worse over time. If we can 'catch' COPD earlier, we can reduce a lot of suffering and improve patients' quality of life."

----------
Women with COPD

Women can also get COPD. In fact, female COPD sufferers may be worse off compared with male patients.

According to respiratory specialist Dr Ong Kian Chung, some studies have found that symptoms of the disease may affect women more because they have smaller lungs. Another reason may be due to a later diagnosis, he said.

"Women may suffer more in silence, so by the time they seek medical attention, their lung function would have severely deteriorated."
----------

From TODAY, Health – Tuesday, 29-Sep-2009

Related articles

• Get both flu shots: lung association
• your rt queries: COPD, Asthma & Ventilators
• The PFT Lexicon
• pft in cement workers
• Uptake Medical Nabs $3.4M
• Inhaled steroids don't cause pneumonia
• Compliance, brown bag syndrome and pharma marketing
• Novartis investigational bronchodilator QAB149 compared to tiotropium
• Diagnoses of fatigue in primary care patients
• QVA149 Phase II Data Presented at the European Respiratory Society Annual Meeting

Stealth health

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

SIMPLE ACTS
Sneaking in exercise into your everyday life is as easy as ABC

Eveline Gan
eveline@mediacorp.com.sg


Skip the escalator and take the stairs. It helps you burn off 7 calories per kg in an hour. Skip the escalator and take the stairs. It helps you burn off 7 calories per kg in an hour.

MENTION exercise and dreadful images of sweaty bodies and painfully vigorous activities come to mind. But believe it or not, living a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be that painful or complicated.

Mrs Chan Yoke Yin, deputy director of the physical activity unit at the Health Promotion Board Adult Health Division, said: "People give reasons such as they have no time, they're too busy or that exercising makes them feel more tired.

"But it's a common misconception that to obtain the maximum benefits of exercise, you need to join the gym or even do exercises that make you sweat and feel sore all over."

In fact, physical activities can be easily incorporated into your daily routine, she added.

As most people would know by now, exercise has many benefits, said Mr Lim Kian Chong, a physiotherapist at Alexandra Hospital.

"Recent studies have shown that obese people who become physically fitter have a longer lifespan, and exercise significantly decreases the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes," said Mr Lim.

He added that exercise also provides more energy for your daily activities and improves productivity at work.

Instead of doing half an hour of continuous exercise, it can be conducted in bouts of 10 minutes throughout the day. Mrs Chan suggested starting with simple activities such as alighting from the bus two to three stops earlier and brisk walking home, or using the stairs instead of the lift and escalators.

According to her, brisk walking and climbing the stairs burn about 4 to 7 calories per kg every hour. So, if you're 60kg, you'll expend about 240 calories if you brisk walk for an hour.

Interestingly, you can also engage in "exercise" at the supermarket. Instead of using the trolley, carry your groceries. This helps to burn about 2 to 3 calories per kg every hour.

What about those with deskbound jobs?

Simply sneak in some exercise while you're taking a short break from work, Mrs Chan suggested.

"For those doing deskbound jobs, they can easily tie a resistance band to their table or chair, and do some simple arm and leg strengthening exercises such as bicep curls or leg extensions. They can also do the same with some light weights," she said.

----------
Taken from TODAY, Health – Tuesday, 25-Aug-2009

Related articles

• Change your lifestyle, change your life...
• 10 Best Exercises For The Mature Adult
• ICYMI: 4 Healthy Choices to Aid Your Fight Against Disease
• UAB research finds childbearing increases chance of developing the metabolic syndrome
• Resistance Training for Runners to Prevent Injury, Run Faster and Further
• Majority 'do not exercise enough'
• 4 Healthy Habits Sharply Reduce Risk of Serious Disease
• How to Prevent and Eliminate Knee Pain
• Cleveland Clinic CEO apologizes to staff for 'hurtful' comments in obesity debate
• 5 Reasons to Try Kettlebells