Q: My mom, who died at 88, had osteoporosis and was fairly frail. I’m 69 and a current bone scan confirmed I’ve delicate osteopenia and my GP desires to prescribe medicines for it. But I’m nervous about side-effects. Would sport (I’m a eager tennis participant) and vitamin D and calcium dietary supplements be sufficient in the intervening time?
Amanda Thomas, Cornwall
A: Osteopenia is the medical time period for low bone-mineral density. In your case, the lack of bone mineral shouldn’t be but thought of critical and most medical doctors would agree you don’t require remedy at this stage.
(Like all medicine, these for bone loss also can probably trigger side-effects – extreme heartburn on account of stomach-acid reflux and, far more not often, cells within the jaw bone dying off.)
What issues is the speed of decline, so you have to be re-scanned in two years.
Osteoporosis can run in households, so the truth that your mom had it does put you at better danger. But the reality is that in all post-menopausal ladies, a decline in bone density is inevitable owing to the lack of the hormone oestrogen.
Oestrogen helps bones by inhibiting the impact of cells known as osteoclasts, which break down previous bone, whereas additionally selling the exercise of osteoblasts that construct new bone.
While you’re unlikely to have the ability to reverse osteopenia at this age, you’ll be able to sluggish it down.
‘While you’re unlikely to have the ability to reverse osteopenia at this age, you’ll be able to sluggish it down’
Weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening workouts are essential for sustaining bone density, so your common tennis taking part in will go a protracted approach to assist this and I like to recommend taking part in at the very least as soon as every week.
Other preventative steps embody quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption – each can have an effect on bone mass: the previous by decreasing oestrogen ranges additional, and successfully reducing calcium absorptionin the intestine, whereas alcohol will increase osteoclast exercise and suppresses osteoblasts, a double whammy.
And sure, calcium (1,200mg) and vitamin D (800IU) are very important.
Q: I used to be identified with non-Hodgkin lymphoma 17 years in the past and one in every of my sisters was identified a couple of years later. We’re the one ones in our household (of 11) who must put on listening to aids and I ponder if that is related to the lymphoma?
Irene O’Hara, Edinburgh
A: It is sweet information to listen to that your illness was now some years previous – and also you ask an interesting query.
From what I perceive there is no such thing as a direct relationship between lymphoma and the onset of deafness, however a connection may exist for a lot of causes.
First, lymphoma can usually happen in, or close to, the top and neck, or the bottom of the cranium. If the tumour grows close to the auditory nerve or the internal ear, it may affect listening to.
Another chance is that some varieties of chemotherapy or radiation remedy – if the most cancers is within the head or neck – can injury the internal ear.
Separately, lymphoma can often trigger what are known as paraneoplastic syndromes – primarily the immune system assaults wholesome tissues within the physique, which could have an effect on the internal ear or auditory nerve.
More not often, lymphomas could also be linked to autoimmune issues – and there’s a kind that impacts the internal ear and that may be a potential reason for listening to loss, which could have affected you and your sister.
It’s additionally value noting that listening to loss is widespread with age – and in 11 siblings, it doesn’t shock me that two of you have got it and it’s doable that the lymphoma analysis in every of you is just a coincidence.
IN MY VIEW… New drug hope for ladies’s dysfunction
I’m blissful to report some excellent news for sufferers with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): the situation, which impacts round 10 per cent of girls, is characterised by abnormally excessive ranges of testosterone – a results of an excessive amount of being produced within the ovaries and by way of physique fats.
This triggers a spread of signs, together with irregular durations, weight achieve, extra hair development and fertility issues.
The present therapy is oral contraceptives however, whereas this will regulate durations, testosterone ranges can stay excessive.
Now analysis has revealed that artemisinins, medicine derived from the candy wormwood plant and used to deal with malaria, can block the manufacturing of male hormones by interfering with a specific enzyme.
This is a dramatic discovery and preliminary research utilizing ‘malaria’ medicine in ladies with PCOS present nice promise. Larger research are beneath approach.
These medicine have a protracted historical past of use in individuals so, ought to these trials achieve success, they might be rolled out shortly. Artificial intelligence is busy engaged on discovering extra medicine which may be ‘repurposed’ like this.
One robust argument in its favour!
- Write to Dr Scurr at Good Health, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London, W8 5HY or electronic mail drmartin@ dailymail.co.uk – embody your contact particulars. Dr Scurr can’t enter into private correspondence. Always seek the advice of your individual GP with any well being considerations
