Yittz's Clinic!!

[yittz]

Sorry about the late post.

The red cells dying will make them anaemic - so that means they won't have enough red blood cells delivery oxygen to the tissues. So they might feel breathless and feel their heart pump harder as the lungs and heart try to compensate. They may look pale, be a bit faint and lack fitness. White cells shouldn't be affected by the deficience of G6PD or the episodes of low red blood cells. Our red blood cells die too all the time, it's just that if they get an attack, such as triggered by an infection, they will have many old cells dying at once.

Since they are malaysian, I doubt it's very serious. So hopefully you won't notice any difference in that child. Listen to the parents, they probably no best about their child's illness and the issues surrounding it.

Hope that helps. I was hoping Han would answer, cause we haven't learned about G6PD in detail.

[girllikeme]

Okay.

Im in a diet process, where i only eat apples and drink water. Is that healthy ? or should i go for something else? I cant eat rice without meat/oily stuff or vice versa. So i just have to say no to it all. Is this a wise choice?

[yittz]

Not a balanced diet. Apples and water are part of a healthy diet, but by themselves they will not give you many micronutrients, protein, essential fatty acids etc.

Ask yourself:
Why do you need to diet like that? What's wrong with meat/oily food? I assume you are quite young - is dieting really necessary? What do your parents think? And maybe talk to your gp.

[HuangYushi]

Sorry about the late post.

No worries!

Since they are malaysian, I doubt it's very serious. So hopefully you won't notice any difference in that child. Listen to the parents, they probably no best about their child's illness and the issues surrounding it.

I guess the reason why I wanted to know if G6PD might affect physical development is that I haven't found any material that addresses this particular issue. And the child does have such issues as well as some in social development, which I think the parents are not really aware of. Therefore, I thought that it would be good for me to clarify some of these issues from a medical viewpoint first, and then, listen to what the parents have to say, before making any suggestions.

I've visited:
1. G6PD Deficiency Association
2. The G6PD Deficiency Homepage
3. Kidshealth - G6PD
4. MedlinePlus - G6PD
None mention anything about the effects of G6PD on physical and cognitive development.

Then, I found this, which apparently says that there has been no study relating either mental or physical development of a child to G-6-PD deficiency. The page was last updated in 2005, so I wonder if any study on this particular issue has been conducted (or started) since then.

Thanks again for all your help!

HYS

[Suet Seung]

Is there a over-the-counter medicine or natural way you can get rid of coughs that is caused through allergies or whatever? My friend he has this coughing for about two weeks and he has tried allergy medicine but it has no affect on him. He says his throat itches. He tried cough drops to ease his coughing but it is only temporary. He's here in the States via job, and so he's hesitant in visiting the doctor. So any remedies?

[ChestNut]

i have a ques.. my friend (a male) has blood traces in his urine and complain of pain as well.. no history of trauma (no punch into kidney etc).. what can it be?? maybe stones??

[yittz]

Could be a number of causes. It could be from the kidney - so a variety of kidney disease. Or it could be from the renal tract. Where is the pain and how severe is the pain? And how much blood is there, is the blood at the beginning, midstream or at the end? How old is your friend and has he had history of problems down there?

Probably best to see a doctor and get some tests done.

To suet seung: Sorry for late reply, but I am bad with management and drug names. Han promises he will get on to it. Is it better now? Quite a few over the counter meds work against cough - best to ask the local pharmacist.

[ChestNut]

Could be a number of causes. It could be from the kidney - so a variety of kidney disease. Or it could be from the renal tract. Where is the pain and how severe is the pain? And how much blood is there, is the blood at the beginning, midstream or at the end? How old is your friend and has he had history of problems down there?

lol have no idea.. it's quite weird to ask such details.. haha.. anyway, he has seen a doctor and will be getting it soon.. hmm, hope it isn't anything serious..

[yittz]

Exactly . Hope he is fine.

[annaaa]

hey Aphraeleiss, Han Solo & yittz!
okay i guess i could take a chance on this tread.
i've had eczema for nearly 12 years now and i'm pretty desperate of getting rid of it. its not really severe (well sometimes it in the hot summer days). and generally its jusat a large red rash. i've seen nearly 3 derms and two pediatricts and all they've done is give me some ointment/lotion to use. sometimes its been helpful controlling the rash/redness but eventually it always comes back. i've been told that people that have eczema would have it nearly all their lives; however some of them get rid of them when they reach adulthood. i've also tried (currenty) acupuncture and chinese meds and i've seen some improvement. generally, in the winter/cooler months, the rashes fade away and it doesnt really bother me as much, but now as it gets warmer and spring time with pollen arrives, i get rashes again. i use to have a very severe case on my fingers but it has slowly faded away (well its been there for like two years! my fingers were red and itchy and had small bisters (?) sorta.) but mainly i get rashes on my forearm (the area were yu bend yur arm) and i've had since i was like... four or five?

but anyways, any advice to cure some of my sufferings? lol
thanks

[Aphraeleiss]

Unfortunately eczema can only be controlled, but not cured. In young people, they may outgrow it after a few years, but most of the sufferers can only use symptomatic control to minimize the impact on their lives.

I suggest you check the ingredient list on your body wash as it can be drying. Anything with sodium lauryl sulfate is not recommended. The laureth version is generally acceptable by I prefer ammonium salts to sodium salts as they are gentler.

Also, moisturize damp skin after a shower. Dry skin is prone to cracking and that will trigger the itch response when there is tissue damage and amplification of the inflammatory pathways. Moisturizers should have two components - usually a humectant, and an emollient. The general sorbolene cream is an emollient which prevents evaporative loss but does not make moisture remain in the skin. Thus, applying it after a shower will maximize its effect. Most formulations are often combined with humectants e.g. propylene glycol (anti-freeze ironically LOL), harmless in small amounts. Hyaluronic acid is the best humectant found but is too expensive for overall body use although you can find it in the more expensive creams. Look up humectants and you will get a list of products. Antioxidants like tocopherol acetate (vitamin E) which are used in many body creams may help topically just by its emollient effect as it is oil-soluble and requires a carrier oil in the formulation, but the topical antioxidant effect is minimal. Shea butter is another expensive emollient. I like the texture of it, but it may not be more effective than sorbolene. The oils with the correct lipid profile e.g. grapeseed, rosehip, squalene or emu may penetrate the skin better with better protection, but some may have irritative properties. For e.g. rosehip has a mild retinoid (vitamin A derivative) which can irritate delicate skin in high concentrations.

Long-term use of steroid though popular is not recommended as it can further thin the skin, and there is poor penetration in areas with thick skin e.g. elbow vs wrist. Dry calloused skin will also have poor penetration compared with well-moisturized skin. Steroid creams are used to damp down the inflammatory response which causes itch. A diet rich in omega 3 oils and vitamin C may have some help.

Overall lifestyle change is probably the only thing that will have an impact in the long run.

[annaaa]

Unfortunately eczema can only be controlled, but not cured. In young people, they may outgrow it after a few years, but most of the sufferers can only use symptomatic control to minimize the impact on their lives.

aww.. i knew yu'd say that
but thanks anyways for the advice. a lot of the lotions that i bought/ use has a lot of vitamins and stuff in it, esp the moisturizers. its weird how the eczema is not all over my body, just the area of where my arm bends. but yea, through the years, i've seen a sight decrease on its intensity and stuff.
i guess i have already accepted that its something that i have to deal with. thanks!

[Suet Seung]

To suet seung: Sorry for late reply, but I am bad with management and drug names. Han promises he will get on to it. Is it better now? Quite a few over the counter meds work against cough - best to ask the local pharmacist.

Well, last I saw him was this passed Friday and he's getting better but the coughing is still there, although not constant as before. So maybe it'll die out soon?

Anyway, the last three days I've been having this indigestion or something, after eating a meal, it takes a long while to burp. So theres a slight discomforting feeling. Drinking hot tea hasn't helped. Anything to remedy this?

[Aphraeleiss]

Most drugstores will have a range of anti-tussives. Post viral cough can last for months. It's annoying but pretty much harmless.

This came up on the first page of results on google. It doesn't take that long if you know the right terms. I passed my med school exams based on google and emedicine.

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec04/ch039/ch039b.html

[Han Solo]

Just for those interested,

In the christmas edition of BMJ 2006, the use of google in helping to diagnose cases is examined.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/333/7579/1143

Han Solo

[ChestNut]

there's so many doctors around here... amazing ^^

[linger]

hi, i was wondering, what are the signs of having tape worms? thanks

[Han Solo]

hi, i was wondering, what are the signs of having tape worms? thanks

Vague abdominal symptoms, and also annal pruritus

http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic567.htm

Han Solo

[yittz]

Hey Han and Aphraeleiss, I went for a blood test. I end up getting low cholesterol levels, 2.9mmol/L total, low LDL - 1.4, normal HDL - 1.3, borderline trigs - 0.5. Is it diet, should I worry about it? Could it be heterozygous FHBL? I have normal reflexes, and vision is fine.

For liver - is it possible to be asymptomatic and normal LFTs and still be cirrosis?

[Han Solo]

Hey Han and Aphraeleiss, I went for a blood test. I end up getting low cholesterol levels, 2.9mmol/L total, low LDL - 1.4, normal HDL - 1.3, borderline trigs - 0.5. Is it diet, should I worry about it? Could it be heterozygous FHBL? I have normal reflexes, and vision is fine.

For liver - is it possible to be asymptomatic and normal LFTs and still be cirrosis?

a) I wouldn't worry too much about your lipids profile.

i) Remember that "normal" consists of a mean +/-SD in a general population and that your normal could just be lower than the mean.

ii) Would love to have lower LDL and cholesterol level than normal.

b) It may be possible that you can have a normal liver function test with cirrhosis- but it is more likely that the synthesis functions of the liver is impaired - therfore albumin, transferrin etc tends to be low.

Han Solo