Pain medications can increase risk of cardiovascular diseases in osteoarthritis patients

A new study suggests that a drug, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) that helps control the pain and inflammation in individuals with osteoarthritis (OA), may lead to cardiovascular diseases.

The study,  matched 7,743 OA patients with 23,229 non-OA controls. The risk of developing cardiovascular disease among people with OA was 23 per cent higher compared with people without OA.

Among secondary outcomes assessed in the study, the risk of congestive heart failure was 42 per cent higher among people with OA compared with people without OA, followed by a 17 per cent greater risk of ischemic heart disease and a 14 per cent greater risk of stroke.

Investigators found that approximately 41per cent of the increased risk of cardiovascular disease among people with OA was mediated through their NSAID use. NSAIDs also played a substantial role in developing the study’s secondary outcomes.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study to evaluate the mediating role of NSAID use in the relationship between osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease in a large population-based sample. Our results indicate that osteoarthritis is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and suggest a substantial proportion of the increased risk is due to the use of NSAIDs,” said  senior author of the study

“This is highly relevant because NSAIDs are some of the most commonly used drugs to manage pain in patients with osteoarthritis. It’s important for people with OA to talk to their care providers and discuss the risks and benefits of NSAIDs,” he added.

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Surprising Things That Can Hurt Your Kidneys

Too Much Protein

Protein is essential to a healthy diet. But if your kidneys don’t work normally, eating too much of it can overtax them. Check with your doctor.  You may need to eat small portions of different types of protein. Eggs, fish, beans, and nuts are all good sources.

Salt

In some people, too much salt can raise blood pressure and speed up kidney damage. It also may lead to kidney stones, which can cause nausea, severe pain, and trouble peeing.

Smoking

Not only can it worsen high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes -- the two leading causes of kidney disease -- but it can interfere with medicines used to treat them. It also slows blood flow to the kidneys and can cause kidney problems in people who already have kidney disease. 

Alcohol

Heavy drinkers -- men who have more than 14 drinks a week and women who have more than seven -- double their risk of kidney disease. But a single binge session (more than four or five drinks in less than 2 hours) can sometimes cause “acute kidney injury.” That can lead to severe kidney damage, and you might need dialysis -- when a machine helps to do part of your kidneys’ work.

Sodas

If you drink two or more diet sodas a day, you may be more likely to get kidney disease. In one study, diet soda-drinking women had kidneys that worked 30% less well after 20 years compared with other women. Sugar-sweetened drinks did not have the same effect.

Dehydration

Your kidneys need water to work properly. Not getting enough -- especially if that happens often -- can cause kidney damage. How can you tell if you’re drinking what you need? Your pee should be light yellow.

Pain Medication

Taken regularly, large amounts of over-the-counter pain medications -- acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen -- can damage your kidneys. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to tough it out. Talk to your doctor about what you’re taking and how much to see if you might need another option.

Illegal Drugs

The use of cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine (not a good idea for a host of reasons) can cause kidney damage in different ways. Some of these drugs can lead to high blood pressure, as well -- one of the leading causes of kidney disease.

Overtraining

Working out too hard for too long can cause rhabdomyolysis,  a condition in which damaged muscle tissue breaks down very fast. This dumps substances into your blood that can hurt your kidneys and make them fail. Don’t overdo it. Build up your workouts gradually – don’t suddenly make them more intense. If you can, avoid working out in high heat and humidity. See your doctor if you have muscle pain and dark-colored pee.

Bodybuilding Steroids

Some people take anabolic steroids -- drugs that work like the male hormone testosterone -- to get extreme muscles. But they can cause scarring in the parts of your kidneys that filter your blood.  This can make your body parts swell, make you lose protein in your blood, and give you high cholesterol.

Heartburn Drugs

Drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which cut down on stomach acid, can cause swelling in your kidneys if you take them for a long time.  Some studies suggest that taking a lot of PPIs can also make you more likely to get long-term kidney disease.  If you’re worried, ask your doctor if another kind of heartburn drug, an H2 blocker, might be better for you.

Strep Throat

When you have this infection, your body makes proteins called antibodies to fight it. Extra ones can settle in the filtering parts of your kidneys and make them inflamed.  It usually doesn’t last long, but the kidney damage may be permanent for some people.   If you think you have strep throat, see your doctor as soon as possible.

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Things You Need to Know About Pain Medications

Prescription pain medications are no laughing matter, especially if they contain a controlled substance such as an opioid. In fact, using them can lead to negative side effects, addiction and even death if they’re not used in accordance with the prescription of a medical professional. Here’s what to do before you start taking any kind of prescription pain medication:

 

1. Ask yourself what your triggers are

The first thing you should do is establish whether the pain you’re experiencing, if any, is coming from an obvious source. If you’ve sprained your neck in a car accident, for instance, then you know where the pain is coming from. If you have a sudden onset of pain, try to record what you were doing and what was happening when it occurred. It could be caused by something as simple as a shift in diet, a reduction in the amount of sleep you get, or the amount of stress you’re under.
2. Get diagnosed
Remember that pain is a symptom, not a diagnosis, so you should head to your doctor. He or she should have a good understanding of the underlying cause of your pain, and that’s because it’s difficult to prescribe the best treatment if a proper diagnosis isn’t made. If getting such a diagnosis proves more difficult than expected, then it’s on you to seek out a second opinion from another medical professional.

3. Know the difference between chronic and acute

Chronic pain is pain that you’ve been living with for a while, whereas acute pain is pain that comes on suddenly and begins to ease pretty soon after you start the healing process. Understanding the expected timeframe of the pain you’re experiencing, as well as what its treatment entails, are crucial to you getting better, and that’s because chronic and acute pain are managed very differently.
4. Have other medical conditions, if any, been considered?
Certain medicinal combinations simply don’t go well together in the human body and can create more trouble than they’re worth. This can include kidney or liver damage. In addition, certain drugs can be stronger or weaker than intended when combined with other drugs. Opioid pain medications, in particular, can be troublesome if mixed with another medication that happens to be processed in the same part of the liver. This could lead to the inconsistent performance of both drugs, as well as a buildup of the substances in the body.

5. Try non-opioid medications first

Although they’re quite commonly prescribed, opioid pain medications aren’t necessary to treat pain in any part of the body. Many times, both chronic and acute pain can be treated using methods such as physical therapy, analgesic balms, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatories. The latter include prescription-strength or oral steroids such as prednisone if the pain is severe.
6. Consider other options
Prescription medications shouldn’t always be the first course of action when it comes to treating pain. In fact, certain types of pain respond very well to over-the-counter medications, and you can also consider implementing lifestyle changes such as yoga, meditation, losing weight, exercising more, trying massage therapy, physical therapy and acupuncture.

7. Pain meds do go hand-in-hand with physical therapy

Prescription pain medications can help facilitate physical therapy and calm down any inflammation that arises as a result of it. Make sure that both your doctor and your physical therapist are on the same page in regard to your treatment. This will help to establish reachable expectations and ensure that the end result is in line with what both sides want.
8. Know the side effects
You should know that the side effects of prescription pain medications vary from person to person, as with almost any kind of medication. These include weight gain, fatigue, and nausea. Although most people only experience minor side effects, such as drowsiness, others can experience life-threatening ones. Discuss the side effects that you could potentially experience with your doctor so you’ll have a better idea of what you’re getting yourself into.

9. Know that addiction is a real issue

There are screening tools that doctors can use to assess the risk of addiction in a potential patient. The questioning in this regard will include whether you’ve struggled with alcohol, drugs or cigarettes during your lifetime. Despite it being a little embarrassing to do so, you absolutely must be frank if you either you or a family member had or has such issues. This will allow your doctor to determine the safest and most effective treatment for you.
10. Opioid withdrawal syndrome is a thing
If you get prescribed opioids, you’re at risk of experiencing opioid withdrawal syndrome. This depends on the length of your treatment and the dosage you’re prescribed, but symptoms can be as mild as flu-like, to severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and general bodily aches and pains.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/  

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