Most Common Hereditary Bleeding Disorder

On one of my previous posts, I put up some info on ITP. Hmm this is becoming a chain letter (see aforementioned previous post). Anywayz… That previous post was inspiration [aka I stumbled on] the most commmon hereditary bleeding disorder: von Willebrand Disease (VWD). Since I am lazy (as most of you prolly already know since 1. I’m tapering off on my vigilant daily postings and 2. I always seem to have a dozen links in one post and 3. so many of my words are taken directly from the aforementioned links) here’s something from the link:

Von Willebrand disease is caused by a deficiency of von Willebrand factor. Von Willebrand factor helps blood platelets clump together and stick to the blood vessel wall, which is necessary for normal blood clotting. There are several types of Von Willebrand disease.

Von Willebrand disease affects men and women equally. Most cases are mild. Bleeding may occur after surgery or when you have a tooth pulled. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can make this condition worse. Bleeding may decrease during pregnancy.

A family history of a bleeding disorder is the primary risk factor. In women with heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, von Willebrand is more common in Caucasian women than in African American women. The majority of women with heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding do NOT have Von Willebrand disease.

I was going to point out, Hey! no wonder the dentist asked if I was on any meds before pulling my wisdom teeth out! 😀

Since I’m interested in the drugs of treatment, the site says desamino-8-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP) helps in certain types of VWD in raising the concentration of von Willebrand factor. Some may be given Alphanate (antihemophilic factor) prior to [invasive] surgical procedures to reduce the bleeding during said invasive surgical procedure (no brackets this time…. I mean, what are surgical procedures if not invasive?) Oh! Others may be given blood plasma or certain factor VIII preps to reduce bleeding as well!

RhoGAM for ITP

Remember RhoGAM from one of my previous posts? Turns out it’s also used to raise the platelet count in patients with ITP, idiopathic thromocytopenic purpura. ITP is a bleeding condition in which the patient’s blood doesn’t clot as it should, due to, you guessed it, a lower-than-normal platelet count. A simple blood test can ascertain this. To break down the name: idiopathic = cause unknown, thrombocyte = platelet, -penia = lower-than-normal, purpura = purple bruises.There’s acute ITP and chronic ITP.

Acute ITP generally lasts less than 6 months. It mainly occurs in children, both boys and girls, and is the most common type of ITP. Acute ITP often occurs after an infection caused by a virus.

Chronic ITP is long-lasting (6 months or longer) and mostly affects adults. However, some teenagers and children can get this type of ITP. Chronic ITP affects women 2 to 3 times more often than men.

Treatment depends on how severe the bleeding symptoms are and the platelet count. In mild cases, treatment may not be needed. — NHLBI

There are other treatments for ITP, including RhoGAM.

I’m tired; wanna go back to watching funny videos!!

From a Murder Weapon to a Medication

Arsenic has an interesting history and present:

Arsenic is an element found in nature in rocks, soils, water and air–in fact, it is one of the most common elements on earth. While arsenic has been used historically in industry in fertilizers and preservatives, it is probably best known as a poison, toxic to humans who ingest it.

One of the most famous series of poisonings was by the Borgia family, specifically Pope Alexander VI (Pope from 1492-1503), his son Cesare, and perhaps his daughter Lucretia. During their lifetime an interesting church law allowed for confiscation of property following a victim‘s untimely death.

The Pope encouraged cardinals to increase their personal wealth, then invited wealthy cardinals to the Borgia’s home where they were served a meal with arsenic laced wine. Upon death, the vic-tim’s property was seized, so that soon the Borgias were one of the wealthiest families in Italy.

As karma would have it, the Pope and his son were poisoned by the same arsenic-laced wine, perhaps accidentally, who’s to say?

Another famous arsenic poisoner was Mary Ann Cotton (1832-1873). She is reportedly to have killed more than 20 people between 1852 and 1872, including her husbands and her children. Her motives  appeared to be… who can take a guess? … financial, you guessed it!

Again, the ending is fitting… Mrs. Cotton was hanged in 1873 upon proof of arsenic poisoning of one of her victims.

However, arsenic has another face to it.  Throughout history arsenic has been used in various medicines. Most had limited to no real benefit. In the mid 20th century some drugs containing arsenic, known as arsenicals, showed some effectiveness on human trypanosomiasis (a parasitic protozoan). However, arsenicals are toxic and caused death in 5 to 10% of the patients. Despite the danger, these drugs are still used in Africa today. (American Cancer Society 2009) A recent medicine, arsenic trioxide, has shown effectiveness on acute promyelocytic leukemia, APL. It received FDA approval in 2001. (see MedlinePlus: Arsenic Trioxide Injection)

In a January 2005 article, Retinoic Acid and Arsenic for Treating Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, presents research on using  a combination of arsenic trioxide and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), a derivative of Vitamin A, to treat APL.

Pretty amazing, huh?

Cottoning to Oxycontin

A New York Times article features the headline: At Brooklyn Drugstores, This Robber Wants Pills. Written on April 29, 2011 by Karen Zraick, the article states,

Since March 3, the robber has struck mom-and-pop pharmacies in Marine Park and Sheepshead Bay five times, demanding powerful painkillers like OxyContin.

PubMed Health lists Oxycontin (oxycodone HCl ER) as one of the brand name drugs of oxycodone, which is in a class of medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) lists some street names for this drug: Kicker, OC, Oxy, OX, Blue, Oxycotton, Hillybilly Heroin.

Beware of cottoning to Oxycontin!