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HI Newsletter, Vol 4, Issue 3, sent 20 Aug 2007

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  Newsletter   Volume 4, Issue 3. July/August 2007.

Editorial

Welcome to the July/August 2007 edition of the HealthInsite newsletter, and a special welcome to any new subscribers! Thank you for your feedback on the new format for the newsletter - it has been overwhelmingly positive. Given that we're now at the peak of the cold and flu season, it is timely that the first of our news items relates to recent research regarding the efficacy of vitamin C helps in preventing colds, and that we highlight links to our topic pages on influenza and influenza vaccines in the Your Feedback section.

In addition to the news items, I will also be highlighting another recent initiative that will be of interest to you - namely the new National Health Call Centre Network to be known as HealthDirect Australia. We welcome Michaela Olde to the HealthInsite team, and bid a heartfelt farewell to Dale Heslin.

News Items

Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold

The Cochrane Collaboration has published an update to its systematic review of studies of the effectiveness of vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold.

The studies reviewed were placebo-controlled trials of vitamin C to prevent or treat the common cold using oral doses of vitamin C of 0.2 g/day or more, and comparing outcomes with a placebo preparation. The review considered all studies since 1942 meeting this criteria, as well as appropriate statistical and methodological criteria.

The Collaboration.s consumer summary of the results of this study states that .Thirty trials involving 11,350 participants suggest that regular ingestion of vitamin C has no effect on common cold incidence in the ordinary population. It reduced the duration and severity of common cold symptoms slightly, although the magnitude of the effect was so small its clinical usefulness is doubtful. Nevertheless, in six trials with participants exposed to short periods of extreme physical or cold stress or both (including marathon runners and skiers), vitamin C reduced the common cold risk by half..

.Trials of high doses of vitamin C administered therapeutically (starting after the onset of symptoms) showed no consistent effect on either duration or severity of symptoms..

The complete review is available in The Cochrane Library.

The Cochrane Reviews are freely available to all Australians. The Cochrane Collaboration Review Summaries news item has further details about the summaries and how to find them through HealthInsite.

HealthInsite has topic pages on Vitamin C and the Common Cold.

Launch of Asthma Action Plan Library

The National Asthma Council Australia, a HealthInsite Information Partner, has launched a comprehensive online library of downloadable Written Asthma Action Plans.

The new library, located on the National Asthma Council Australia.s website, provides quick access to a selection of the most reputable plans currently available in Australia today, as well as links to several international options.

All plans can be accessed directly enabling health professionals to select the most appropriate plan for their patients, and eliminating the need to stockpile hard copies. According to the National Asthma Council Australia chairman, Professor John Wilson, a written asthma action plan should be an integral part of asthma management.

.Different action plans suit different people and this new one-stop shop will allow doctors and other health professionals to select and adapt the format that is most appropriate for them and their patients,. Professor Wilson explained.

The new Asthma Action Plans page features the:

  • National Asthma Council's popular Action Plan template
  • Department of Health and Ageing Action Plan developed as part of the Asthma Cycle of Care 2007 initiative
  • Symbicourt SMART Asthma Action Plan
  • Every Day Asthma Action Plan developed by the Spencer Gulf Rural Health School, the Pika Wiya Health Service, and Asthma SA for Indigenous Australians living remotely.

HealthInsite has topic pages on Asthma, Management of Asthma and Asthma Support Services.


 

New Guidelines Released on Sun Exposure

The Cancer Council Australia has issued new guidelines to inform Australians about how much sun they need to avoid vitamin D deficiency and stay healthy without increasing the risk of skin cancer.

The guidelines have been issued following research showing some Australians are deliberately seeking sun exposure over summer because they are concerned about vitamin D deficiency. The new advice takes into account the intensity of the sun in different parts of Australia.

The new guidelines recommendations include that:

  • fair skinned people can maintain adequate vitamin D levels in summer from just a few minutes of exposure to sunlight on their face, arms, and hands (or an equivalent area of skin) on either side of the peak UV periods on most days of the week; and
  • in winter in the southern parts of Australia where UV radiation levels are less intense, people need about 2-3 hours of sunlight to the face, arms, and hands, or an equivalent area of skin over a week.

UV levels are higher in the northern parts of Australia, and so sun protection is needed all year round in Queensland, the Northern Territory, and some parts of Western Australia.

The guidelines state that .There is good evidence that vitamin D is beneficial for maintaining musculoskeletal health and reducing the risk of bone fractures. The human body needs vitamin D to regulate calcium levels in the blood, and to make and maintain healthy, strong bones and, for this reason, it is important to maintain adequate vitamin D levels all year round.

"Vitamin D deficiency in infants and children can cause rickets which is characterised by muscle and bone weakness, and bone deformities. Adults with low vitamin D are at risk of bone and joint pain, muscle and bone weakness, osteoporotic fractures, and falls..

Although the majority of Australians have sufficient levels of vitamin D, some people could be facing long-term health consequences because of vitamin D deficiency and may need vitamin D supplementation.

Those likely to be at risk of vitamin D deficiency include:

  • people with very dark skin;
  • people who are housebound or in institutionalised care, particularly the elderly;
  • people who wear concealing clothing for religious or cultural purposes;
  • breastfed babies of vitamin D deficient women;

Rather than relying on sun exposure to address a vitamin D deficiency, oral vitamin D supplementation may be necessary, and you should consult a medical practitioner to identify whether there is a need.

The Cancer Council has issued a Media Release about the guidelines, The Risks and Benefits of Sun Exposure, which include additional information about Sun Protection and the UV Index.

HealthInsite has topic pages on Vitamin D , Risk Factors and Prevention of Skin Cancer, and Osteoporosis.

In this Issue:

Your Feedback
Kids' mini-flu crisis addressed by ACT Health and HealthDirect Australia

The national HealthDirect Australia advice line has been quick to react to influenza outbreaks among two separate groups of schoolchildren in Canberra. A group of 168 children from the Gold Coast was on a school excursion to Jindabyne in the NSW ski fields when 39 came down with a .flu-like illness last Friday.

They were in Canberra when teachers called HealthDirect Australia. Within 15 minutes, the ACT's Public Health Unit was activated and awaiting their arrival at Canberra Hospital.

An assessment clinic was set up where 39 children and seven adults were treated for Influenza A. Some 12 children were admitted to Canberra hospital overnight.

The second group of 30 students had flown into Canberra from Perth. HealthDirect Australia was notified on Tuesday night that ten of the children had 'flu-like' symptoms. All of the children were swiftly assessed by the Canberra After-Hours Locum Medical Service and were diagnosed with low-grade respiratory infections.

Both the ACT Public Health Unit and ACT Health have expressed their gratitude for HealthDirect Australia's rapid identification of a possible risk scenario and notification of the incidents. The CEO of ACT Health, Mark Cormack, said the local health system coped with the sudden intake of sick children very well.

'With the help of HealthDirect Australia, we were able pull a team together fairly quickly,' Mr Cormack said. 'We were able to access the necessary personnel and treatment areas and manage this very well.'

Dr Andrew Wilson from McKesson, the service provider for HealthDirect Australia in the ACT said: 'Swift, pro-active notification of this situation by McKesson and HealthDirect Australia would not have been possible without the relationships and trust that we have developed over the years with on-the-ground services.'

'The staff at ACT Health were extremely receptive and responded immediately to the information we raised.'

'It just goes to show how well a safe and high quality service such as i>healthdirect Australiacan interact with on-the-ground services to the obvious benefit of the community'.

About HealthDirect Australia

HealthDirect Australia is a 24-hour health advice line funded by the Commonwealth and participating State and Territory Governments. It became operational in the ACT, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory on July 25. South Australia is phasing it in, and New South Wales will introduce it in August 2008. National coverage is expected to be reached within four years. Once fully operational, it will allow anyone anywhere in Australia to seek free advice from a registered nurse.

Source: Australian Healthcare Association's Just Health News (10/08/07)

HealthInsite has links to topic pages on influenza and Influenza vaccines that are well worth a look.

Recall of Osteoarthritis Drug Prexige

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has advised all patients taking Prexige (the tradename of the drug lumiracoxib) to cease taking the drug immediately and arrange to be assessed by their doctor for any clinical or biochemical evidence of liver damage.

Lumiracoxib was first approved in Australia in July 2004 for relief of symptoms of osteoarthritis and acute pain, including post-operative pain, pain related to dental procedures, and pain due to primary dysmenorrhoea.

As of 10 August 2007, the TGA had received eight reports of serious adverse reactions associated with the use of lumiracoxib, including two deaths and two patients requiring liver transplants. The TGA has investigated these reports as a matter of urgency and, as a result, has acted to deregister the drug to prevent further cases of liver damage related to its use.

The TGA has established an Information Line at 1800 004 599 for patients and health care professionals. The TGA website has more information about this Urgent medicine recall of Lumiracoxib (PREXIGE). The sponsor of the drug, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, have also established an information line at 1800 671 203.

HealthInsite has topic pages on Liver disease and Drug Treatments for Arthritis

Information Partners

We are currently assessing three formal applications for partnership, and are in discussion with a number of other prospective partners. We are also in the process of renewing HealthInsite's formal relationships with the majority of our existing partners, and this includes ensuring that these sites continue to comply with our rigorous quality standards.

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Hot Tip
Cochrane Collaboration Review Summaries

Thanks to the support of the Australasian Cochrane Centre, one of HealthInsite.s original Information Partners, and the International Cochrane Collaboration, we are very pleased to announce that we now provide access through HealthInsite to the consumer summaries of the Collaboration.s systematic reviews of the evidence for health interventions. The 2588 plain language summaries cover a wide range of health issues and for several HealthInsite topic areas we now have specific topic pages linking to systematic reviews on that topic. The summaries include links to the complete Cochrane reviews, which are freely available to all Australians through a national licensing arrangement managed by the National Institute of Clinical Studies, another HealthInsite information partner.

If you do a HealthInsite search for a topic you will find the review summaries included in your search results lists or, if you would like to get a feel for the range of topics covered, have a look in our A-Z Health Topics under 'S' for 'Systematic Reviews of .....'

Latest Resources

The HealthInsite team regularly adds new items to the database including new information partners, new topic pages and news items. Why not take a look at the list of new and updated material added to the database in the past months, but again the list will be quite extensive!

What's in the Next Edition?

The next edition is due out in September and will once again focus on current and topical issues. But for now, that's it from all of us at HealthInsite!

Cheers, Bryn (aka The Editor)

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