OSTEOPOROSIS – TREATMENT

The problem in osteoporosis is an increase in the amount of bone resorption. Treatment has been tried to reverse this process and the best method is still a matter of argument.

There is no doubt that oestrogens given from the time of the menopause tend to prevent the development of osteoporosis but are less effective in reversing the process once it has developed.

The anabolic steroids were thought to increase the protein matrix but their use has been disappointing.

These drugs are derived from male hormones, but the virilising or masculinising effect has, to a large degree, been removed. They are widely used by weightlifters and those who take part in athletic field events to increase muscle bulk.

Calcitonin is a hormone derived from salmon and is now used to treat another bone condition, Paget’s disease. It is used also to treat osteoporosis but how effective it will be is still undetermined.

Vitamin D supplements have also been used but they appear to have some effect only where a definite deficiency of this vitamin can be demonstrated.

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COMMON COLD – INTRODUCTION

Whatever happened to the common cold? The people who consult me with the winter sniffles, even those with whom I pass the time of day, rarely complain that they have ‘a cold’.

It seems more serious and deserving of sympathy to complain of ‘the flu’. Any respiratory infection is often called this, but most aren’t real influenza.

The common cold, or coryza, remains the commonest respiratory infection. It is an acute illness of a few days’ duration. It may be accompanied by a low fever and there is inflammation of the lining of the nose and throat.

There are more than 80 cold viruses and the immunity produced by infection with one virus may wear off after a few years. Those who suffer frequent colds are probably affected by a different virus each time; by the time they meet the original one again, the chance is that they will again be vulnerable, as any immunity will have worn off.

Why doctors are concerned to determine whether an infection is due to a virus or a bacterium is that bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics whereas only a few viral infections respond to these drugs.

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