Monday, April 19, 2004
This Is My Blog on Drugs
Here's the Associated Press's Stephen Manning, writing on a problem we've known about in Iraq since day one: Leishmaniasis--a disease transmitted by sand flies, and common throughout the middle east and South America.
The lesions will eventually go away on their own and would not affect a soldier's ability to serve.
Hey, Stephen--you cannot trust the Army to discuss its own medical issues! The Army's always been very concerned with limiting its liability.
Dig a bit deeper, though, and you find that there are actually two kinds of leishmaniasis, both transmitted by sand flies. The first is cutaneous, and the second is visceral.
For example, here's the Center for Disease Control:
The manifestations of visceral leishmaniasis, such as fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anemia, typically develop months, but sometimes years, after a person becomes infected. If untreated, symptomatic visceral leishmaniasis typically is fatal.
Now that's a different kettle of fish!
Here's the hole in the story: are there any documented cases of visceral leishmaniasis among soldiers?
Not to be to trigger happy about this subject. 90% of all documented cases of visceral leishmaniasis occur in Brazil, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sudan.
So my gut tells me that it's unlikely that there are any cases of visceral leishmaniasis yet among soldiers.
Nevertheless, it's useful to make the distinction between the two varieties of the disease, and to keep a sharp eye out for any instances of the visceral strain.
The reporter might have mentioned that its malaria season again, too. And soldiers are once again taking their anti-malarial pills: usually Doxycycline--or, if they can't tolerate the Doxy, then Mefloquine. But Mefloquine has been associated with bouts of violence, psychotic episodes, and depression.
So military doctors have a decision to make: Force doxy-intolerant soldiers to take the Mefloquine until we can rule out the side effects, or take their chances with malaria.
Tune in.
Turn on.
Splash, out
Jason
The lesions will eventually go away on their own and would not affect a soldier's ability to serve.
Hey, Stephen--you cannot trust the Army to discuss its own medical issues! The Army's always been very concerned with limiting its liability.
Dig a bit deeper, though, and you find that there are actually two kinds of leishmaniasis, both transmitted by sand flies. The first is cutaneous, and the second is visceral.
For example, here's the Center for Disease Control:
The manifestations of visceral leishmaniasis, such as fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anemia, typically develop months, but sometimes years, after a person becomes infected. If untreated, symptomatic visceral leishmaniasis typically is fatal.
Now that's a different kettle of fish!
Here's the hole in the story: are there any documented cases of visceral leishmaniasis among soldiers?
Not to be to trigger happy about this subject. 90% of all documented cases of visceral leishmaniasis occur in Brazil, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sudan.
So my gut tells me that it's unlikely that there are any cases of visceral leishmaniasis yet among soldiers.
Nevertheless, it's useful to make the distinction between the two varieties of the disease, and to keep a sharp eye out for any instances of the visceral strain.
The reporter might have mentioned that its malaria season again, too. And soldiers are once again taking their anti-malarial pills: usually Doxycycline--or, if they can't tolerate the Doxy, then Mefloquine. But Mefloquine has been associated with bouts of violence, psychotic episodes, and depression.
So military doctors have a decision to make: Force doxy-intolerant soldiers to take the Mefloquine until we can rule out the side effects, or take their chances with malaria.
Tune in.
Turn on.
Splash, out
Jason
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