WorldHealth.net

Long-term effects of alcohol abuse 'not limited to the liver'

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Alcohol related health damage is not limited to just the liver, UK-based agency Alcohol Concern has warned.

It has become increasingly important for people to be aware that a wider range of medical conditions including high blood pressure and an increased risk of suffering a stroke or a heart attack can be linked to alcohol misuse.

Frank Soodeen, press and parliamentary officer for Alcohol Concern, said: "Alcohol is the second biggest cause of high blood pressure after obesity… [while] women who drink heavily are at an increased risk of breast cancer."

A survey carried out by health charity Developing Patient Partnerships revealed that more than a third of men are self-medicating with alcohol to help them deal with stress.

The findings also showed that 34 per cent of men and 26 per cent of women would consider an alcoholic drink to help them feel less stressed.

Mr Soodeen added: "Alcohol is a psychoactive drug, and it's particularly risky to rely on it to relieve stress because if one is then drinking particularly heavily, it can, in a sense, compound some of the problems that created stress in the first place."

Immune-related medicine 'fuelling drug development'

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The value of medication developed for the treatment of conditions relating to the immune system is expected to double by 2011, new findings suggest.

A report from life science consultants Greystone Associates states that the ongoing study and growing medical interest in the influence of the immune system on health and disease, has resulted in a recent increase in the number of drugs being used to help patients manage incurable immunity-related conditions.

According to the report, sales of Enbrel, Remicade, and Humira, used for the treatment of inflammatory autoimmune diseases, Herceptin for oncology, and Avonex and Betaseron for multiple sclerosis, reached over US$1 billion in 2007.

Last year, the value of "immune factor drugs" was more than US$18 billion worldwide.

Greystone Associates claims that over 36 different pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms are currently developing drugs based on immune medicine in the sector, working on "targeted therapeutic applications for pipeline immune factor drug candidates" of hereditary, metabolic and infectious diseases in addition to autoimmune and oncology conditions.