Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 9-22-21

34 I HEALTH I
September 22, 2021
MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE
@MIDRIVERSNEWS
MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
Mercy Kids experts recently provided guidelines to help area children safely
return to their normal activities following COVID-19.
(Source: Adobe Stock)
health
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By LISA RUSSELL
Mercy offers activity guidelines
for kids after COVID
Rising cases of COVID-19 around the
St. Louis area also include fast-growing
numbers of school age children. Although
the vast majority of kids recover without
complications, some risks do exist, the
most serious of which involve inflammation
of the heart.
To help parents and pediatricians make
decisions around children’s return to their
normal activities following COVID infection,
Mercy Kids experts have developed
a “Return to Play” process based on
guidelines from the American Academy of
Pediatrics and input from Mercy pediatric
cardiologists. The process varies depending
on the child’s age and whether the illness
was severe, mild or asymptomatic.
According to the guidelines, children
younger than 12 who are asymptomatic
for 14 days can typically be cleared for full
participation in sports and other activities
with no further screening required. For
kids 12 and over, Mercy experts recommend
a more gradual return to physical
activity. A downloadable Return to Play
flow chart showing this process is available
online at mercy.net/newsroom.
Rising ivermectin use
prompts new CDC warning
A drug called ivermectin has been in
the news a lot recently. This anti-parasitic
medicine has been touted by many, particularly
on social media sites, as having
the potential to prevent COVID-19 as well
as treat the virus in its early stages.
But the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) disagree, all contending
that ivermectin is not only ineffective
against COVID-19 – it can also be
dangerous. In late August, the CDC issued
a health advisory about ivermectin, citing a
rapid rise in adverse events among people
using the drug inappropriately.
Ivermectin is FDA-approved and generally
considered safe and well-tolerated
when used for certain parasitic infections.
In oral form, it can treat the illnesses
onchocerciasis (river blindness) and intestinal
strongyloidiasis in people, as well as
internal and external parasites in animals.
This year, retail pharmacies have experienced
a dramatic 24-fold increase in
ivermectin prescriptions compared to
before the pandemic began, which has
corresponded with negative health consequences
for many, the CDC found.
Veterinary suppliers and retailers nationwide
have also been selling out of ivermectin.
Many reports have involved people
taking ivermectin products intended for
veterinary use, including formulations
intended for large animals like horses and
cattle. These forms of the drug are highly
concentrated and can result in an overdose,
the agency warned.
“People who take inappropriately high
doses of ivermectin above FDA-recommended
dosing may experience toxic
effects,” the CDC advisory stated. Those
effects can range from diarrhea, nausea
and vomiting to neurological problems
including hallucinations, seizures, coma
and death.
Healthy lifestyle protects against
cancer – even if it’s in the genes
Somewhere between 5% and 10% of
cancers can run in families, data shows,
meaning they have a genetic component.
Some of the most common genetically
linked cancers are those of the breast,
colon, prostate, ovaries and uterus.
However, people who are able to maintain
a healthy lifestyle over the long term,
such as not smoking and drinking only
moderately, maintaining a low body mass
index, eating a nutritious diet and exercising
regularly, can also decrease their incidence
of cancer – even those who are at the
highest genetic risk of one or more cancers,
Chinese scientists have found.
They used data from more than 400,000
adults who participated in the UK Biobank, a
major worldwide source of in-depth genetic,
health and lifestyle information. Then they
applied statistical methods to create an overall
“cancer polygenic risk score” (CPRS) for
16 types of cancer in men and 18 in women,
for every individual in the group.
Overall, the combination of high genetic
cancer risk and poor lifestyle habits made
receiving a cancer diagnosis three times
more likely in men, and 2.4 times more
likely in women, than being at low genetic
risk and maintaining healthy lifestyles.
Notably, nearly every adult included in
the study (97%) had a high genetic risk of at
least one type of cancer. “This suggests that
almost everyone is susceptible to at least
one type of cancer… It further indicates the
importance of adherence to a healthy lifestyle
for everyone,” the study’s authors said.
The study was published in Cancer
Research.
On the calendar
Staying Home Alone, sponsored by BJC,
is on Tuesday Oct. 5, from 6:30-8 p.m. This
virtual class, presented online via Teams
Meeting, will help prepare the parent(s),
child and family for times when children
will be home alone. The cost is $25 per
family. To register, call (314) 454-5437.
• • •
St. Luke’s Hospital presents a free online
event for new and expecting families, St.
Luke’s Mom and Baby Expo: Fallin’ for
Baby, on Tuesday, Oct. 19 beginning at 6
p.m. The event is designed to help parents
in pregnancy planning through the transition
to parenthood. It includes an Ask
the Expert panel including an OB/GYN,
pediatrician, anesthesiologist, maternity
nurse navigator and lactation consultant,
along with an informative presentation
about St. Luke’s maternity and perinatal
services. Attendees can also win prizes
including an infant stroller/travel system
and more. Register at the following link:
https://www.stlukes-stl.com/St-Lukes-
Education-Programs/2021/St-Lukes-
Mom-and-Baby-Expo-Fallin-for-Baby/
• • •
BJC of St. Charles County sponsors a
Red Cross Blood Drive on Friday, Oct.
1 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Progress West
Hospital, 2 Progress Point Parkway in
O’Fallon; and from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at
Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital Medical
Office Building #1, 6 Jungermann
Circle, Suite 117 in St. Peters. Register
for your preferred time and location at
redcrossblood.org.
• • •
St. Luke’s Hospital presents an annual
Diabetes Update event on Thursday,
Nov. 4 from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. During this
free virtual event, an expert speaker panel
will discuss the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on diabetes care. Registration
is required, and is available by visiting bit.
ly/diabetesupdate21.