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Diabetes
Ostomy
Urology
Wound
Care
What's
new at Medsource
Epidermolysis
Bullosa
Basic Diabetes Information
Approximately 17 million people in the United
States, or 6.2% of the
population, have diabetes. While an estimated 1.1
million have been
diagnosed, unfortunately, 5.9 million people (or
one-third) are
unaware that they have the disease.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not
produce or properly
use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to
convert sugar,
starches and other food into energy needed for daily
life. The cause
of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both
genetics and
environmental factors such as obesity and lack of
exercise appear to
play roles.
There are three major types of diabetes:
* Type 1 diabetes was previously called
insulin-dependent
diabetes mellitus(IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes.
Type 1
diabetes develops when the body's immune system
destroys
pancreatic beta cells, the only cells in the body
that make the
hormone insulin that regulates blood glucose. This
form of
diabetes usually strikes children and young adults,
who need
several insulin injections a day or an insulin pump
to survive.
Type 1 diabetes may account for 5 percent to 10
percent of all
diagnosed cases of diabetes. Risk factors for type 1
diabetes
include autoimmune, genetic, and environmental
factors.
* Type 2 diabetes was previously called
non-insulin-dependent
diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset
diabetes. Type 2
diabetes may account for about 90 to 95
percent of all
diagnosed cases of diabetes. It usually begins
as insulin
resistance, a disorder in which the cells do
not use insulin
properly. As the need for insulin rises, the
pancreas gradually
loses its ability to produce insulin. Type 2
diabetes is
associated with older age, obesity, family
history of diabetes,
prior history of gestational diabetes,
impaired glucose
tolerance, physical inactivity, and
race/ethnicity. African
Americans, Hispanic/Lation Americans, American
Indians, and
some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are
at particularly
high risk for type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes
is increasingly
being diagnosed in children and adolescents.
* Gestational diabetes is a form of glucose
intolerance that is
diagnosed in some women during pregnancy.
Gestational
diabetes occurs more frequently among African
Americans,
Hispanic/Lation Americans, and American
Indians. It is also
more common among obese women and women with a
family
requires treatment to normalize maternal blood
glucose levels
to avoid complications in the infant. After
pregnancy, 5 to 10
percent of women with gestational diabetes are
found to have
type 2 diabetes. Women who have had gestational
diabetes
have a 20 to 50 percent chance of developing
diabetes in the
next 5 to 10 years.
* Other specific types of diabetes result from
specific genetic
conditions (such as maturity-onset diabetes of
youth), surgery,
drugs, malnutrition, infections, and other
illnesses. Such types
of diabetes may account for 1 to 5 percent of
all diagnosed
cases of diabetes.
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Ostomy
An ostomy is necessary when normal function of the
bowel or bladder
is lost.
*It is a surgical opening created in the abdomen
where the intestine is
brought up to the abdominal wall, and a stoma is
created.
*Its purpose is to divert waste to the outside of
the body, where it can
be expelled into a pouch. Normal recovery time for
this procedure is
6-8 weeks.
*Different types of Ostomies: The most common
ostomies are:
Colostomy: Created with the colon or large
intestine.
*Ileostomy: Created with the ileum or the small
intestine.
*Urostomy: Created to divert urine.
Some infants and children are ostomates, often due
to birth defects or
trauma. In a newborn, crying may cause a hernia or
prolapsed stoma.
There are many pediatric pouches on the market
today. Some adults
also use these pouching systems because of their
small size.
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Urology
Urinary incontinence is the inability to control
urination. It can range in
severity from slight leakage to total loss of
bladder control, or can
include the complete inability to pass urine out of
the bladder.
It is estimated that there are over 12 million
incontinent adults in the
U.S. today. Women are twice as likely to have this
condition as men.
Urinary incontinence is treatable and usually does
not require surgery.
Some causes of incontinence include weakness of
muscles, blocked
urethra due to enlarged prostrate, diseases and
disorders involving
nerves and/ or muscles. There are also "temporary"
types of
incontinence caused by events such as pregnancy,
certain
medications and exercise.
Types of Incontinence: Stress Incontinence
Urge Incontinence
Overflow Incontinence
Functional Incontinence
Fecal Incontinence
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Wound Care
The old fashioned way to treat wounds was to use
gauze pads and
betadine, iodine or Dakin's solution. After years of
scientific research,
it was found that iodine can actually cause new
tissue cell damage.
These remedies are good only for superficial wounds,
such as
abrasions and small cuts.
If you have a wound that will not heal, ask your
doctor to recommend
you to a local wound care clinic. Many of the larger
hospitals today
have wound care clinics on site. Diabetes-related
wounds in particular
are difficult to heal and these clinics can provide
expert advice and
treatment.
The ideal healing environment for wound treatment is
moist wound
healing. This occurs when moisture is vented when
necessary and
added when needed. If a wound is dry, it will need
moisture. If there is
too much moisture, the surrounding healthy skin will
macerate, and an
absorbent dressing will be needed.
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Whats new for MEDSOURCE
Our company is continuing to grow every day. Due to
our concern and
commitment and one on one contact with each of our
patients, we
have been very successful in providing patients with
their medical
supplies for as long as they need them. Whether it
be a short time or a
life time we will be here for them, providing for
them, answering
questions, or just communicating with them about
their needs.
We are in the process of adding on to our office so
that we can even
better serve our patients.
We will be adding additional services in the near
future. Some to
include:
External Breast Prostheses
Therapeutic Shoes for Diabetics
Lymphedema Pumps
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EB: Definition
Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare disease
characterized by the presence of extremely fragile
skin, which
results in the development of recurrent, painful
blisters, open sores, ulcerations, and in some forms
of the
disease, disfiguring scars and disabling
musculoskeletal deformities. Most forms of EB are
inherited
although it may also rarely arise as an acquired,
autoimmune, bullous disease. Whereas some forms of
this disease are confined to skin, more severe forms
may also involve other epithelial-lined or surfaced
organs, including the external surface of the eye,
oral cavity, and gastrointestinal and genitourinary
tracts,
as well as the bone marrow and musculoskeletal
system. Some patients having very severe forms
inherited EB may die during early infancy, usually
as a result of either overwhelming systemic
infection or
chronic failure-to-thrive. Other severely affected
children may eventually succumb to fatal cancers
which
arise on the skin, on or after the third decade of
life. To date, no cure exists for any type of EB,
although
gene therapy may eventually be possible for at least
some forms of inherited EB.
What is Epidermolysis Bullosa ?
Epidermolysis bullosa is the name given to a group
of genetic diseases running in families and
characterised by blistering and shearing of the skin
on trivial injury. The blisters may be filled with
clear
fluid or with blood and cell fluid.
It can vary from a relatively mild disorder to a
severely mutilating and sometimes fatal disease.
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What does the name mean ?
The skin is a composite structure. The outer layer
is called the 'epidermis'; the inner one the
'dermis'.
'Bullosa' is simply the name for a blister, whilst
'dystrophic' means mutilating. 'Lysis' means
breakdown.
Hence epidermolysis means breakdown of the
epidermis. This is one group; however, there are
other
types which are less mutilating.
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What causes the disease ?
The understanding of the causes of EB has grown
greatly over recent years. All forms of EB are
genetic in
origin and the genes responsible for several
different sub-types of the condition are now known.
Others
still await identification. The genetic defects
result in the skin layers not adhering properly to
each other,
causing areas of structural weakness. This fragile
skin is particularly vulnerable to damage from mild
friction, causing the blisters which are the
characteristic feature of the condition. Researchers
are very
optimistic about the possibility of developing
treatments as knowledge of EB increases. D.E.B.R.A.
is
committed to ensuring that this optimism becomes a
reality.
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What are the symptoms of Epidermolysis Bullosa ?
In the simple types of the disease, blisters are
confined to the skin and very occasionally affect
the mouth.
These are often numerous but heal without
permanently damaging the skin. Nevertheless, it
causes
discomfort and pain throughout the sufferer's life,
and a great curtailment of normal social activities,
including schooling.
In addition, the real or imagined reaction of the
public to the appearance of the skin may lead to
withdrawal from social activities, and to feelings
of isolation, depression and defensive shyness.
The more serious types of the disease occur at a
different, deeper layer of the skin levels; therfore
the
damage is more serious. The blisters continue to
enlarge until opened, destroying the outer skin as
they
do so. They heal with scaring, faintly resembling
burns, and in time the appearance of all the skin
becomes changed.
The scarring may cause severe deformity in parts of
the body, most notably the hands. Here it eventually
leads to fusion of the fingers and thumb, rendering
the hand useless. Plastic surgery can be performed,
but it is both difficult and painful. Despite
advances in the making of suitable hand splints, the
effect is not
permanent and the child may require several
operations on the hands and, to a lesser extent, on
the toes.
The most extreme type of the disease can be fatal.
Infants can be born with areas of the skin
completely
missing and the blisters do not heal.
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Does the disease affect any other parts of the body
?
Yes, it commonly affects the mouth, as well as other
linings of the body.
When the mouth is affected there is considerable
pain and discomfort when eating, even in the milder
form. This is similar to the pain and discomfort
caused by mouth ulcers. In severe forms there are
grave
problems with eating, and the scarring left after
the blisters have healed may cause the sufferer to
have
difficulty opening his mouth, making eating and
speaking even more of an effort.
A similar effect can occur in the gullet, leaving a
sufferer unable to eat properly for several days
whilst the
blisters heal. Many children need to have all their
food liquidised. It is possible for the gullet to
become so
narrowed by frequent blistering that the food can no
longer pass down it. An operation is then necessary
to re-open it , and this may have to be repeated at
intervals over the years. This is the most
distressing
aspect of the disease; problems of undernourishment
may occur and further aggravate the condition.
Other linings of the body may be affected , and also
conjunctiva of the eye, causing temporary blindness.
The scars remaining after the healing of each
blister may in time cause permanent loss of sight.
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Does the disease impair mental health ?
Not at all. Despite the considerable disfigurement
the disease can cause, the mental health of all the
sufferers is normal. Indeed the above-average
intelligence of many of the sufferers means that
they find
their physical limitations very hard to come to
terms with. They are more than ever aware of the
restrictions placed on them and many of their hopes
and ambitions cannot be fulfilled.
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Is it painful ?
The degree of pain varies considerably according to
the severity of the individual affliction. Most of
us
know how painful a single blister on the heel can be
- can any one of us imagine what it must be like to
have blisters every day of our lives caused simply
by the normal friction of clothes? Obviously, this
places
major restrictions on daily life and activities.
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Is Epidermolysis Bullosa infectious or contagious ?
Definately not. However, the blisters themselves can
easily become infected by germs. This causes further
pain and delays healing.
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Is Epidermolysis Bullosa hereditary ?
Yes, it is of a hereditary nature. Broadly speaking,
the milder categories are passed on from one
generation to the next, with approximately one-half
of a sufferer's children being affected. This is
known as
dominant inheritance.
More severe types are transmitted in an indirect
form known as recessive inheritance; that is, both
parents
carry the gene for the disorder but are not
themselves affected by it. An average of one in four
of their
children will be born with the disease but, as
nature is capricious, some families have the
terrible
misfortune to have most, or even all, of their
children affected.
Approximately two of the four children will carry
the gene but, like their parents, will not be
affected by it.
The disease will re-surface if they marry another
such carrier. The engaged couple are usually totally
unaware that they carry the gene.
Fresh mutations of the gene take place from time to
time. This is rare - but it could happen.
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AT Medsource we currently supply several patients of
Epidermolysis Bullosa with their medical supply
needs. This very rare disease calls for a tremendous
amount of wound care supplies. We have studied
and became experts with the wound care of patients
with Epidermolysis Bullosa. As with any medical
need,
we want to supply our patients with the best medical
supplies available.We want to give them what they
need and when they need it.
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