Crohn’s Disease and its Complications

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disease of the bowel that can affect any part of the intestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. It symptoms, may include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stools, abdominal distention, and intestinal malabsorption.  It can also cause extra intestinal symptoms, such as fever, joint pain, skin rashes, eye problems and generalized fatigue.  Currently, it affects 0.32 percent of people in Europe and North America and its prevalence has been increasing over the past decades.

This condition is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. There are several genes known to be strongly associated with the presence of Crohn’s disease¹. In addition, an environmental risk factors such as tobacco exposure, seems to be equally important. It is known that tobacco smokers are twice as likely to be affected by this entity than non smokers².

There are various degrees of severity for Crohn’s disease and it can be complicated by intestinal obstruction, fistula formation, gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal perforation and abscesses. There is a higher risk of cancer in the areas of inflammation caused by Crohn’s disease. Due to the inflammatory nature of the condition, food malabsorption can develop leading to weight loss and malnutrition.

The treatment of Crohn’s disease has to include lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking and following dietary recommendations such as low dietary fiber, low casein and gluten free diet. In addition to this, there are certain medications that may be used for the exacerbations of the disease, such as steroids and some long term medications like methotrexate and biological therapies. At this point, the advise of a gastroenterologist is the most valuable tool.

Marco A. Ramos MD

References

1. Genome-wide association defines more than thirty distinct susceptibility loci for Crohn's disease. Barrett JC, Hansoul S, Dan L. Nicolae DL, et al. Nat Genet. 2008; 40(8): 955–962

2. Tobacco and IBD: Relevance in the understanding of disease mechanisms and clinical practice. Cosnes J. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2004; 8(3):481-96

5 Possible Consequences of Uncontrolled High Blood Pressure

Uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension) is associated with several health conditions. Hypertension is treatable, so this means that the following diseases can be prevented or delayed. 

1. Heart attacks. Elevated blood pressure is related to atherosclerosis, which, by narrowing the coronary arteries, can lead to heart attacks. Heart attacks can cause congestive heart failure and sudden death. 

2. Impaired vision. Hypertension can cause something called hypertensive retinopathy. This means that the retina (where the images are formed in the eye) can get damaged by chronic high blood pressure and can lead to impaired vision and blindness.

3. Amputation of limbs. High blood pressure can lead to the amputations of limbs, specially feet and legs. The problem starts with the atherosclerosis in the arteries of the limbs which eventually leads to obstruction and lack of blood supply to the feet and legs, especially. Hypertension is related to the atherosclerosis of the limb arteries, just as with the heart.

4. Stroke. The brain can also be the victim of atherosclerosis, which is related with hypertension (as we have just seen). In addition to this, if the blood pressure becomes too high, it can lead to bleeding inside the brain, by rupture of the arteries.

5. Kidney disease. The kidneys are very sensitive. Elevated blood pressure for a long time can cause scarring of the kidney tissue to the point that it cannot perform its functions anymore. The kidneys are important for sodium and potassium control, blood pressure control, generation of red blood cells, vitamin D and calcium metabolism and acid-base balance.

Marco A. Ramos MD

The Three Most Common Causes of Kidney Failure

The kidneys are very important organs in the human body. They perform many functions other than just make urine (see my blog post published on October 23, 2014). The kidneys can lose 80-90% of their total function and there could not be any symptom, however, if more than that is lost, dialysis or kidney transplantation are needed in order to survive. So, what causes kidney failure? The list is long, however, the three most important causes are as follows:

The number one reason for people requiring dialysis is diabetes mellitus. 38-45% of all cases of kidney failure are caused by this condition.

The second cause for kidney failure is hypertension (elevated blood pressure). 25-28% of the people who require renal replacement therapy have hypertension as its main mechanism. We have to keep in mind that many diabetics are hypertensives too.

The third cause for kidney failure is glomerular diseases in general. Many of these conditions are autoimmune and have long and complicated names and can only be diagnosed accurately by a kidney biopsy. 10-15% of dialysis cases are from these conditions.

These three causes account for about 85% of all reasons for going into dialysis. There are other situations like genetic conditions,
medication reactions or toxicity from herbal “remedies” that can also cause the kidneys to fail. Since kidney dysfunction rarely produces symptoms until it is too late, it is important to undergo yearly physical examinations that include basic laboratory workup that would detect that the kidney is failing. 

Marco A. Ramos MD

Three Reasons for Electing Private Pay Over Insurance for Outpatient Health Care

Being insured in order to to see your primary doctor or specialty physician has become the norm. Many traditional physician practices will only accept you as a patient if you are enrolled in an insurance plan, either government funded or non-government funded. This has created a change in the relationship between a physician and the patients. In this post, I will show three reasons why patients should seek private pay arrangements with the physicians of their choice. 

1. To keep the decision-making between the doctor and the patient. The moment a doctor is allowed by an insurance company to see  patients who pay premiums to it, that doctor is accepting that there is a third entity that will monitor, question and in many changes change the decisions made by the doctor and the patient in the office encounter. 

2. To assure privacy. Once a patient participates in an insurance plan, the patient is surrendering its private health information to a third party. There will be other individuals, employed or contracted by the insurance company, that will review the medical record for different purposes including quality of care, financial analysis and approval or denial of specific treatments.

3. To not be subject to restrictions and limits in insurance plans. Insurance companies can change their plans. Benefits that were part of the plan might not be present in the amended plan. Most of benefits are partially paid and the remainder has to be paid “out-of pocket” by the patient.

The concept of insurance is to spread the risk amongst a pool of people. The greater the pool, the better spread the risk is and the premiums may be lower. This is necessary when we take into account that hospitalizations, surgeries and prolonged treatments like, for example, dialysis or chemotherapy can be extremely costly. However, for outpatient care, when we deal with preventive medicine or with specialist consultations, it would be probably better to seek models that keep the relationship between a doctor and patient strictly between them.

Marco A. Ramos MD

The Importance of Knowing your Disease Process and its Treatment Options

Health issues can be complicated. Not only the diagnoses can be complex and difficult to understand, but the treatment options can also be overwhelming. This is why an encounter with a physician is extremely important. It can have the effect of making the patient understand fully the condition he or she is going through or, it can have the opposite effect if the encounter is too short or the communication skills are just not there.

The first thing that needs to be understood fully by the patient is the disease process that leads to the situation the patient is on. If the case is cancer, renal failure, or heart failure, there is a unique set of circumstances that led to that situation. What needs to be always remembered is that every person is unique. Everyone of us carries a distinct genetic background and have lived different lives with different nutrition and exercise habits. Unless a person is victim of an accident, the causes for any condition are usually multiple. This is  what doctors mean when they use the term “multifactorial”.

In this information era, many people resort to the internet as their source of information. This is the consequence of the internet being readily available, as opposed to a physician, who is usually difficult to find and when found, the encounter might be short and not yielding the expected answers. The internet can be a good source of information, however, there is so much out there that the wrong conclusions can be drawn easily. The other consequence is to make the patient more confused.

The same happens for the treatment options. A long term therapy such as chemotherapy or dialysis should be a process that the doctor and the patient go in (or not go) together, with the doctor providing guidance, not orders. When the patient lacks the right set of information, the decisions made at a given point in time, can lead to expectations that might seem unrealistic in the eyes of the doctor. 

For a patient, knowing the disease process and its treatment options are crucial elements for good healthcare outcomes and a good physician-patient relationship. When the point in which either or these elements are not achieved, a second medical opinion can be what is needed to achieve the elements and ensure good healer outcomes and solidify the relationship between the patient and his or her doctor.

Marco A. Ramos MD

How to Obtain a Second Medical Opinion?

Obtaining a second medical opinion is very important, specially when the medical problem that a person is dealing with is complicated, chronic or needs aggressive and expensive medical care. The primary care provider and the specialist who sees you or your relative may be very good, but ultimately, the body belongs to you and not only you must be seeking  care, but also making sure it is good care.

Here are some steps that may be followed:

1. If you are thinking about obtaining a second medical opinion, you must make up your mind first. If the last medical visit was left with more questions than answers, or you need reassurance, it is always a good habit to give the physician who saw you a call in order to clarify things. Keep in mind that time is not a luxury of doctors these days, so they might just need more time to talk to you. If after talking to the doctor again, questions remain unanswered, then, there is a good case to look for a second opinion.

2. Once the decision is made, you should contact your insurance company in order to see if second medical opinions are covered by your plan and in case they are, to see what physicians can provide it. 

3. When the options are provided, the physicians’ credentials must be verified. You can look into the specific Specialty Board’s website to check the physician’s background and experience.

4. If the choices do not satisfy you, there can be other physicians available. Look into medical schools, hospitals and friends and family recommendations. Do a thorough internet search and verify credentials. Be prepared to pay out of pocket money in these cases.

5. Once the second opinion is obtained, request a written report. This is important because it will give you a document to refer to and will help you when going back to your original physicians. It can contain valuable information and it can help you and your doctor in the developing of the plan of care.

Although requesting a second medical opinion is a right, some physicians may be offended by the fact that you are doing it. Reassure your physician by saying that this is meant for you to be further educated about your condition and its treatment options.

Marco A. Ramos MD

Take a look at www.smopinions.com

What I Wish I’d Known About Kidney Stones Before I Had One by Dr. Mary

Have you ever had a kidney stone? I did, in college. Kidney stone pain is very similar to labor, but passing a kidney stone is continuously miserable, whereas the pain of labor comes and goes. Needless to say, I don’t want another one.

With a personal history of kidney stones, I started to get concerned that my morning smoothie might be putting me at risk. Smoothies have a high concentration of oxalates, and about about 80% of kidney stones are made up of calcium oxalate.

Oxalates are naturally present in our bodies. They are also present in varying levels in certain plant foods. Some other symptoms, such as fatigue and vaginal pain, are associated with dietary oxalates, but these associations are unproven. Low-oxalate diets are sometimes recommended to decrease the kidney stone development.

There are only nine foods that are shown to significantly increase urinary concentrations of oxalates:
Parsley
Spinach
Rhubarb
Beets
Nuts
Chocolate
Tea
Wheat bran
Strawberries

This is a big surprise, since many other vegetables are high in oxalates. (Check out the content of your fave veggie here.)

Why do some foods that are high in oxalates not increase the amount of oxalate in the urine?
It’s probably because greens, fruits, and vegetables are very high in calcium, too. Calcium binds the oxalates in the food while it’s still in the intestine, limiting the absorption and allowing the potentially harmful oxalates to be excreted from your precious, beautiful body.

Why do vegetarians have half the risk of kidney stones compared to omnivores?

There are two good reasons for this finding:
1. Meat consumption results in increased acidity in the urine.
The body responds to the increased acidity by adding calcium to the urine, much in the same way my mom takes a Tums when her stomach hurts. The increased calcium in the acidic urine binds the oxalate and whammy! A stone is formed. Keeping the urine alkaline with proteins (from grains and beans) reduces the calcium in the urine and minimizes the risk of calcium-oxalate stones.

2. Collagen in meat supplies the amino acid hydroxyproline, which is metabolized to oxalate.
The daily turnover of collagen from your own body is a major source of hyroxyproline. Just turning over your own collagen accounts for 5 to 20% of the urinary oxalate daily. Dr. John Knight of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. compared oxalate levels in the urine after feeding people diets loaded with gelatin (made from the cow skeleton and loaded with collagen) versus whey, which is a protein by-product of the cheese industry. Those who ate gelatin had much higher levels of urinary oxalate for the next 24 hours.

Just eating 5 to 10 grams of gelatin significantly increased oxalates in the urine for six hours.
How much collagen is in meat? Samples of lean meats contain from 2.5 to 5% collagen by weight and hamburgers are up to 7.1%. Hot dogs and sausages, made from scraps and pieces, are up to 19% collagen by weight. Meat that contains 7% collagen will have 7 grams per serving and 10 grams per about one third of a pound. Meat servings in the range of a hot dog or quarter pounder will increase urinary oxalates for an entire day after consumption.

Several dietary supplements promoted for skin, bone, and joint health also contain gelatin at 10 grams per recommended dose.

What should a person who wants to limit their dietary oxalates do?
Urinary oxalate is predominantly caused by the oxalate created in your own body from collagen breakdown, but it may also be affected by dietary intake of oxalate and calcium.

Although oxalate-rich foods enhanced excretion of urinary oxalate in normal volunteers, the increase was not proportional to the oxalate content of the food. Fruits and veggies that are high in oxalates are often high in calcium too, which prevents the absorption of the oxalate by binding it up in the intestine.

Increased dietary calcium intake may reduce urinary oxalate excretion by binding more oxalate in the gut.

Collagen in meats break down into hydroxyproline, which then breaks down into oxalates. Meat represents a significant source for oxalates in omnivores. One serving of meat increases urinary oxalate levels for 24 hours.

Decreasing meats and processed dairy cuts the risk of kidney stone by 40%. Check out your supplements and reconsider gelatin-containing products. Avoid gelatin-containing foods and desserts.

This first appeared on MindBodyGreen.com

 The article was reproduced with authorization of the author, Dr. Mary Wendt. Click the link for the original article. See Dr. Mary's website at: https://getwaisted.com

The 15 Minute Visit to the Doctor's Office

Medical problems can be complex. They have the potential of altering our lives completely and for good and even the power of terminating life. Physicians have devoted a huge proportion of their lives to understand medical issues and to learn the art of palliate if not cure disease. 

Ideally, we should visit a doctor for prevention, advise end general education regarding health problems. The duration of the visit should be determined by the nature of the problem and by the complexity of the tools needed to solve it. Nowadays, in most settings, it is almost impossible to do that. Physicians watch the clock, not because they want to leave and go home, but because there is another patient waiting. And after that patient, there is another and another. All of them can carry problems of similar complexity. Is it fair to squeeze the 13 years of training that a specialist has (not counting the many years of experience after that) into 15 minutes of patient talk? 

An office visit, has the following elements: conversation with the doctor, physical exam, analysis of laboratory values, another conversation to report the physician’s ideas, prescription of medications, ordering further tests, documentation of the encounter and in many occasions, an interaction with the insurance companies to seek approval for certain medications or tests. Is it possible that a good job could be accomplished in 15 minutes?, in 30 minutes? 

This is one of the reasons why the doctor’s office has become a revolving door of patients who come for a prescription refill from a doctor who struggles to keep the practice afloat due to low insurance reimbursements. This is the reason why many complex problems remain unanswered, this is the reason why diagnosis can take longer to be achieved and the reason why so many unnecessary  tests are ordered. This is one of the reason of polypharmacy, medication side effects and medication errors.

What can be done? Nothings substitutes good professional advice. This is why, in order to have a question properly answered, the internet should not be used. It should only serve to seek for a good physician. Second medical opinions provided by doctors that devote the proper amount of time to the medical problems are an invaluable tool that will help not only the person looking for the answer, but also the primary care physician who initially did not have the right amount of time to deal with the issue.

Marco A. Ramos MD