Sound Medicine -- June 14, 2003

Hosts Barbara Lewis and Dr. Kathy Miller talk to physicians and researchers about:

Arrhythmias Caused by Medications

Stuttering Research

Financial Related Stress

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Arrhythmias Caused by Medications

Many prescription and over-the-counter medications can cause cardiac arrhythmia -- an irregular heartbeat - for some people. In the most extreme cases, the result may be fatal. Dr. Raymond L. Woosley is a pharmacologist and researcher with special interests in the safe use of medications. He is director of the University of Arizona's Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics and is Vice President for the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center.

Irregular heartbeats have many causes, including dietary supplements and caffeine. However, some effects are more serious. Certain drugs make the heart stop pumping effectively, and victims may lose consciousness and even die. Because of this, many medications were taken off the market years ago. However, it is hard to generalize what types of drugs may cause arrhythmia. There is at least one medication in every class that may cause cardiac arrhythmia. A common feature among many arrhythmia-inducing medications is the ability to block potassium movement in the heart, such as several antihistamines. Combining medications may also lead to arrhythmia.

What are the solutions to this problem? Dr. Woosley stresses the important of communication. This includes sufficient labels on packaging and guides for physicians. Furthermore, pharmaceutical companies can help as well. They should better explain all the nuances of a drug and the consequences of its interaction. Pharmaceutical companies should also be more concerned with the service and quality of the medication they sell, rather than the volume of drugs. This would necessitate a change in the culture of health care.

Resources:

Discover some substances that can cause heart rhythm disorders.

Read more about drugs that cause arrhythmia.

Resources to assist patients with safe medication use

Stuttering Research

Children begin to stutter between the ages of 2 to 4, the majority of them stop stuttering after reaching puberty. Stuttering is classified as a psychiatric disorder, and like many psychiatric disorders today, researchers are studying brain chemistry for possible causes and potential solutions. Dr. Gerald McGuire, professor of psychiatry at the University California Irvine, struggled with a stutter into his adult life. Dr. McGuire is conducting an experiment and getting relief from his stutter with a medication called Olanzopine. Olanzopine was not designed to stop stuttering; rather, it is a drug prescribed to stop psychotic episodes.

Stuttering is associated with high levels of dopamine, which controls the speed of speech. Olanzopine affects the dopamine system, and subsequently, curbs stuttering. Clinical studies have shown improvement in 50-75% of patients. In the 5 milligrams dose administered, there were no side effects.

Stuttering is more common in boys than girls, because women have more developed speech centers than men. Stuttering also appears to be hereditary, at least in part. There appear to be anatomic differences in left hemispheric structures of the brain. However, it is not known if this is the underlying cause of stuttering, or the result of stuttering. Medication alone is not a cure for stuttering. Rather, it is optimal to combine medication and speech therapy, although studies have not necessarily confirmed this.

Resources:

Learn about stuttering and its treatment.

Visit the National Stuttering Association homepage.

Information about kids and stuttering.

Financial Related Stress

Stress and anxiety are caused by unpredictable or uncontrollable things, either positive or negative. However, negative stressors result in a heightened sense of vulnerability. Dr. Susan Ball, associate professor of clinical psychology at the IU School of Medicine, teaches us how to manage financial related stress. One cannot control or change unemployment, however, having a sense or perception of control can help. For example, a laid-off worker can take initiative by actively seeking and interviewing for new jobs. It is helpful for children to know the facts about their parents' employment and financial situations. Furthermore, consistency and security are important, as is reassurance that things will improve.

Too much stress may be signaled by changes in a person's behavior that persist beyond a few weeks. A person may also be too stressed if he or she has difficulty sleeping, eating, or finding enjoyment in anything. When coaxing a person into getting help for stress, it is important not to phrase their condition as a character weakness, but rather a physiological response to a major stressor. The first step is to make an appointment with a primary care physician, who can serve as a guide about what to do. Websites endorsed by professional organizations such as the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can provide useful information on dealing with stress.

Health care may also be accessed through clinics offered at many university medical and dental schools where fees are based on income, or services are offered at a greatly reduced rate. While it is necessary to take precautions in times of financial hardship, people also must not overreact. One should not plan for the worst, but rather plan for what is realistic.

Resources:

Tips on how to lessen financial stress.

Learn how to deal with stress when it affects your family business.

Financial stress can cause poor health.

Is there a medical topic you'd like us to cover? Reach us by email: soundmed@iu.edu
or by phone:
(317) 274-4848.

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C . Touching surfaces touched by an infected person
D . Any of the above

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Over-exposure to continuous background noise at a young age can affect speech and language development in children, according to a recent study conducted at the University of California at San Francisco and published in Science.

The researchers raised a group of rats in an environment of continuous background noise and found that the auditory brain circuits that receive and interpret sounds in these rat-pups did not develop at the same rate as that in rat-pups raised in quieter environments.

The first two to three weeks after the rat-pups' birth are crucial in organizing the auditory cortex neurons and for their normal development. The researchers found that continuous exposure to noise at this stage delayed the organization of auditory neurons in the rat-pups, causing a subsequent delay in the development of their ability to discriminate between specific sounds. These rats took three or four times longer to reach the normal level of auditory development seen in rat-pups not exposed to noise. Interestingly, once the rats were taken away from the noisy environment, their brains resumed normal development.

Although, the study is based on rats, it does suggest that high levels of noise might affect language learning in human infants as well.