Sound Medicine -- July 26, 2003

Hosts Barbara Lewis and Dr. Steve Bogdewic talk to physicians and researchers about:

Contaminants in Swimming Pools

Meningitis

Multiple Sclerosis

Real Media | Windows Media

Contaminants in Swimming Pools

Last summer, public pools nationwide were tested for contaminants and the results are unsettling. According to the Centers for Disease Control surveillance study, more than half of the pools tested failed the water tests for contaminants. Dr. Michael Beach, an epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Parasitic Diseases, explains the hazards of unhygienic pools.

Contaminants come from swimmers carrying viruses. The most dangerous contaminants found in the study were the E coli virus and various diarrhea-causing agents. The procedures to maintain chlorine and pH levels are complicated, and public pool owners should ensure that pool filtration works correctly. Furthermore, restrooms should be located close to the pool so people are inclined to use them. People should shower before entering the pool, and parents should change babys' diapers in a hygienic facility away from the water.

Private residential swimming pools house fewer contaminants. There are fewer people in these pools, so there is less chance of disease and viruses spreading. Hot tubs may also be unsanitary, with skin infections being more common than diarrhea. Pools and hot tubs are shared water environments and must be kept clean.

Resources:

Take the CDC's "Healthy Swimming Quiz" in either the animated (Flash plug-in enhanced) or traditional web-based version.

Read up on the rules for public and semi-public pools, as put forth by the Indiana State Department of Health.

Respiratory illnesses have been linked to hot tub use. Find out how this happens and precautions you can take to soak safely.

Meningitis

August is Meningitis Awareness Month, but meningitis is in the news year-round. Locally, the disease made news in June when a Noblesville, Indiana teenager died from it. Also in June, it was reported that world-renowned architect Michael Graves had been struck by the disease and paralyzed from the waist down. Dr. James Conway, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Riley Hospital for Children, educates us about meningitis.

Meningitis is the inflammation of the lining around the central nervous system. Headaches, lethargy, and fatigue are common symptoms that usually worsen as the disease progresses. Meningitis is relatively unusual, but not rare, as there are around 80,000 cases each year in the US. Bacterial meningitis is especially virulent. Once the bacteria enter the blood stream, they have unchecked entry to the nervous system.

College students living in dormitories are at a greater risk for contracting meningitis than the general population. Sharing drinking glasses, toothbrushes, and cigarettes are all common behaviors in dorms, and the bacteria are spread through the air via droplets of respiratory secretions. All incoming college freshmen should be vaccinated against the disease.

Resources:

Meningitis is difficult to recognize, understand, and diagnose. There are three different types of meningitis, with different symptoms and treatment.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases describes how meningococcal organisms are spread, has photos of skin rashes, and discusses treatment of the various types.

Read the CDC's recommendations for college students about meningococcal disease.

	Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), formerly the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in the US. Since the introduction of vaccines to prevent Hib disease around 1990, meningitis caused by Hib has decreased by 94%.
	Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus, the bacteria that causes invasive pneumococcal disease such as meningitis. A vaccine to protect older children and adults from the disease has been available for many years, and the first vaccine to protect infants and young children was licensed in 2000.
	Neisseria meningitidis, which causes approximately 25% of all bacterial meningitis cases. Approximately 3% of meningococcal meningitis cases end in death. The CDC recommends that college freshman living in dormitories should be educated about meningitis and its vaccine
Click on photos to enlarge.	All photos courtesy of Photo Researchers Science Photo Library

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system affecting approximately 400,000 Americans. As the disease progresses, patients rely more and more on their caregivers, which is why the Indiana Multiple Sclerosis Foundation created the Shine Awards to honor these special individuals. The award will be presented August 2 in Carmel, Indiana. Talking to us about MS is Dr. Margaret Frazer, director of neurology for Pfizer, and Ellen Looney of the Indiana Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.

MS is the most common neurological degenerative disorder for people between the ages of 20 and 40. MS has a myriad of symptoms, including tingling and other sensory effects, and a loss of motor control resulting in clumsiness or bladder problems. Women are twice as likely as men to contract MS, but the disease is often more serious in men. It appears to have environmental causes, because people in northern latitudes are more susceptible than those in the south, and it may also have genetic causes as well.

Since MS is a lifelong condition, caregivers are the most essential people in an MS patient's life. Caregivers must juggle their family and work schedules, and this stress puts them at a risk for depression. However, there are support groups to help caregivers of MS patients, and this can alleviate the pressures in their lives.

Resources:

Learn the symptoms of MS and how it affects the nervous system.

Although twice as many women than men are diagnosed with MS, men have certain unique issues. Read up on men's experiences with MS.

The newly diagnosed can find resources and support from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

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

You probably remember your mother's warnings against swimming right after eating. Although there is no scientific evidence to prove it, some medical experts do recommend waiting before exercise so digestion can begin. More importantly, however, is what you eat before swimming. Of the following, which is the best pre-swim snack?

A. A bagel or low-fat muffin
B. A salad
C. A cheeseburger

Of the 3,000 cases of bacterial meningitis that occur in the United States annually, it is estimated that about 100 to 125 cases occur on college campuses, with five to fifteen students dying from the disease. What causes college students to be especially at risk?

Find out!

• Approximately, 5,800 cases of bacterial meningitis occur in the U.S. every year.

• Symptoms of meningitis include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness. In about half the cases, a deep red or purplish rash also occurs.

• The bacteria spread by coughing, sneezing and kissing, but not by casual contact or by simply breathing the air where a person with meningitis has been.

• People who live or spend a good deal of their time in group settings may be at increased risk for infection, such as children who attend day care, college students living in dormitories or older people living in nursing homes.

• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) is the only way to diagnose meningitis.

• One of every five cases of pneumococcal meningitis, responsible for nearly half of all meningitis cases, is fatal.

• Introduction of vaccines to protect against the Haemophilus influenza type b, (Hib) around 1990 has decreased meningitis cases caused by Hib by 94 percent.

• Approximately 16 percent of all bacterial meningitis cases experience after-effects such as deafness, mental retardation, partial paralysis and seizure disorder.

• Bacterial meningitis is the leading cause of acquired deafness in infancy and childhood.

Source: Meningitis Foundation of America