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Professor Anne von Gottberg, Co-head: Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis National Institute for Communicable Diseases was on the show this afternoon to chat about meningitis. Professor Anne highlighted the importance of getting children vaccinated and always adhering to cleanliness. We also unpacked the various types of meningitis, causes, symptoms and treatment.  

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Arthritis is inflammation of one or more of your joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.Osteoarthritis causes cartilage — the hard, slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones where they form a joint — to break down. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that first targets the lining of joints (synovium).

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Asthma is a disease that affects the lower airway, causing symptoms such as wheezing, coughing and a tight chest. According to Dr Corli Lodder (Gravett), who manages an asthma and allergy clinic in Gauteng, 80% of asthmatic patients also suffer from allergic rhinitis (AR) - a condition often referred to as hayfever, which causes itching, swelling and mucus in the upper airway. Although they affect different parts of the airway, these two afflictions are considered part of the same disease process. 

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Doctors typically prescribe several drugs to patients with mental health conditions in order to treat the various symptoms. For example, a person with bipolar disorder may be prescribed one drug to treat mania and another to treat depression. But there’s limited evidence on how combinations of drugs interact, or how diet and nutrition influence their effects. Elizabeth Tunbridge, Associate professor and Royal Society Research Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford said a study on the effects of combinations of psychiatric drugs and a common dietary supplement had surprising results – results that show just how poorly understood and under-researched this area is.

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The largest study of its kind proves there’s no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ diet because everyone’s bodily response to food is different. Weizmann Institute of Science researchers continuously monitored blood sugar levels in 800 people for a week, and discovered that the body’s response to all foods seems to be highly individual. Our resident, clinical dietician, Nicci Robertson unpacked this seemly strange study for us.

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Professor Helen Rees, Chairperson of The Medicines Control Council joined us for this week’s health feature on clinical trials. Clinical trials are research studies that test how well new medical approaches work in people. Each study answers scientific questions and tries to find better ways to prevent, screen for, diagnose, or treat a disease. Clinical trials may also compare a new treatment to a treatment that is already available. Following the death of a clinical trial volunteer, Prof. Rees talked to Azania and the listeners about everything you need to know about clinical trials and more importantly what questions you should ask should you wish to volunteer for one.

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Dr Miles Bartlett, a paediatric intensivist renowned for his treatment of child near-drownings spoke to Azania Mosaka about the devastating  consequences drowning has on children. Near-drowning occurs when you’re unable to breathe under water for a significant period of time. During near-drowning, oxygen intake decreases and major body systems shut down from the lack of oxygen flow. In some cases (particularly in young children), this can happen in a matter of seconds. The process typically takes longer in adults. Drowning remains one of the top causes of unnatural childhood death in South Africa. According to recent statistics released by private hospital group Netcare, nearly 72% of near-drownings occur around the home and only 1.22% at the beach. Three-year-old children seem particularly vulnerable and constitute 45.45% of the total.

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