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Week of March 6, 2001


 

The Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society in the Yukon wants to see a law that makes it illegal to sell beer, wine or liquor to pregnant women.  The proposed law wouldn't penalize pregnant women who drink alcohol, but would revoke the licenses of bars and liquor stores caught selling them spirits. 

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or FAS can cause developmental disabilities and physical defects in children born to mothers who drink.  The Yukon has one of the highest rates of FAS in Canada 

 

 

Pregnant women raise their risk of miscarriage when they take painkillers known as NSAIDS, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, like aspirin.  The Denmark study is the first to link miscarriage to this common class of drugs.

Researchers are stressing they've only found an association between NSAIDS and miscarriage.  They haven't determined whether it's a causal relationship or just an association caused by another disease.  As a general rule, pregnant women should consult their doctors before taking any medication, even something over-the-counter.

 

Scientists may have found a safe way to predict whether someone has a life-threatening allergy to bee and wasp stings.  German researchers looked at a group of 114 people with a history of allergic reactions to stings.  They found that 12 of them had elevated levels of an enzyme known as tryptase. 

More importantly, 9 of the 12, or 75% had suffered a severe reaction to stings, compared to only 28% of the rest of the group.  Doctors say that they may be able to treat patients with elevated tryptase levels with life-long injections of bee or wasp venom, which could prevent the immune system from overreacting to a sting.

 

 

 


 
 
 

© TVOntario, 2003

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This website contains general information on the stories featured on Your Health. Although it’s our goal to provide comprehensive information on health and medical issues, please be advised that we cannot provide individual medical advice on specific health problems.
  


© TVOntario, 2000