Pumping Marvellous

Dry nasty coughs

As some of you may already know as you are experiencing a dry cough already it is uncomfortable and sometimes can put you in uncompromising situations. There could be numerous reasons for a dry cough but one of the most likely if you are a heart failure patient is the taking of ACE inhibitors. Below you will find some information on potential easing a dry cough.

ACE Inhibitors

ACE inhibitors are a commonly prescribed class of medications for high blood pressure. Most of their generic names end in -il, for example, lisinopril or ramipril (although verapamil is a drug for hypertension that is in a different class). About one in five people who uses these drugs develops a constant cough that simply won’t go away. Persons of Asian or Latin American Hispanic descent are more likely to have a bad reaction to this class of drugs, but a related class of medications call the ACE-receptor blockers does not have this side effect.

What can you do about a chronic cough? Aside from treating the underlying conditions, try these helpful considerations.

• Take a vitamin B supplement that includes vitamin B6. You may not experience greater lung capacity, but you will probably experience less wheezing and coughing.

• Eat a piece of fruit every day and servings of green vegetables several times a week. Studies in the UK of people with asthma, chronic bronchitis, or COPD who never ate fruit or vegetables have consistently noted dramatic improvement after including even one serving of fruit and vegetables a day in the diet.

• Indentify your personal coughing triggers, whether they are tobacco smoke, some frequently eaten food, fumes, dust, or pollen, and make a point of avoiding them.

• If you are allergic to pollen, limit your time outdoors between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., when most plants pollinate.

• Try yoga. You don’t have to do the asanas (postures) perfectly. The breathing practice that accompanies yoga will help you control cough and breathe more deeply.

And, finally, try eating onions. Onions, as well as whole apples, grapefruit, and grapefruit juice, are great sources of the antioxidant quercetin. This plant chemical is a natural antihistamine, stopping the process of inflammation in the lungs, nose, and throat that keeps air passages constantly irritated.

In a Finnish study involving 10,000 men and women, the flavonoids quercetin, hesperitin, and naringenin, found in apples and oranges, protected against asthma. Other fruits and vegetables, such as grapefruit, cabbage, and various fruit and vegetables were not associated with a decreased risk of asthma. A British study focusing on consumption of apples found that eating 1-1/2 oz (42 g) of apple a day reduced risk of asthma attacks by about one-third. Many people who eat these foods on a regular basis report that their coughing is greatly improved, and in some cases, coughing completely disappears.

It’s worth a go anyway. Remember always discuss supplements and changes in your regular diet to your Doctor or Nurse.

Amias for Chronic Heart Failure

Good news for Heart Failure patients who can’t tolerate ACE inhibitors.

Takeda has highlighted a new ruling by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) which will affect Amias, its candesartan cilexetil-based treatment for chronic heart failure patients.

The healthcare regulator has chosen to recommend angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) licensed for heart failure – a class of drugs which includes Amias – as an alternative first-line therapy in patients who are unable to tolerate an ACE inhibitor.

Among the factors behind this new ruling was data from clinical trials of Takeda’s drug, demonstrating its efficacy and safety among heart failure patients when compared to a placebo.

It will help to provide a new treatment option for those who are intolerant to ACE inhibitor-based treatments, which can cause coughing among many patients.

Professor John Cleland, professor of cardiology at Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, said: “Candesartan is one of the best studied ARBs and has been shown to improve symptoms, exercise capacity and morbidity.”

Novartis has had the efficacy of its blood pressure treatment Rasilez supported by new data from a year-long study conducted by the 3A Registry.

The registry, which represents the largest collection of high blood pressure patients in Europe, compared the effectiveness of Novartis’ direct renin inhibitor with other therapies, such as an ACE inhibitor, angiotensin-receptor blocker and a non-RAAS blockade treatment.

It was found that patients trialled using Rasilez showed greater systolic blood pressure reductions after one year than any of the alternatives.

This represents the first time that data has been collected showing the effects of Rasilez among a real-life patient population, rather than in a clinical trial setting.

Trevor Mundel, global head of development at Novartis Pharma, said: “We are pleased to see that this data reflects the clinical results we have already demonstrated for Rasilez.”

Earlier this month, Novartis published its second quarter financial results, reporting an 11 per cent rise in net sales compared with the corresponding period of 2009.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors)

Bit of a mouthful and thats why we call them “ACE” in pumping marvellous.

ACE inhibitors have been shown to extend life and improve symptoms in people with heart failure. It is recommended that anyone with heart failure caused by a failing left ventricle (most people) should take an ACE inhibitor.

All ACE inhibitors have names that end in pril and include ramipril, captopril, enalapril, lisinopril and perindopril. They work by making the blood vessels open up more (dilate), which makes the blood flow more easily and reduces blood pressure, easing the strain on the heart.

The most common side effects are a dry, irritating cough. Some people simply cannot put up with it and have to switch to another treatment, but persevere if you can. Some people find the cough is less of a problem with a different ACE inhibitor, or that it disappears after a few weeks. Another side effect is hypotension. This means your blood pressure has fallen too low, making you feel dizzy or giddy, especially when you get up after sitting or lying down.