- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Molecule in Skin May Link Eczema and Asthma
- Overweight Moms More Likely to Have Asthmatic Kids
- 'Safe' Ozone Levels May Not Be for Some
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Placebo Acupuncture Tied to Higher IVF Pregnancies
- Spot light on Dani Antman New Lionheart teacher
- Indian Spice May Thwart Liver Damage
- BONES & JOINTS
- Human Ancestors Put Best Foot Forward 1.5M Years Ago
- Are We Exercising Pain Away? Not So Much.
- Returning to the Road Tricky After Injury
- CANCER
- Smokeout '08: The Perfect Time to Quit
- Where You Live May Affect Your Cancer Diagnosis
- Quitting Smoking Doubles Survival in Early Stage Lung Cancer
- CAREGIVING
- Study Links Pesticides to Birth Defects
- Are Hospital Mobile Phones Dialing Up Superbugs?
- Weekend Admission May Be Riskier for GI Bleeding
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's
- Bye, Bye Back Fat?
- Vitamins Do Older Women Little Good
- COSMETIC
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- New Genetic Links to Baldness Discovered
- Contact Lenses Boost Kids' Self-Image
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Health Tip: At Risk for Gingivitis
- Acid Drinks Blamed for Increase in Tooth Erosion
- Gum Care Helps Control Type 2 Diabetes and Its Complications
- DIABETES
- Red-Grape Compound May Improve Diabetes
- Findings Challenge Tight Glucose Control for Critically Ill Patients
- Formula Puts Doctor, Patient Glucose Readings on Same Page
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Eating Nuts May Help Cholesterol Levels
- 5 Reasons why you could gain weight while dieting
- Coffee Beans May Be Newest Stress-Buster
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Main Ingredients in Household Dust Come From Outdoors
- Air Quality Better in Northeast, Midwest
- Gas Stove Emissions Boost Asthma in Inner-City Kids
- EYE CARE, VISION
- It's a Whole New Outlook for Cataract Patients
- Ordinary Chores Cause Half of All Eye Injuries
- Action-Filled Video Games Boost Adult Vision
- FITNESS
- Exercise Helps Reduce Falls in Young and Old
- Higher Fitness Levels Tied to Lower Heart, Death Risks
- Fall Cleanup Is a Prime Time for Accidents
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- New Guidelines Issued for Management of IBS
- Japanese Herbals May Ease Gastro Woes
- Bowel Prep Harder on Women Than Men
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Coffee Cuts Liver Scarring in Hepatitis C
- Deployment Takes Toll on Army Wives
- Household Insecticides May Be Linked to Autoimmune Diseases
- HEAD & NECK
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
- Subway Defibrillators Save Lives
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Relaxation Tapes or Mozart Lower Blood Pressure
- Exercise May Blunt Salt's Effect on Hypertension
- Heart Disease May Be Prevented By Taking Fish Oils, Study Shows
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Swine Flu Closes Three Schools in NYC
- Viral Infection Might Trigger High Blood Pressure
- Grapefruit Compound Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus
- KID'S HEALTH
- Frequent Feedings May Be Making Babies Fat
- Standard IQ Test May Underestimate People With Autism
- 6 Million U.S. Kids Lack Enough Vitamin D
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Lots of Sex May Prevent Erectile Dysfunction
- Low Vitamin D Levels May Boost Men's Heart Attack Risk
- Eating Fast Until Full Triples Overweight Risk
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Living Alone Increases Odds of Developing Dementia
- Drink Away Dementia?
- Heal Your Life® Tips for Living Well
- PAIN
- Are We Exercising Pain Away? Not So Much.
- Acupuncture, Real or Fake, Eases Back Pain
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- PREGNANCY
- For Baby and Mom Alike, Breast-Feeding May Be Best
- Exercise Boosts Bone Density in Breast-Feeding Moms
- Calcium Supplements Cut Blood Lead Levels During Pregnancy
- SENIORS
- A Little Alcohol May Stave Off Alzheimer's
- Healthy Diet Could Cut Alzheimer's Disease Risk
- More Whole Grains May Mean Less Fat
Grapefruit-Heavy Diet Helped Spur Dangerous Clot
By eHolistic.com Published: 04/02/2009
THURSDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- A rare set of interactions involving grapefruit juice, birth control pills and a genetic mutation almost cost a 42-year-old woman her leg, physicians report.
"It started when she was driving in the car one afternoon," said Dr. Lucinda Grande, a recent medical school graduate who is doing her residency in family medicine at the Providence Hospital of St. Peter Health Care in Olympia, the largest health-care provider in the state of Washington. "Her leg became extremely painful, from the lower back to the ankle. She didn't think much of it, but the next morning, it turned purple."
The woman was seen by Grande when she went to the hospital emergency room. She was also seen by Dr. Richard Krug, a surgeon who recognized a limb-threatening situation.
"He had an ultrasound done, which confirmed that she had a large blood clot in her leg," Grande said. "Dr. Evert-Jan Verschuyl, an interventional radiologist, did a procedure where he was able to bust up the clot."
Verschuyl injected the powerful clot-dissolving tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) into the leg, and then placed a stent to keep blood flowing through the reopened vein. It was a seemingly casual remark that the woman made as she was leaving the hospital that led to her story being published in this week's issue of The Lancet.
"She just happened to mention that she had started a diet that had her eating grapefruit for breakfast for three days," Grande said. "I wondered if that contributed to the blood clot, so I did a little bit of thinking and reading."
It's well known that grapefruit has interactions with a number of drugs, Grande said. A reference book she consulted showed that grapefruit juice magnifies the effects of the estrogen in the birth control pill the woman was taking; one effect of estrogen is to increase the likelihood of clotting. The patient was advised to stop taking the pill.
Dr. Raul Mendez, another physician involved in the case, recommended a series of follow-up tests. One of them showed that the woman had the factor V Leiden mutation, which also increases the risk of blood clots.
So it was the combination of grapefruit juice, the estrogen in the birth control pill, the clot-inducing mutation and just sitting in the car in a position that narrowed the blood vessel, that threatened amputation of the leg, Grande said.
This means there is no great lesson for people in general from the episode, she said. "Grapefruit juice is not a threat to society at large," she said. "It is very healthy in most cases. I believe this was a unique situation, and it should not discourage people from eating grapefruit."
Still, it's best for someone who intends to embark on an unusual diet, such as one that includes a lot of grapefruit, to consult a doctor about possible interactions with any medications that the person might be taking, Grande said.
"You should consult a physician about any major change in lifestyle," she said.
Its not fair to blame the grapefruit for the woman's problem, said Dr. Alan Blum, a professor of family medicine at the University of Alabama. The effects of the long auto trip she took and the oral contraceptive she was taking would be "far greater risks for a deep vein thrombosis than a total of three grapefruits over three days," Blum said.
"The bottom line is that grapefruit remains a healthful, I'd even call it essential, food for the vast majority of people," he said. "The scary message from this case report, if widely disseminated, will do far more harm than good to public health."
-Ed Edelson
More information
Interactions between grapefruit juice and medications are described by the University of Florida.
SOURCES: Lucinda Grande, M.D., resident, Providence St, Peter Hospital, Olympia, Wash.; April 2, 2009, The Lancet
Last Updated: April 03, 2009
Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
More articles at www.eholistic.com
