Overview

A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. A compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on the circumstances and the particular organism. For example, ascorbic acid functions as vitamin C for some animals but not others, and vitamins D and K are required in the human diet only in certain circumstances.

Vitamins are classified by their biological and chemical activity, not their structure. Thus, each "vitamin" actually refers to a number of vitamer compounds, which form a set of distinct chemical compounds that show the biological activity of a particular vitamin. Such a set of chemicals are grouped under an alphabetized vitamin "generic descriptor" title, such as "vitamin A," which (for example) includes retinal, retinol, and many carotenoids. Vitamers are often inter-convertible in the body. The term vitamin does not include other essential nutrients such as dietary minerals, essential fatty acids, or essential amino acids, nor does it encompass the large number of other nutrients that promote health but are otherwise required less often.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Side Effects of Dermatitis Herpetiformis Drug

Dermatitis Herpetiformis is a rare skin eruption in connection with Celiac disease. It is gluten antibodies to fight the good in the same way as Celiac disease, but often people with dermatitis herpetiformis not on the usual symptoms such as flatulence, diarrhea and stomach cramps. Instead, they develop a very itchy rash of red spots and liquid filled blisters.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis can be treated by eliminating gluten from the diet, and will gradually heal, but some doctors recommend accelerating the healing process by using a drug known as dapsone. But this drug has a number of side effects you should be aware before they decide whether or not to take. You should certainly be sure of the diagnosis of dermatitis herpetiformis, before you take dapsone, and this is a skin biopsy to a definitive result.

What is dapsone?

Dapsone belongs to the family of sulphonamide drugs, and is an antibiotic. Originally it was for the treatment of leprosy, but in recent times has been found to relieve other inflammatory diseases of the skin like Pyoderma Gangrenosum, vasculitis and dermatitis herpetiformis.

Dapsone tablet is available as either fifty or a hundred milligrams. Because of the possible side effects, your doctor, a dose as low as possible, and this is usually fifty-two hundred milligrams daily.

Potential side effects of Dapsone

All patients who dapsone experience a slight decrease in the number of red blood cells and their levels of hemoglobin, the oxygen in the blood. This can cause a variety of symptoms, including the following:

� Mild headaches, nausea or vomiting

� A blue tinge on the lips or fingertips

� anaemia

� breathlessness

� �bermaige fatigue

More severe symptoms with a large decrease in the number of red blood cells include:

� Fever

� ulcers in the mouth

� sore throat

� bruising

� Depression

People have shown that a genetic condition called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency are more likely to develop side effects of dapsone, and this condition is more common in those of Mediterranean, African and Asian descent. You can be tested for this deficiency, before you start to take dapsone. In rare cases, patients allergic to dapsone, and can it be that a high fever, swelling of the glands in the neck and an additional rash.

Using dapsone for a longer period of time can lead to impaired nerve function in the arms and Legs, which can lead to a weakening of the muscles in the Faen and hands. It can also reduce fertility in men by reducing the sperm count and mobility. For these reasons, dapsone is as short as possible to alleviate the symptoms of dermatitis herpetiformis during the gluten-free diet takes effect.

Monitoring of patients in Dapsone

Because the side effects of dapsone, patients usually undergo tests before the drug is prescribed, and then every three months during their treatment. These tests ensure that your red blood cells do not count too much, and that your liver ordnungsgema works. If you have any side effects between routine tests, you should have a blood test count as a matter or urgency.

Why I would dapsone with so many side effects?

Although dapsone has a number of possible side effects, it has been successfully used to treat thousands of cases of dermatitis herpetiformis. It can alleviate the symptoms of this chronic disease quickly, and help the sufferer to lead a normal life while they wait for their gluten-free diet to take effect and repair the damage Celiac disease has caused gut.

Simply to remove gluten from your diet is generally consist of the symptoms of dermatitis herpetiformis eventually, but you may have to live with the condition for up to two years, and it will return when you return to your gluten diet.

 

Sean Ambrose runs http://www.gluten-answers.com the web's most thorough source on providing free information on learning to manage a Gluten free diet successfully.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shawn_Ambrose

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