ASK YOUR DOCTOR

Motor vehicle accidents are becoming a major public health issue in many Caribbean countries including Anguilla. There is evidence that alcohol use and other drugs are a factor in many motor vehicle accidents in Anguilla.

Cirrhosis is a leading cause of death in Anguilla. The majority of cases of cirrhosis in Anguilla are related to excessive alcohol use. Cirrhosis can place a heavy burden on individuals, their families and the community as a whole in terms of human suffering, hospital costs and loss of time from work.

World AIDS Day observed December 1st each year is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. ‘Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise’ is the main theme for AIDS day observance through 2010, with more specific sub-taglines chosen annually. The tagline for 2007 is ‘Leadership’.

This lifelong developmental disability, first described in 1943, is relatively unknown, until recently, despite the fact that it is four times more common than cerebral palsy and seventeen times more common than Downs’ syndrome.

November 14th is celebrated in many countries as World Diabetes Day, but this year is the first time it will be recognized as a United Nations Day. The theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day campaign is Diabetes in Children and Adolescents.

The intrauterine device also called IUD is a type of birth control that is now being used by more and more Anguillians. More recent intrauterine devices have an improved design and have been shown to be a safe, efficacious and cost effective form of birth control, but careful patient selection is very important before it is used.

Choking is estimated to kill more than 3,000 people each year. This is unfortunate as the vast majority of deaths associated with choking can be prevented. Although choking can occur at any age the vast majority of chokings occur in children.

This silent disease is recognized as the fifth most important problem in the global scenario of public health by the World Health Organization. This condition is a growing worldwide problem that is causing a tremendous social and economic burden on communities.

Pregnancy brings with it important concerns about prescription and non-prescription drugs. Not every medication poses a risk to the unborn baby, but some do. Only a limited number of drugs have been shown conclusively to be dangerous during pregnancy. Tertogenic drugs should be avoided at all costs.

Attentive-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD), is a common developmental disorder that affects 3-9% of school aged children worldwide, but can also affect adolescents and adults as well.

Many individuals suffer from acute sinusitis every year. Although this condition can become a chronic one the majority of patients recover with treatment and have few complications.

Bleeding during pregnancy is a cause for concern in many pregnant women and most often requires expert clinical management to prevent serious complications that may include death.

The hectic lifestyles of many Anguillians have resulted in many individuals being deprived of adequate sleep. Sleep deprivation is one of the most common sleep-related problems seen in Anguilla. Sleep related disorders can have an adverse effect on health and safety as well as mood and behaviour.

Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depressive illness is chronic mental illness, that affects millions of people in many countries including Anguilla. Although cure is not possible there are many treatment options available for individuals with this disorder.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that is very common in Anguilla. Many people can live successful lives with this disease once it is fully controlled, but in many cases the disease is not well controlled and many preventable complications develop that can have devastating effects for the individual and can have severe financial costs for the health care system of the country.

Of the estimated 210 million pregnancies that occur throughout the world each year, about 38 % are unplanned. The percentage of unplanned pregnancies occurring in Anguilla is not known but it is estimated that it is significant and tends to occur at certain peak times in the year like the August festivities.

Tuberculosis, also called TB, is a contagious disease that usually affects the lungs, but can spread to other parts of the body. Like the common cold, it spreads through the air, but only people who are sick with TB in their lungs are infectious.

Many individuals have suffered from food poisoning at one time or the other in their lives. In many countries the incidence of food poisoning appears to be increasing especially during the warmer months of the year. In Anguilla the number of cases of food poisoning tends to increase during the August festivities. Food poisoning can be a very serious illness although in most instances it is just a mild illness and clears up within a few days.

Bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of children and is the most common causes of school absenteeism. Although there is no cure for asthma, at this time, it can be successfully controlled. The diagnosis of asthma should not be a cause of shame. Many olympic athletes, famous leaders and others live successful lives with asthma. The incidence of childhood asthma appears to be increasing in Anguilla.

Sexually transmitted infections are some of the most common infections in Anguilla. Some of them can be very severe with deadly consequences and add thousands of dollars to the country’s health care costs.