Health for life

AstraZeneca and Ardea Biosciences today presented results from a large study of allopurinol, a treatment commonly used to lower uric acid in patients with gout. The LASSO (Long-term Allopurinol Safety Study evaluating Outcomes in gout patients) study was a multinational, 6-month, open, prospective observational study involving 1,735 patients with gout and was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of medically appropriate doses of allopurinol. Results of the LASSO study showed no new safety signals with allopurinol doses of approximately 300mg/day. The study also revealed that at the time of last dose fewer than half (43%) of patients taking allopurinol achieved the target serum uric acid (sUA) level of <6.0 mg/dL, the level recommended by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). Results of the LASSO study were presented today at the ACR Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.

Allopurinol, the most commonly used treatment to lower blood uric acid levels in gout, is a generic treatment that has been available for more than 50 years. It is a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, a class of drugs intended to reduce the bodys production of uric acid. Allopurinol is recommended at doses between 100mg and 900mg per day, depending upon disease severity. The LASSO study encouraged investigators to increase, or titrate, the dose of allopurinol over the six months of the study to a medically appropriate dose. There was a high rate of adherence to therapy (97% across doses) and the most commonly used dose was 300mg. Approximately 45% of patients finished on the same dose as their baseline dose. Results show that even among patients titrated to final doses above the most commonly used dose of 300mg/day, approximately 46% did not reach target sUA levels of <6.0 mg/dL.

"Gout is a painful form of arthritis that is often misunderstood and inadequately treated. The LASSO study demonstrates that many patients with gout fail to reach the recommended treatment goal," said study co-author Nicola Dalbeth, MD of the University of Auckland. "Failing to reach the recommended sUA target leaves patients with gout at risk for further disease progression and long-term consequences of gout."

The results of this large, multinational, prospective observational study of gout are consistent with published literature confirming many patients do not reach sUA targets with allopurinol therapy as currently used.

Specific findings from LASSO include:

- The study revealed no new safety signals with allopurinol (approximately 300mg/day).
- There were no cases of allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome in this study.
At the time of last dose 43% of all patients in the study achieved target sUA levels of <6.0 mg/dL.
- Of patients in the study at final doses above 300mg/day, approximately 54% achieved target sUA levels of <6.0 mg/dL.
- Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis with a prevalence of 8 million in the U.S. Gout is commonly misrepresented as a lifestyle disease. While diet can contribute to elevated levels of uric acid, the majority of uric acid is produced by the bodys naturally occurring processes, and gout is most often caused by the inefficient excretion of uric acid by the kidneys.
- In patients with gout, abnormally high levels of uric acid in the blood known as hyperuricemia lead to deposition of needle-like crystals in joints and soft tissues throughout the body, causing inflammation. Hyperuricemia results when the kidneys do not efficiently remove enough uric acid, or when the body produces too much. A persons genetics play a significant role in their risk of developing gout. The most common symptom of gout is extremely painful arthritis. Over time, the deposits of uric acid crystals may lead to joint damage, visible nodules called tophi, and impaired quality of life. Additionally, gout has been associated with serious health problems including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and kidney damage.

After yesterdays post I made up a new batch of cards to help me stay on track.

One of the best ones is this:

IF I AM GOING TO REACH MY GOAL, WHAT SHOULD I DO RIGHT NOW?
FOLLOW THE PLAN

If I stick to the plan, how can I fail? If I dont reach for it, how will I get hold of it?

That is what I see in the 5:2 Diet group on facebook. Those who simply follow their plan are more successful. Even when things are not working right, they follow the plan, and soon it is working right, again.

I also like this one:

WITH PATIENCE I WILL PUT THAT (binge food) ASIDE AND RUN THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE ME

I have some scriptures, that are very meaningful to me on this journey:

Mark 12:33 -- And to love him (God) with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Hebrews 13:15 -- By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Romans 12:1 -- I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Hebrews 12:1 -- Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

1 Corinthians 9:24 -- Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

1 Corinthians 5:7 -- Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

I am within an hour and a half of completing a 24 hour fast. I am, as they say in England, chuffed!! 

I had been off track and feeling it. Yesterdays inspiration from the Lord got me really motivated to get out of the "feelings" and back into the "action."

Then I found this quote:

"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit"
-Aristotle

Glad to be back on board.

Looking forward to good results and a good report to give.

Thank You, Lord!! Youve answered my prayers and I am grateful!! Thank You Lord!!  Amen!
 
Be back soon

Marcia