Health hot line

Ebony, July, 2004

Nearly 4 million African-Americans have arthritis or a related condition, and after age 35, African-American women report a higher rate of arthritis than White women. It is the leading cause of disability among Americans over age 15. There are several forms of arthritis, but osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease that limits daily activities, is the most common form in African-Americans. Managing this chronic and painful disease requires a comprehensive approach, experts say, and has advanced far beyond the old-school home remedies of smelly wraps and poultices to ease the pain.

Actress and dancer Debbie Allen has joined with the Society of Women's Health Research to provide an update on the new medical guidelines for the treatment of arthritis and to focus on the potential danger of mixing arthritis pain medicines with commonly used prescription drugs. According to information released by the group, an interdisciplinary panel of arthritis pain specialists has the following recommendations: All arthritis treatment should begin with a comprehensive assessment of pain and function; pain medications are important in managing arthritis symptoms and should be used concurrently with education, nutritional and physical therapy; for mild to moderate arthritis pain, acetaminophen is recommended because of its mild side effects, low cost and over-the-counter availability; for moderate-to-severe arthritis pain, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen sodium should be considered if the patient is not responding to acetaminophen and the newer prescription C0X-2 (Cycloxygenase-2) specific inhibiters.

Hepatitis C

HEPATITIS C is an often-chronic, slow-progressing liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Known as a "silent killer-" because of the lack of disease-specific signs and symptoms, Hepatitis C is the most common blood-borne viral infection in the United States, and it is now the leading cause for liver transplantation in the United States.

A recent study estimated that 1.8 percent (3.9 million) of the U.S. population tested positive for the HCV antibody. That percentage was higher in Blacks (3.2 percent) than among Whites (1.5 percent). Because testing for the virus didn't become available until the late 1980s, experts say they aren't sure why it seems to affect Blacks at such higher rates. As a result, doctors say there must be a focus on prevention and education.

"Most people who have Hepatitis C don't have any symptoms," says Dr. Thelma E. Wiley Lucas, a hepatologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "And if they do, they just have symptoms of fatigue." Risk factors for Hepatitis C include, but are not limited to, IV drug use, having unprotected sex with multiple partners, and the use of unsterilized equipment for tattoos and body-piercings. In the past, before testing began, Hepatitis C could be transmitted through blood transfusions. About 40 percent of Hepatitis C patients don't know how they became infected, Dr. Wiley Lucas says.