To diagnose Wiskott Aldrich syndrome – WAS, a doctor will do a blood test. In boys with WAS, the blood will show low numbers of platelets. The platelets that appear will be smaller than normal. In boys older than 2 years, tests of blood and skin cells will show problems with immune system functions. To be certain of the diagnosis, a doctor can also do a genetic test to look for a mutation of the gene that is linked to WAS.
The only treatment that can cure Wiskott Aldrich syndrome – WAS is a bone marrow or cord blood transplant (also called a BMT). A bone marrow or cord blood transplant replaces the abnormal cells in the bone marrow with healthy blood-forming cells from a family member or unrelated donor or cord blood unit. The healthy cells can come from the bone marrow or peripheral (circulating) blood of an adult donor or from the blood collected from the umbilical cord after a baby is born. The transplanted blood-forming cells will make normal platelets, T cells and B cells for the body.
Trichotillomania, the irresistible urge to pull out one’s hair, often starts early – the average onset age is 12 to 13 – and is surprisingly widespread. Help for Hair Pullers reviews the latest treatment options and offers effective cognitive-behavioral techniques for controlling this disorder. Web resources are also included.
“The Hair Pulling ‘Habit’ and You: How to Solve the Trichotillomania Puzzle,” by Ruth Golomb and Sherrie Vavrichek, is a long overdue and welcome addition to the field of popular psychiatry self-help books. This book offers education regarding trichotillomania, and practical, easily implemented techniques. It addresses one of the most underrecognized problems in psychiatry and offers much hope to one the most underserved clinical populations. What it has to offer is especially valuable given that many sufferers are either too ashamed of their problem to pursue professional intervention, or are unable to identify a knowledgable professional in their area.
We’ve all heard that you can’t judge a book by its cover, and that is certainly true of Trichotillomania. The Medusa-like figure on the jacket suggests that patients with trichotillomania are evil, mythical creatures, rather than real people with a troublesome disorder. Fortunately, the authors are well aware of the difficulties faced by these patients; they do a superb job of characterizing the clinical aspects of the disorder and providing a careful review of its pathophysiologic features and treatment. Francois Hallopeau, a French dermatologist, coined the term trichotillomania by combining the Greek words trichos (meaning hair), tillein (meaning to pull), and mania (meaning madness, or an abnormal penchant or morbid impulse). Although mania has since come to be regarded as a form of psychosis, the term accurately describes the compulsive nature of hair pulling.
Breast cancer patients who have no close relatives or friends are more likely to die of the disease than those socially integrated, says a study.
Children whose parents snore have a three-fold increased risk of being noisy sleepers, a study at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital has found.
Pregnant women and newborns should avoid exposure to the fumes of solvents used in house renovations.
A North Dakota State University study suggests males with higher levels of testosterone sire more children, but have shorter life spans.
A skin patch to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children has won approval from drug regulators, the first to replace oral medications.