Cholesterol-lowering drug, Defibrillators, Post-traumatic stress disorder and heart disease, Lack of drugs in pregnancy
Inside Health
BBC
4.4 • 575 Ratings
🗓️ 21 March 2017
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Statins have dominated the cholesterol-lowering field for some years but last week the results of an international trial of Evolocumab, one a new breed of medicines for reducing cholesterol, was hailed as a breakthrough. Professor Peter Sever, one of the leaders of the trial, explains how Evolocumab differs from statins and Dr Margaret McCartney takes a look at the trial.
You may have noticed them in work places, gyms, and other public spaces but do you know how and when to use a defibrillator? Every time someone has a cardiac arrest and CPR is performed we should also be running for the nearest defibrillator. But currently this only happens in 2-3% of cardiac arrests, putting thousands of lives at risk every year. Mark speaks to teacher Erica Melsom and the pupil, Alex Cowes, whose life she saved by using the school defibrillator. Professor Gavin Perkins explains why and when we should run and get one. And Mark demonstrates just how simple they are to use, even if you've never touched one before.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, a psychological condition which can begin after a traumatic event and last for many years, is the equivalent for your cardiovascular system of smoking 10 cigarettes a day. Dr Donald Edmondson explains how extreme stress takes a toll on our arteries.
More than 80% of pregnant women take at least one prescribed medication and yet very few of these drugs are actually licensed for use in pregnancy. Mark talks to Professor Anna David about why there has been a reluctance to license medications for use in pregnancy, what impact that has for pregnant women, and what needs to change.
Producer: Lorna Stewart.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, and I'm Ed Gamble, host of another BBC podcast, |
| 0:05.4 | The Traitors Uncloaked. But my show is available only on BBC Sounds, just like Ellis and John's |
| 0:10.6 | Saturday bonus episodes, the Pop Top Ten podcast with Scott Mills and Ryland, and comedy specials |
| 0:16.2 | from the likes of Harriet Kemsley, Susie Ruffel and Rommas Shranger Nathan. However, and maybe I'm biased, it's really all about the traitors uncloked. |
| 0:24.3 | So for a whole bunch of exclusive scoops and podcasts, listen only on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:29.4 | Hello, thank you for listening to this edition of Inside Health. |
| 0:32.1 | I hope you enjoy it. |
| 0:33.5 | Coming up today, prescribing in pregnancy, why are so few of the medicines given to pregnant women licensed for the purpose? |
| 0:41.7 | And are women and their unborn babies missing out on R&D that the rest of us take for granted? |
| 0:47.4 | Post-traumatic stress disorder. |
| 0:49.4 | Could the anxiety associated with vivid flashback of past traumas be as bad for your heart as smoking 10 a day. |
| 0:57.0 | I'll be talking to a researcher who's convinced it is. And continuing the heart theme, |
| 1:01.9 | we take a closer look at defibrillators in the community. There are at least 20,000 defibs |
| 1:07.4 | in public places across the UK, but do you know where your nearest one is? |
| 1:11.9 | Or what to do with it? |
| 1:13.6 | But first, a new drug that's hit the headlines. |
| 1:17.2 | The PCSK9 inhibitor, Evolochimab, may not trip off the tongue, |
| 1:21.7 | but it's one of a new breed of cholesterol-lowering medicines |
| 1:24.6 | hailed as a breakthrough in a field and until now has been dominated by the |
| 1:29.0 | Statin family. An international trial of over 27,000 patients attracted widespread coverage in the media |
| 1:35.7 | after showing that adding Ivo-Locumab to Staten therapy further reduced the risk of stroke and heart |
| 1:41.9 | attack, but at considerable cost, |
... |
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