Ground-breaking DNA
Project
The first children to receive
a genetic diagnosis through
the 100,000 Genomes
Project have been given their
results at Great Ormond
Street Hospital (GOSH) in
London. The main 100,000
Genomes Project, launched
in December 2014, set out
to sequence 100,000 whole
human genomes to help researchers
and clinicians better understand,
and ultimately treat, rare and
inherited diseases and common
cancers. Professor Lyn Chitty, a
clinician at GOSH and clinical lead
for the NTGMC, says: “It’s really
exciting to see the results coming
through and the difference this
can make for families. It increases
confidence in the project and shows
that the application of genomics can
live up to the promise of changing
the way we diagnose and treat
patients in the future.” Researchers
also hope that the positive results
will help to encourage more
clinicians to refer patients to the
project so that a greater number of
families can be tested and helped.
Dubai Health Authority’s Smart Clinic
Discusses Causes and Treatment Options for Headaches
The Dubai Health Authority
(DHA) held a smart clinic
to discuss the causes and
treatment options for
headaches. Rashid Hospital’s
Neurology Department
sees approximately 150 to
200 patients per week for
headache related issues, which
is 40 percent of all cases the
department receives. Dr.
Ayman Al Boudi, Neurologist
at Rashid Hospital said that
headaches are divided into
two categories: primary
and secondary. A primary
headache is not a symptom
of an underlying disease;
it is caused by over activity
of pain-sensitive structures
in the head. Al Boudi said
that migraine, tension
type headaches and cluster
headaches fall under the
category of primary
headaches. “In the
case of migraines,
patients should
be aware of foods
that can trigger a
migraine and foods
that can help relieve
it. This differs from
person to person.
For example: For
some patients, coffee
and chocolate are
triggers that can
cause headaches but
for others, it can
actually help relive
relieve the migraine.
Therefore, awareness
of one’s body helps
tackle migraines. Stress, sleep
deprivation and excessive work
load can also trigger a migraine,”
said Al Boudi. “The triggers for
primary headaches can be certain
foods, such as processed meats
that contain tyramine, lack of
sleep, skipped meals, changes in
weather and stress.”
When to visit a healthcare
professional for a headache: Dr. Yasir
Mehmood Malik, Neurologist at
Rashid Hospital said that secondary
headaches are due to underlying
health problems and those need to
be investigated. “A rule of thumb is
that if the headache is accompanied
by other symptoms such as fever,
vision problem, loss of consciousness,
abnormal jerking or a sensory or
motor complaint it is better to get
it checked. If the headache occurs
for more than a month, it should be
investigated.” Maryam Ali Essa, Senior
Clinical Dietician in DHA’s Clinical
Nutrition Department said that food
can also trigger headaches. “Processed
foods, additives, artificial sweeteners,
caffeine, chocolate, cheese, and grapes
are foods that can trigger migraines.
Certain fragrances such as perfumes
or peculiar smells such as onion and
garlic smell can trigger migraines. The
triggers vary for each individual and
therefore we ask patients to be alert
so that they understand their triggers
and avoid those. If a patient feels a
particular food may be a headache
trigger, it is best to remove it from the
diet.
Mar/Apr 2016
79