High Blood Pressure in Pregnant Diabetics Not Lowered by Vitamin Supplements

A recent study appearing in the online journal The Lancet has found that vitamin supplements taken by type 1 diabetic women during pregnancy does not lower the risk of preeclampsia, a disorder where blood pressure increases suddenly after 20 weeks of gestation.

Earlier research suggested that antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamins C and E, may prevent the decreased level of antioxidants and increased oxidative stress linked to type 1 diabetes. However, this study, which was presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting, has found that the vitamin supplements have little effect on increased blood pressure.

For the study, British researchers assigned the 762 expecting mothers with type 1 diabetes participating in the research to a daily regimen of either a placebo pill or 1000 milligrams of vitamin C and 400 IU of vitamin E. The women were started on the supplements or placebo between their 8th and 22nd week of pregnancy and delivery.

Researchers found that in the group taking the vitamin supplements, the rate of preeclampsia was 15 percent. For the placebo group, the rate was 19 percent. The research team found that women who were given vitamins C and E had a lower risk of preterm delivery. In addition, women in the vitamin group with low antioxidant status at the beginning of the study were found to have a considerably lower risk of preeclampsia, as well as a reduced risk of giving birth to a baby with a low birthweight.

If left untreated, preeclampsia can lead to serious complications or death for mother and baby, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you or your baby suffered an injury during labor or delivery that may have been preventable, please call or e-mail the experienced birth injury attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today for a free case evaluation. Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. has helped clients with Bronx medical malpractice, Queens medical malpractice, Brooklyn medical malpractice, Manhattan medical malpractice and Long Island medical malpractice cases.

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Estrogen-Lowering Therapy before Surgery Benefits Breast Cancer Patients

A new study presented last week at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago has found that for some breast cancer patients, receiving estrogen-lowering drugs prior to surgery may help avoid full mastectomies, instead allowing them to receive lumpectomies that could help conserve the breast.

Researchers used data from a national survey involving almost 120 hospitals in the U.S. to reach this conclusion. Roughly 350 postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer participated in the study, which placed them on a four month treatment schedule of estrogen-lowering drugs before surgery. ER+ breast cancer, in which tumor growth is stimulated by estrogen, is the most common form of breast cancer.

In each participant, tumor growth was monitored before starting treatment, as well as after. The women were also placed into one of three groups. Women in the “marginal” category qualified for a lumpectomy; however the procedure may have required additional procedures. Women categorized as “mastectomy-only” were not believed to be eligible for a lumpectomy. Finally, women whose cancer was thought to be untreatable, even through mastectomy, were classified as “inoperable”.

Following the estrogen-lowering regimen, researchers discovered that more than 80 percent of women in the “marginal” category were now considered eligible for lumpectomies, which would conserve more of their breast. Of the women in the “mastectomy-only” group, more than 50 percent were able to receive lumpectomies, and about 75 percent considered inoperable were able to have a lumpectomy. The estrogen-lowering drugs were found to shrink the tumors in many of the participants, allowing them to have less disfiguring surgeries.

Earlier treatment usually results in a better prognosis for patients with breast cancer. If you or a loved one has breast cancer medical malpractice questions in New York, please contact the cancer malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. We have helped clients with Manhattan breast cancer, Bronx breast cancer, Brooklyn breast cancer, Long Island breast cancer, and Queens breast cancer cases.

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