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Nitric oxide does not relieve pain in the neck in patients with sickle - cell disease , a young study notice .
patient in the study treated with nitric oxide for bother fared no well in terms of the length of their pain in the ass episodes than those who inhaled a placebo , the study feel .
Sickle cell disease gets its name from the distorted shape of a patient’s red blood cells, which are sometimes C-shaped rather than the normal doughnut shape. The cells' disfigurement comes from the presence of abnormal hemoglobin — a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body.
Inhaling the accelerator pedal also did not shorten patients ' hospital hitch , or the amount of pain medicine they took .
patient with sickle - cell disease endure painfulness when misshapen blood cells clog their blood watercraft . Nitric oxide relaxes descent vessel and improves rip flow rate . Previously , two smaller studies suggested breathing nitric oxide thin infliction and medicine utilization in sickle - cell patients .
But the new finding take nitric oxide off the table as a healing drug forsickle - cubicle disease , said subject field researcher Dr. Gregory Kato , head of National Heart , Lung and Blood Institute ’s Sickle Cell Vascular Disease Section . uprise new treatments is decisive because only one drug , scream hydroxyurea , has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to mollify patients ' annoyance , and not all patients respond to it .
The research worker are not discourage by their outcome .
" All of my collaborators on this study are not put off , but are dedicated to advancing the handling of sickle - cell disease and will go on to test additional treatments in the hereafter , " Kato said .
The unexampled study will be published tomorrow ( March 2 ) in the Journal of the American Medical Association .
Sickle - cell disease and pain crises
Sickle - cell diseaseis a familial consideration in which the bod ofred blood cellsbecome garble — they are sometimes C - shaped alternatively of their normal doughnut shape . The misshapen cell can bar blood vas , leading topain , organ and brass damage and stroke . sequence of vivid pain , which Doctor call pain crises , are mutual — an ordinary patient has two per twelvemonth , though the number can vary widely — and require hospitalization , the researchers allege .
People with sickle - cell disease may have sickle - cell anemia , the most severe bod of the disease , or sickle - cell trait , a less - terrible form . In the United States , 70,000 to 100,000 African - Americans are estimated to have sickle - cubicle anaemia , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Kato and his colleagues examined the strength of nitric oxide in reducing nuisance in 150 patients with sickle - electric cell disease between October 2004 and December 2008 . Upon hospitalization , patients were randomly assigned to receive nitric oxide or a nitrogen gas placebo . patient role inhaled the gas for up to 72 minute .
The nitric oxide treatment was good , but did not regale the pain . The pain crisis of affected role yield nitric oxide hold out 73 hours , whereas they endure 65 1/2 hours in those who get the placebo . patient were considered retrieve once they had not taken pain medication for 5 hours , rated their pain level as 6 or down in the mouth on a scale leaf of 0 to 10 , and resolve , along with their family and physician , that their infliction could be carry off at dwelling house .
The researchers also found that patients who receive nitric oxide were hospitalized for an average of 4.1 daylight , while those who received the placebo were hospitalized for 3.1 days .
Why does n’t it puzzle out ?
The researchers do n’t know why nitric oxide treatment establish benefits in early studies , but not in the new written report . It ’s possible that the old finding in smaller studies were due to chance , Kato state .
The new study provide a framework for how new drug should be tested for the handling of sickle - cellphone disease , Kato tell .
" It ’s time for us to look for additionalnew treatments that are being developed in the drug pipeline , " Kato allege .
Pass it on : Inhaling nitric oxide does not appear to provide a therapeutic benefit for patients with sickle - cell disease .
This level was provide byMyHealthNewsDaily , a baby website to LiveScience .
