Why treatment may fail
Patients are usually filled with high expectations of a cure once their illness, for which there is an existing cure, is diagnosed. However, unfortunately, a cure may not always be achieved. There are various reasons why treatment may fail or patient expectations may not be met:
Acute attack may offer no time or means to the clinician to take appropriate measures to forestall impending havoc in a patient. This is because such a manifestation may have severely compromised the functioning of vital organs that some tissue survival is in effect impossible. For example, good functioning of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems is necessary to keep any tissue alive.
Treatment may have been started too late when irreversible damage must have occurred in body organs. Most chronic infections and chronic lifestyle diseases such as atherosclerosis and liver cirrhosis fall in this category. Organ transplant may be a solution. A major problem with chronic infections is that they usually build fibrous or granulomatous barriers that prevent access of drugs or immune cells to deal with infections in tissues.
Drugs may no longer be effective because the microbes have become insensitive to them. The widespread use of antibiotics for minor ailments and in low doses in humans or animals may promote the emergence of resistant strains of micro-organisms.
Some individuals will not benefit from treatment with some drugs simply because their genetic make-up makes them less sensitive to these drugs. Increasing drug dosage in these situations rather leads to toxicity in such patients.
The immune system may be so low that the body's defense system fails to assist the drugs to rid the body of germs. This is the case with AIDS, leukemia, malnutrition, the elderly, the very young, sleep deprivation, stress and concomitant use of cytotoxic drugs.
A good treatment protocol should recognize these issues and approach treatment from the logic of first ensuring survival in emergencies with resuscitation and life support to addressing the barrier problem of drug penetration in chronic pathologies by dismantling infection focus with possibly surgical intervention. Such surgical approach is not an end in itself but rather a means to an end, hence appropriate therapy should be instituted immediately to prevent recurrence. Drug sensitivity and patient susceptibility tests as well as immune health considerations are very important in the realization of a good patient response to treatment.
The sooner treatment is carried out the more likely it is going to work. Frequent visits to your doctor who will identify health problems in time will increase your chances of having a successful treatment and regaining your health. And of course, you must assume responsibility for your own health in complying with treatment and by living a healthy lifestyle. Preventive vaccination has both low therapeutic and financial costs.
Dr. Oliver Verbe Birnso
Acute attack may offer no time or means to the clinician to take appropriate measures to forestall impending havoc in a patient. This is because such a manifestation may have severely compromised the functioning of vital organs that some tissue survival is in effect impossible. For example, good functioning of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems is necessary to keep any tissue alive.
Treatment may have been started too late when irreversible damage must have occurred in body organs. Most chronic infections and chronic lifestyle diseases such as atherosclerosis and liver cirrhosis fall in this category. Organ transplant may be a solution. A major problem with chronic infections is that they usually build fibrous or granulomatous barriers that prevent access of drugs or immune cells to deal with infections in tissues.
Drugs may no longer be effective because the microbes have become insensitive to them. The widespread use of antibiotics for minor ailments and in low doses in humans or animals may promote the emergence of resistant strains of micro-organisms.
Some individuals will not benefit from treatment with some drugs simply because their genetic make-up makes them less sensitive to these drugs. Increasing drug dosage in these situations rather leads to toxicity in such patients.
The immune system may be so low that the body's defense system fails to assist the drugs to rid the body of germs. This is the case with AIDS, leukemia, malnutrition, the elderly, the very young, sleep deprivation, stress and concomitant use of cytotoxic drugs.
A good treatment protocol should recognize these issues and approach treatment from the logic of first ensuring survival in emergencies with resuscitation and life support to addressing the barrier problem of drug penetration in chronic pathologies by dismantling infection focus with possibly surgical intervention. Such surgical approach is not an end in itself but rather a means to an end, hence appropriate therapy should be instituted immediately to prevent recurrence. Drug sensitivity and patient susceptibility tests as well as immune health considerations are very important in the realization of a good patient response to treatment.
The sooner treatment is carried out the more likely it is going to work. Frequent visits to your doctor who will identify health problems in time will increase your chances of having a successful treatment and regaining your health. And of course, you must assume responsibility for your own health in complying with treatment and by living a healthy lifestyle. Preventive vaccination has both low therapeutic and financial costs.
Dr. Oliver Verbe Birnso
Comments
Post a Comment