Randox Health: Looking After Your Heart
Randox Health: Looking After Your Heart
This February, Randox Health are focusing on Heart Health. Heart health is becoming a much greater talked about subject because of health trends and figures. There are around 7 million people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK. Heart and circulatory disease causes more than a quarter (26%) of all deaths in the UK; that’s nearly 160,000 deaths each year – an average of 435 people each day or one death every three minutes. Facts like these from BHF show us how how important our hearts are! Maintaining and having a healthy heart is essential to cut down your risk of heart disease.
Ways to Improve your Health
There are a number of things you can do to lower your risk of getting heart disease, and at the same time improve overall health. Lets look at three ways to lower your risk and help you become healthier:
- Managing a healthy weight
- Eating healthier
- Getting active
What You Can Do
All three of the above will lower your risk of heart disease and all are linked so by improving one it will help the others. To manage a healthy weight, first you need to work out what a healthy weight is for you. There are two main ways to tell whether you need to lose weight: your Body Mass Index (BMI), and your waist measurement. the risk of heart disease begins to increase at a BMI of 23, and people with a BMI of 27.5 will be at high risk.
Men with a waist of over 94 cm are at an increased risk of heart diseases and over 102 cm are at a severe risk. Women with a waist over 80 cm are at an increased risk and at 88 cm are at a severe risk. If you fall in these risk areas, eating well and being more physically active can help you reduce your weight.
Healthy Eating
A healthy diet can help reduce your risk of developing coronary heart disease and stop you gaining weight. This also reduces your risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. A well-balanced diet should include at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. Try to vary the types of fruit and veg you eat.
You should try to replace saturated fats with small amounts of mono and polyunsaturated fats. Try and cut down on foods that contain trans fats as it can raise your cholesterol levels. Lowering your salt intake can improve your blood pressure and lower your chance of coronary heart disease. Eating a healthy well-balanced diet can make it a lot easier to control and maintain your weight.
Get Active! The BHF say that physical activity can help reduce your risk of heart and circulatory disease. It also links in and helps you control your weight! Being active reduces blood pressure and cholesterol and can even improve your mental health. If you do all three of these points not only will it lower your risks of heart disease but will improve your overall health!
Randox Health: What We Do and How We Can Help
This month we are focusing on heart heart, so make sure to check out our blogs with information about how to keep a healthy heart. If you’re worried about your heart health or have a family history of heart disease, contact a member of our team today for more information on how we could help you! We are determined to help you get to the heart of the matter and see what’s really going on with your heart. This Valentines day give a gift to the one you love that really matters, the gift of health.
Find out more here: https://www.randoxhealth.com/our-packages/
NHS rolls out electronic prescription in the fight against antibiotic resistance
The NHS are rolling out electronic prescribing in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
A recent article in the Telegraph newspaper reports that;
“Health chiefs have drawn up the plans amid warnings that antibiotic resistance now poses as great a threat as climate change.”
Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care UK will be informing attendees of the World Economic Forum in Davos that “we are on the cusp of a world where a simple graze could be deadly”. He has stated that it needs to be treated as a “global health emergency” and wants to cut the use of drugs across the country by 15% by setting targets.
The head of the NHS Mr Simon Stevens, said that; “much of the change would be achieved by the rollout electronic prescribing across the health service.” This would allow health officials to detect areas that are prescribing the most antibiotics so that they can try and persuade medics to cut down.
Prime Minister Theresa May said: “The increase in antibiotic resistance is a threat we cannot afford to ignore.
“Government data shows that, since 2014, the UK has cut the amount of antibiotics it uses by more than 7 per cent and sales of antibiotics for use in food-producing animals has dropped by 40 per cent.”
The NHS antimicrobial resistance (AMR) report 2015 stated:
“The amount of antimicrobials used in food production internationally is at least the same as that in humans, and in some places is higher. For example, in the US more than 70% of antibiotics that are medically important for humans are used in animals.
“When properly used, antibiotics are essential for treating infections in animals, but excessive and inappropriate use of the drugs is a problem.
A considerable amount of antibiotics are used in healthy animals to prevent infection or speed up their growth. This is particularly the case in intensive farming, where animals are kept in confined conditions.”
In order to help the fight against AMR Randox Food Diagnostics are constantly researching and developing new ways to screen for antibiotics across wine, honey, meat, seafood, dairy, feed and cereals.
Randox Food Diagnostics have developed Biochip Array Technology a multiplexing platform which allows the screening of up to 54 food/feed samples for a large range of antibiotics in under 3 hours on the Randox Evidence Investigator analyser.
To find out more information on how Biochip Array Technology works visit our website at: www.randoxfood.com
Or contact us directly at: info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com
Obesity and Kidney Disease: What is the Connection?
30th January 2019
Obesity and Kidney Disease: What is the Connection?
The month of January has forever been the month of resolutions with many choosing to ditch the sweets and join the gym. However, for many these efforts are limited to January and bad habits are quick to remerge. Obesity has been a burden on the health service for many years with the problem, like many people’s waist lines, only continuing to expand.
Recent findings have shown that this problem is no longer just increasing in developed countries but also in developing countries. In fact, worldwide obesity has tripled since 1975. In 2016, more than 1.9 million adults were classed as overweight, of which over 650 million were obese.1 These are shocking statistics for a condition that is preventable. As a global concern, it is important to assess all the potential risks of this problem.
The most common diseases associated with obesity are cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. However, the associated risks are much greater than this. Being overweight may also increase the risk of certain types of cancer, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, fatty liver disease and kidney disease.2
Obesity is now recognised as a potent risk factor for the development of renal disease.3 Excess weight has a direct impact on the development and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Globally, the prevalence of diabetic kidney disease rose by 39.5% between 2005 and 2015, coinciding with the increased CKD prevalence.4 In obese individuals, the kidneys have to work harder, filtering more blood than normal to meet the metabolic demands of increased body weight, increasing the risk of kidney disease.
The traditional diagnostic test for renal impairment is creatinine. This test is carried out through the measurement of creatinine levels in the blood to assess the kidneys ability to clear creatinine from the body. This is called the creatinine clearance rate which helps to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which is the rate of blood flow through the kidneys.5
Problems arise when using creatinine for CKD testing as a number of factors need to be taken into consideration including age, gender, ethnicity and muscle mass. For this reason, black men and women exhibit higher creatinine levels than white men and women, raising concern over the accuracy of this test for certain patient groups.6 In addition, serum creatinine is not an adequate screening test for renal impairment in the elderly due to their decreased muscle mass.7
The main disadvantage of using creatinine to screen for renal impairment is that up to 50% of renal function can be lost before significant creatinine levels become detectable as creatinine is insensitive to small changes in GFR. Consequently, treatment is not provided at the appropriate time which can be fatal, therefore, an earlier and more sensitive marker for renal function is vital.8
These disadvantages have not only been highlighted in research but also by the national institute for health and care excellence (NICE). NICE updated the classification of CKD in 2004 to include the albumin: creatinine ratio (ACR). They split chronic kidney disease patients into categories based on GFR and ACR. Figure 1 highlights the different categories and risk of adverse outcomes. NICE recommend using eGFR Cystatin C for people in the CKD G3aA1 and higher.9
Figure 1 Classification of Chronic Kidney Disease using GFR and ACR categories.9
Despite these suggestions, Creatinine is still being used for G3a1 and increasing risk levels.
The utility of cystatin C as a diagnostic biomarker for kidney disease has been documented to show superiority of traditional CKD tests. There is no ‘blind area’ making it very sensitive to small changes in GFR and capable of detecting early reductions. Furthermore, this marker is less influenced by diet or muscle mass and has proven to be a beneficial test in patients who are overweight.8
A number of studies support the statement: ‘Cystatin C levels are higher in overweight and obese patients’. This is important because when cystatin c levels are too high, it may suggest that the kidneys are not functioning properly. One study conducted, using a nationally representative sample of participants, found that overweight and obesity maintained a strong association with elevated serum cystatin C. This suggests that weight can affect the levels of cystatin C and therefore the likelihood of developing kidney disease.10
How Randox can Help
The Randox automated Latex Enhanced Immunoturbidimetric Cystatin C tests offers an improved method for assessing CKD risk, combined with a convenient format for routine clinical use, for the early assessment of at risk patients. Randox is currently one of the only diagnostic manufacturers who offer an automated biochemistry test for Cystatin C measurement, worldwide.
Want to know more?
Contact us or visit our featured reagent page to learn more.
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References
- World Health Organization. Obesity and Overweight . int. [Online] WHO. [Cited: January 22, 2019.] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight.
- Health Risks of Being Overweight. NIDDK. [Online] National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. [Cited: March 24, 2019.] https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/health-risks-overweight.
- Kidney Health Australia . Obesity and Chronic Kidney Disease: The Hidden Impact. Kidney Health Week/ World Kidney Day 2017. [Online] Kidney Health Australia. [Cited: January 22, 2019.] https://kidney.org.au/cms_uploads/docs/kidney-health-australia-report-obesity-and-chronic-kidney-disease–the-hidden-impact_06.03.17.pdf.
- Neuen, Brendon Lange, et al. Chronic kidney disease and the global NCDs agenda. s.l. : BMJ Global Health, 2017
- Creatinine and Creatinine Clearance Blood Tests. WebMD. [Online] WebMD. [Cited: January 22, 2019.] https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/creatinine-and-creatinine-clearance-blood-tests#1.
- Lascano, Martin E and Poggio, Emilio D. Kidney Function Assessment by Creatinine-Based Estimation Equations. Cleveland Clinic. [Online] August 2010. [Cited: 16 May 2018.] http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/nephrology/kidneyfunction/.
- Swedko, Peter J, et al. Serum Creatinine Is an Inadequate Screening Test for Renal Failure in Elderly Patients. Research Gate. [Online] February 2003. [Cited: 6 May 2018.] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8243393_Serum_Creatinine_Is_an_Inadequate_ Screening_Test_for_Renal_Failure_in_Elderly_Patients.
- Mishra, Umashankar. New technique developed to detect chronic kidney disease. Business Line. [Online] 07 May 2018. [Cited: 17 May 2018.] https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/science/new-technique-to-detect-chronic-kidney-disease/article23803316.ece.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Chronic kidney disease in adults: assessment and management: 1 Recommendations. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. [Online] January 2015. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg182/chapter/1- recommendations#classification-of-chronic-kidney-disease-2.
- Overweight and Obesity and Elevated Serum Cystatin C Levels in US Adults . Muntner, Paul, et al. 4, s.l. : NCBI, 2008, Vol. 121.
Randox Toxicology: Global drug use trends going into 2019
In the turn of the new year, we look at the current trends in drug abuse in 3 key continents and what their key 2018 figures say about drug use in their countries.
The Americas
New psychoactive substances have been an emerging drug market in the Americas, with a total of 130 different new psychoactive substances being reported in seven South American countries in August 2017. This was more than a 50% increase within the year, as over 60 different substances had been reported in 2016 alone, according to the OAS and CICAD Report on Drug Use in The Americas 2019. Latin America have experienced a surge in LSD, synthetic cannabinoid, plant substance and ketamine use among the general population as well.
Meanwhile, opioids and prescription opioids have been a major cause for concern in the Americas, with opioid analgesics involved in more overdose fatalities than any type of illicit drug, exceeding cocaine and heroin-related fatalities in Canada and USA combined. Users are increasingly turning to street opioids as well, which are often mixed with heroin and other drugs. The major challenge noted in the same report is the complexity of the appearance of NPS and the counterfeit substances it contains.
Europe
Cannabis has had the highest use among males, with most cases being regular patterns of use. Around 1% of European adults are considered daily users according to the European Drug Report 2018. Regarding opioids, heroin is the most common drug of abuse in this category, and prevalence of high risk opioid use among adults is estimated to be at 0.4% of the EU population.
Synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, are growing in use in Europe. In 2016, over 18 European countries reported more than 10% of all opioid clients entering specialised services suffering from opioid addiction other than heroin.
Asia
Opioids present the largest drug problem in Asia, having the highest proportion of causes of drug users going to treatment centres, followed by amphetamine-type stimulants and cannabis. Production of drug substances in Asia have been significant in the last 3 years, with cocaine and opium production hitting record highs. Methamphetamine is also an emerging threat to Asia, with production of the synthetic drug overtaking heroin.
Our testing solution
Randox Toxicology are first to market when it comes to testing for the latest drugs of abuse and new psychoactive substances in the market. Our revolutionary Biochip Array Technology provides state-of-the-art drug detection, utilizing simultaneous drug detection from a single sample across multiple matrices.
Our ELISA kits provide a comprehensive test menu, covering a broad range of drugs of abuse, stimulants, analgesics and sedatives. Randox Toxicology develop the highest quality 96-well microtitre plates available to the market, with results providing excellent correlation with confirmatory methods.
To find out more email us at: info@randoxtoxicology.com or visit our website: www.randoxtoxicology.com
Getting tested for Genetic Haemochromatosis
“When I reached my mid-fifties, a suffered a lot of fatigue and general body weakness. I worried that I had inherited genetic hemochromatosis from my mum. Randox Health gave me peace of mind that my symptoms were not down to an inherited condition, but dietary issues which were easily corrected.”
Hereditary haemochromatosis, which was discussed this morning on BBC Radio 4, causes your body to absorb too much iron from the food you eat. The BBC News report today said that Exeter University has found the condition could affect up to 20 times more people than earlier figures suggested.
It was believed to seriously affect about one in 100 carriers. But the new research has suggested the true level could be closer to one in 10 among female carriers, and one in five for men. This would make the genetic condition the UK’s most common genetic disorder.
Lead researcher Prof David Melzer commented;
“We’ve shown that hereditary haemochromatosis is actually a much more common and stealth disease, including in older people.”
Excess iron within those suffering from genetic heamochromatosis is stored in the organs, especially the liver, heart and pancreas. Too much iron can lead to life-threatening conditions, such as liver disease, heart problems and diabetes.
Prof Melzer said haemochromatosis was easy to treat if caught early enough, but was “difficult to spot,” with the main reason being that diagnosis is quite often made at a stage when much of the damage from the condition has already been done.
It is clear therefore that early diagnosis is key in successful management of genetic haemochromatosis.
If you are found to have excess levels of iron as a result of genetic haemochromatosis, treatment is relatively simple and consists of venesection (bloodletting.) The body makes more blood to replace that taken, and therefore uses up the excess stored iron.
Randox Health offers a specialised test for detecting genetic hemochromatosis so if you’re worried about developing symptoms, or already think you have developed symptoms – including fatigue, joint disease, skin problems, and sexual health issues – get in touch today.
Early diagnosis and treatment of GH can seriously improve the outcome for individuals with the condition, by preventing any further organ damage. Randox Health not only offers a test to screen for the genetic mutations most commonly associated with GH, we can also check at the same time for damage to other parts of the body as a result of high iron levels (e.g. diabetes, liver damage and heart damage).
Furthermore, if you do have GH, your close family members should also be screened for the condition.
Get in touch today to book your appointment. Phone 0800 2545 130 or email info@randoxhealth.com
Raising awareness of sexual health on National STIQ Day
National STIQ Day
National STIQ day was introduced in 2010 and every year since then the 14th of January has been dedicated to raising awareness for STIQ. The purpose is to emphasize the importance of sexual health and to encourage everyone to get regular health checks.
Sexually Transmissible Infections (STIs) are infections passed from one person to another through unprotected vaginal, oral, or anal sex, or genital contact.
Lack of symptoms
More and more people in the UK are catching STIs and each year the infection rate is rising. According to The World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 million STIs are acquired every day and the majority of these STIs have no symptoms.1 Therefore you could have an STI and not be aware. 70% of women and 50% of men show no symptoms after contracting Chlamydia which is the most common STI condition in the UK.2
Even though the majority of the time symptoms of STIs aren’t visible, there can be signs of having an STI, including unusual discharge from the vagina, penis or anus, pain when peeing, lumps or skin growth around the genitals, a rash, unusual bleeding, itchiness or blisters around the genitals.3
What to do when you catch an STI
Anyone can catch an STI regardless of what age you are, your sexuality or how many sexual partners you have, as it only takes one sexual encounter to put you at the risk of catching an STI. A shocking fact from Public Health England shows that a case of chlamydia or gonorrhea is diagnosed in a young person every 4 minutes in England, and over 144,000 diagnoses of these sexually transmitted infections are seen in people aged 15 to 24 in 2017. 4
It is extremely important to get routinely tested. The earlier the diagnosis is made and treated the less chance of having long-term effects including infertility.
Randox Biosciences 10-plex STI test
Randox Biosciences would like to take the opportunity to support STIQ day by offering our CE marked 10-plex STI test, a cost-effective solution for accurate STI testing. This test detects the following 10 infections simultaneously from a single patient urine sample.
- Neisseria gonorrhoea (NG)
- Mycoplasma genitalium (MG)
- Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU)
- Chlamydia trachomatis (CT)
- Trichomonas vaginalis (TV)
- Haemophilus ducreyi (HD)
- Mycoplasma hominis (MH)
- Treponema pallidum (TP)
- Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1)
- Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2)
Does your laboratory or clinic carry out STI testing? Our molecular analyser, the Bosch Vivalytic, powered by our award winning Biochip Array Technology, could be the diagnostic solution.
For more information about our STI Arrays or Vivalytic email: info@randoxbiosciences.com
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sexually-transmitted-infections-(stis)
- http://www.national-awareness-days.com/stiq-day/
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/an-sti-is-diagnosed-in-a-young-person-every-4-minutes-in-england
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis/
The move from Nephelometry to Immunoturbidimetric Testing
Background
In clinical diagnostics, proteins are part of a wide range of biochemical markers used to identify health and disease in patient samples. Proteins play a key role in the human body, as they are involved in almost every process and can be associated to functions and regulatory pathways that are either signature for disease onset or a target for therapeutic intervention.
There are two main methods used to detect proteins in patient samples; nephelometry and immunoturbidimetry. Nephelometry although traditionally thought to be more sensitive can be expensive due to higher consumable costs. In addition to this nephelometers can be inefficient and are limited by their test menu. Immunoturbidimetric tests are an increasingly accepted alternative to nephelometry for specific protein assays, and studies have shown a close correlation between Randox immunoturbidimetric tests and nephelometry. This particularly lies with the latex enhanced immunoturbidimetry methodology utilised by Randox.
Why the RX series?
Renowned for quality and reliability, the RX series excels in clinical testing combining robust hardware, intuitive software and a world leading test menu featuring routine and novel high performing reagents.
Running specific protein tests on the RX series provides laboratories with a wide range of advantages. The move from nephelometric testing to immunoturbidimetric lowers laboratory costs as nephelometry requires the use of dedicated instruments which are much slower, have higher consumable costs and require highly trained personnel, with the disadvantage of not being able to perform any other type of assay on a single platform.
The RX series improves laboratory efficiencies not just saving costs but also time. Our range of routine clinical chemistry analysers provide users with flexibility and versatility through consolidation of testing onto one single platform.
High Performing and Unique Testing Menu
The RX series of specific protein assays assist in the diagnosis and evaluation of various conditions each with excellent sensitivity and limited inference levels. Randox manufacture immunoturbidimetric kits for the study of a wide range of specific proteins including unique products such as Apolipoprotein C-II, Apolipoprotein C-III, Apolipoprotein E, Cystatin C and Microalbumin.
Most recently the RX series welcomed the addition of Direct HbA1c to our testing panel, available to be run on the RX Daytona +, RX imola and RX modena. If you are interested in running your protein assays on a routine biochemistry analyser, Randox offers a large range of high quality routine and niche protein assays that can be run on most automated analysers.
Click to discover more about our world leading RX series Testing menu or contact us today @theRXseries to find out how we can improve your laboratories testing capabilities.
Detecting the earliest possible signs of type 2 diabetes
Randox Laboratories is this month driving awareness of diabetes and the need for early and accurate diagnosis to enable patients to take preventive action before the condition worsens.
Diabetes UK have stated that diabetes is the fastest growing health threat of our times and an urgent public health issue. Statistics show that since 1996, the number of people living with diabetes has more than doubled. It has been estimated that there are 1.1 million people living with diabetes in the UK that have yet to be diagnosed, including 84,836 people in Northern Ireland.
According to Diabetes UK around 700 people a day are diagnosed with diabetes, which equates to one person every two minutes. If nothing changes, it is estimated that diabetes will affect one in ten people by 2040. This will raise diabetes prevalence from 415 million to 642 million by 2040. With current treatment taking up almost 9% of the annual NHS budget – roughly £8.8bn a year – the implications for future healthcare budgets are clear if this dangerous trend persists.
The good news however, is that recent research has found that type 2 diabetes is preventable through lifestyle changes. The NHS recently released the UK’s National Diabetes Prevention Programme which is aimed at tackling the increasing growing threat of diabetes.
However, following a warning raised by an Oxford University study, which looked into efforts of this Prevention Programme, it was found that it is unlikely to have much impact because the blood tests used were inaccurate at detecting pre-diabetes – the stage at which diabetes is reversible.
The blood tests used in the National Diabetes Prevention Programme were only effective at detecting diabetes at a stage when damage had already been done.
At Randox, we have developed a number of tests that can help detect the earliest possible signs of diabetes, often before symptoms have even manifested – including a pioneering test for the hormone Adiponectin.
Assessing Adiponectin levels allows doctors to calculate a patient’s levels of visceral fat – a dangerous, internal fat stored around organs. This deep fat, which is not visible to the naked eye, is linked to health problems including Type-2 diabetes.
Low levels of adiponectin equate to high levels of visceral fat which can be combated by improving your diet, exercise habits and even stress levels. Given that 70% of Type-2 diabetes can be prevented by lifestyle changes, there is strong correlation that by detecting low levels of Adiponectin and taking corrective and preventive action, it could result in a decrease in the numbers of people who develop the life-altering condition.
In addition to a test for the Adiponectin biomarker, Randox Biosciences have created a Metabolic Syndrome Array that measures 12 markers associated with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Metabolic Syndrome is a is a group of cardiovascular risk factors that affects over 20% of adults and results in a person being three times more likely to have a stroke or heart attack, and five times more likely to develop diabetes.
Ultimately, we would like to see all medical professionals who are at the forefront of patient care armed with the most accurate diagnostic tools available. Updating traditional practice may not be easy but we believe it is imperative to do so, if we are to effectively challenge this global epidemic.
Randox remains focused on providing early diagnoses and preventing illnesses by providing innovative diagnostics tests that will continue to revolutionise the healthcare landscape.
For further information, please contact Randox PR by emailing randoxpr@randox.com or phoning 028 9442 2413.
The world’s most extensive Drugs of Abuse Test Menu
Randox Toxicology offers the most comprehensive Drugs of Abuse (DoA) test menu across multiple forensic matrices. Our level of expertise in toxicology research and development allows us to adapt quickly to the ever-changing market influences and develop assays for current and novel drugs trends. Excellent assay precision and performance eliminates false reporting, therefore reducing unnecessary confirmatory tests and time lost in the laboratory as a result. Our Biochip Arrays offer CVs typically less than 10%, producing an accurate drug profile to ensure confidence in results.
| DoA II | ||
| Buprenorphine | Ketamine | Oxycodone I |
| Creatinine | LSD | Oxycodone II |
| Fentanyl | MDMA | Propoxyphene |
| Generic Opioids | Methaqualone | – |
The Evidence Series of immunoassay analysers are powered by Biochip Array Technology and combine the latest technological advances for drug residue detection using immunoassay principles. The Drugs of Abuse II panel is available for both the Evidence and the Evidence Investigator analysers. The Evidence has a throughput of 90 samples per hour, testing up to 44 tests per sample. The Evidence is a fully automated batch immunoanalyser, allowing for 3960 tests per hour, while the Evidence Investigator is a semi-automated, bench top analyser with testing capabilities of 2376 tests in 70 minutes.
To find out more about our Biochip Array Technology and our Evidence Series analysers, visit www.randoxtoxicology.com, or email us at info@randoxtoxicology.com
Tackling Worldwide Drugs of Abuse
Throughout November, we’ve been highlighting how the Randox clinical teams – Randox Rx series, Randox Reagents and Randox QC – are aiding the fight against drugs of abuse.
Drugs of Abuse are a growing problem worldwide and represent a significant burden to healthcare systems as well as creating problems in an individual’s lifestyle. It has been estimated by the WHO (World Health Organisation) that 31 million people globally suffer from drug use disorders and 3.3 million deaths each year are linked to the abuse of both drugs and alcohol.
The abuse of drugs is one of the most pressing issues in the United States of America. Drug abuse not only affects the individual, but also can have far-reaching consequences that affect family, employment, personal health, health care systems, local communities, and society as a whole.
- Misuse of illicit drugs affects society through secondary costs incurred such as crime, reduced productivity at work, and health care expenses.
- Substance abuse costs the US health care system about $11 billion, with overall costs reaching $193 billion.
- Substance abuse and addiction also affects other areas of life and can cause broken families, destroyed careers, death due to negligence or accident, domestic violence, physical abuse and child abuse.
- Drug abuse and addiction changes the chemistry of your brain. The longer you use your drug of choice, the more damage is caused and it becomes more difficult to return to ‘normal’ during drug rehabilitation.
- In 2013, 22.7 million Americans needed treatment for a substance use disorder – almost 9% of the population over the age of 12. Only about 2.5 million received treatment as a specialist facility with 20% of admissions for opiate addication treatment and 17% for the treatment of marijuana abuse.
To find out more about how Randox is helping in the fight against Drugs of Abuse, please visit https://www.randox.com/drugs-of-abuse/ or for more information about Randox RX, Randox Reagents or Randox QC, please email marketing@randox.com.
