Diseases, early intervention

Some osteoporosis risk factors (see Table 53-1) are non-modifiable, including family history, age, ethnicity, sex, and concomitant disease states. However, certain risk factors for bone loss may be minimized or prevented by early intervention, including smoking, low calcium intake, poor nutrition, inactivity, heavy alcohol use, and vitamin D deficiency. 

As discussed above, in the case of phenylketonuria, early intervention can make the difference between mental retardation and a near normal life course for a newborn. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia and maple syrup urine disease are two examples of neonatal hereditary disorders where early diagnosis and medical intervention can make the difference between life and death for the newborn. In addition, in a number of genetic diseases, early diagnosis and treatment can help ameliorate symptoms these include fragile X syndrome, homocystinuria, sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, and many /1-thalassemias. 

Therapy for sickle cell disease has changed dramatically since the mid-1990s. Prior to the 1980s therapeutic interventions for sickle cell disease consisted of supportive care during acute illness, opioids for pain management, and occasional transfusions for severe anemia or life-threatening complications. At that time, sickle cell disease was considered a pediatric disease as there were few children who survived into adulthood. In 1986, the Penicillin Prophylaxis Study was conducted, providing evidence that early intervention with penicillin prevented... 

Holmes E, et al. 2006. Metabolic profiling of CSF Evidence that early intervention may impact on disease progression and outcome in schizophrenia. PLoS Med 3(8) e327. 

In terms of self-care, NIOSH (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2002) has published a Traumatic Incident Fact Sheet for emergency workers that is educational and, at the same time, offers numerous suggestions for managing traumatic stress on-site at an incident and later after a disaster worker has returned home. Still, more research is needed to determine whether early interventions such as psychological first aid can deter the onset and progression of traumatic stress disorders in disaster personnel (National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2005). 

While most individuals with sickle cell disease have Mediterranean or African ancestry, it is common practice to screen all newborns in the United States for the condition. Research shows that early intervention can reduce the risk of serious infection, the leading cause of death in children with sickle cell disease. Intensive chemotherapy and stem cell... 

Gimenez-Llort L, Rivera-Hernandez G, Marin-Argany M, Sanchez-Quesada JL, Villegas S (2013) Early intervention in the 3xTg-AD mice with an amyloid p-antibody fragment ameliorates first hallmarks of Alzheimer disease. MAbs 5. 5 665-677... 

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