THREAD: Women and "Unexplained" Diseases

It's interesting that even a condition as common as #Migraine is still not well understood.

Significant overlap with many other conditions mostly impacting women that are also "not well understood" is present.

https://t.co/EhrnxfItsm https://t.co/R7QUKrZvhR

2/ As a women’s health clinician & #COVID researcher I know ME/CFS, #LongCOVID & most autoimmune diseases disproportionately impact women after puberty. Female preponderance has likely contributed to the historical neglect of funding & subsequent lack of interest in studying them
3/ Paradoxically, the ongoing dismissal of many of women’s symptoms and abuse by the medical system is a direct result of our lack of understanding & ongoing LACK of funding.
cc: @jenbrea @ahandvanish @AthenaAkrami @Dr2NisreenAlwan @MBVanElzakker
https://t.co/ITrLBkc3uE
4/ This pattern of ignorance/lack of understanding and dismissal, further perpetuates the trauma women suffering from chronic illness must endure. @ahandvanish @AthenaAkrami @jenbrea @RanaAwdish @VirusesImmunity @angie_rasmussen

Example stats ME/CFS:
https://t.co/GKQqqtWTI7
5/ Or Functional Neurologic Disorder (FND) aka Conversion Disorder, Hysteria, or Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES).

Majority of patients with PNES are women, outnumbering men by a ratio of 3:1. Female sex preponderance occurs after puberty & usually before the age of 55
6/ You don't have to look far. Patient's are SMART. Many patients are also clinicians and scientists.

Lack of data does not equal lack of EXISTENCE of a problem, it equals lack of UNDERSTANDING of the problem.

And this problem is immense.
https://t.co/TnF2j4dKs3
7/ The intersection of sex hormones and immunobiology has never been more important for us to understand.

My optimistic hope is that the enormous amounts of funding for #COVID19 open doors to understanding pathophysiology of previously neglected diseases particularly in women.
8/ Paternalism, sexism & racism are baked into medicine, medical training, and a broken healthcare system.

But our scientific ignorance should not be wielded to blame & further abuse patients.

Our lack of understanding is not their failure but ours.

https://t.co/LwN8qc0Q4a
9/ And while we're at it, could we just abandon certain medical terms like: "incompetent cervix" and "irritable uterus"...

There are more specific, more scientific, and less offensive terminology we can use for women's bodies.

@VirusesImmunity @angie_rasmussen @DocElovitz
10/ @threadreaderapp please unroll

To read more of my Threads, please check out: https://t.co/UMdZvE2tDj

More from Health

1/15
Why can cefepime cause neurological toxicity?

And why is renal failure the main risk factor for this complication?

The answer requires us to learn about cefepime's structure and why it unexpectedly binds to a certain CNS receptor.

#MedTwitter #Tweetorial


2/
Let's establish a few facts about cefepime:

🔺4th generation cephalosporin antibiotic
🔺Excretion = exclusively in the urine (mostly as unchanged drug)
🔺Readily crosses the blood-brain barrier (so it easily accesses the brain)

https://t.co/rjYG1BfGPR


3/
The first report of cefepime neurotoxicity was in 1999.

A patient w/ renal failure received high doses of cefepime and then developed encephalopathy, tremors, myoclonic jerks, and tonic-clonic seizures.

✅All symptoms resolved after hemodialysis.

https://t.co/u7JLVitQpp


4/
Cefepime neurotoxicity is surprisingly common, occurring in up to 15% of treated critically ill patients (w/ symptoms varying from encephalopathy to seizures).

💡The main risk factors = renal failure and lack of dose adjustment for renal function.

https://t.co/nxbnzSq8AR


5/
What about cefepime induces neurotoxicity?

One clue is that it's not the only antibiotic that causes neurotoxicity, particularly seizures.

This actually is a class effect w/ other beta-lactam antibiotics (including penicillins and carbapenems).

https://t.co/Lf4BhON9IY

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