Question

Critical Thinking Questions for Submissions: #2

1. Immunization compliance in the pediatric population varies according to socioeconomics, culture, religion, and region. Discuss the reasons this is true and the implications for public safety.
2. Should the government make immunization mandatory? (Cite your references)
3. What effect does Aspirin have on phenytoin, valproic acid and oral hypoglycemic agents?please cite

Answer 1

Ans) Vaccines do carry risks, ranging from rashes or tenderness at the site of injection to fever-associated seizures called febrile convulsions and dangerous infections in those with compromised immune systems. Serious problems are rare, so it is hard to prove that a vaccine causes them.

- Immunising healthy children helps to build herd immunity making immunisation part of a ‘social contract’ which sees the healthy majority protecting the small minority of children for whom vaccination is not an option for medical reason.

- Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is metabolically converted to salicyclic acid by the action of carboxylesterases. Although metabolic drug interactions involving aspirin are theoretically possible, there appear to have been no studies to date which have shown conclusively that aspirin hydrolysis is altered by coadministered drugs. However, a number of treatments are known to affect the rate or extent of aspirin absorption, including activated charcoal, antacids, cholestyramine and metoclopramide. Caffeine and metoprolol have been reported to increase peak salicylic acid concentration following aspirin administration, and coadministration of dipyridamole and aspirin results in higher plasma aspirin concentrations. The mechanism(s) responsible for these latter observations remains unknown. Salicylic acid is extensively bound to plasma albumin, and many of the reported drug interactions involve displacement of the coadministered drug from plasma protein. Protein binding displacement appears to be the basis of salicylic acid interactions with diclofenac, flurbiprofen, ibuprofen, isoxicam, ketoprofen, naproxen, phenytoin and tolmetin. Following displacement of these agents increased clearance of total drug occurs, and consequently the plasma concentration of total drug decreases. Although generally not measured, unbound concentration of the interacting drug should not be markedly altered. Salicylic acid also increases total plasma clearance of fenoprofen but, unlike the interactions with the other propionic acid non-steroidals, plasma protein binding displacement does not appear to be involved. Induction of fenoprofen metabolism is a possibility, although there is no firm evidence from other studies that salicylate is able to induce the metabolism of coadministered drugs. Since salicylic acid is extensively metabolised, it is not surprising that it is able to inhibit the metabolism of certain coadministered drugs and chemicals, an effect which has been reported for salicylamide, valproic acid, m-xylene, and zomepirac. The interactions with salicylamide, m-xylene and zomepirac are probably competitive in nature since mutual inhibition of salicylic acid metabolism occurs. There is an additional component of protein binding displacement in the interactions with valproic acid and zomepirac, resulting in increased unbound drug concentration. Certain coadministered drugs (or chemicals) may alter the metabolism of salicylic acid; inhibition of its metabolism has been demonstrated following treatment with benzoic acid, salicylamide, m-xylene, zomepirac and possibly cimetidine. In contrast, salicylic acid elimination is enhanced in ora.