Inside Health

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Covid Symptoms Feb 09, 2021

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A fever, cough or loss of smell and taste are criteria for a Covid-19 test, but what if you have different symptoms? James Gallagher discusses whether more symptoms should be added to the UK government's list with resident GP, Margaret McCartney and Dr Thomas Struyf of KU Leuven.

Cardiologist Dr Rohin Francis explains what symptoms he sees when patients with coronavirus arrive in hospital.

One of the most common symptoms of Covid-19 is the loss of the sense of smell. It returns after a few weeks in most people but a significant minority still can’t smell anything many months later. James Gallagher talks to Prof Carl Philpott of Norwich Medical School who has led an international panel of nose doctors, assessing the evidence for the best therapies to restore the olfactory sense to people who have lost it following respiratory infections. So-called smell training comes out top as the most evidence-based approach. Carl explains how it works and we hear from two people who are trying to regain their sense of smell.

And Dr Carly Welch from the British Geriatric Society says that delirium has emerged as another symptom of Covid-19, particularly in the elderly.

Mouthwash & dentistry during the pandemic Feb 02, 2021

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One or our listeners, Katharine, asks whether mouthwash can help stop the spread of coronavirus. We hunt down the answer with the help of biochemist Valerie O’Donnell, from the University of Cardiff, and our own Dr Margaret McCartney.

Then it’s our turn in the dentist’s chair. Dentistry is up close and personal with a fair amount of splatter, the perfect place for coronavirus to spread. So dentist Paul Woodhouse and University of Newcastle dentist and researcher, Richard Holliday, are on to explain how to make it safe.

PRESENTER: James Gallagher PRODUCER: Beth Eastwood

Exercise in the time of Covid Jan 26, 2021

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It’s an exercise special on Inside Health. This week Amanda wants to know how quickly she can get back to exercising after Covid. Dr David Salman has drawn up some advice and Dr Navjoyt Ladher explains why this virus means we should be taking it easy, as well as having a shocking confession of her own. We check in on George, Jen and Dr Helen Hawley-Hague to see how they are getting on with their physiotherapy in the height of lockdown. And we explore with Sport England’s Tim Hollingsworth what the pandemic can teach us about improving exercise levels. Oh and I think I nearly broke our resident GP Margaret McCartney talking about 'adaptogens'.

Oximetry at home, Rapid lateral flow tests for Covid Jan 19, 2021

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In Covid, oxygen levels in the body can crash without noticeable symptoms - it’s known as “silent hypoxia”. This week we’ll be discussing whether letting people monitor their oxygen levels at home with a pulse oximeter could save lives. James talks to Chris Harris, who’s been using one, and two pioneers of the project - Dr Matt Inada-Kim, Consultant in Acute Medicine at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust, and Dr Caroline O'Keeffe who runs oximetry@home in North Hampshire.

And the hotly debated topic of rapid, or lateral flow, testing. Local councils are rolling them out for people who can't work from home, and the hope is that they could help us keep on top of the virus by picking out people with Covid. Could it be a way out of the pandemic or could it cause more harm than good? Prof Irene Petersen and our own Dr Margaret McCartney are on the case.

Dr Navjoyt Ladher answers some of the most common questions about vaccines.

PRESENTER: James Gallagher PRODUCER: Beth Eastwood

Statins and Nocebo, Vit D & Covid, new therapies for Covid Jan 12, 2021

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Should you take vitamin D pills to ward off coronavirus? Our own Dr Margaret McCartney has been sifting through the evidence in search of answers. Also clinical trials expert Dr David Collier of Queen Mary University London tells us about new treatments for Covid-19 that are in the pipeline. And is the mysterious “nocebo effect” causing most of the side-effects from statins? Janice Richardson from Hebden Bridge shares her experience on the pills and we chat to researcher and Dr James Howard of Imperial College and cardiologist Dr Rohin Francis.

Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald

Covid in 2021 & a blood test that claims to detect cancer early Jan 05, 2021

Show notes

2020 was awful. So what about 2021?

I chat with Prof Neil Ferguson to see how this year could play out and when life might return to normal. Cardiologist Dr Rohin Francis and cancer nurse Aly Foyle are both back to share their experiences of coping during Covid.

I promise you, it’s not all bad news.

And our own Dr Margaret McCartney, alongside Cancer Research UK’s Jodie Moffat, scrutinises a new blood test that promises to find cancer early.

It's a good programme, James.

PRESENTER: James Gallagher PRODUCER: Beth Eastwood

How Bangor Hospital's Intensive Care Unit is Preparing for Winter Oct 28, 2020

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Saleyha Ahsan reports from Ysbyty Gwynedd, her own hospital in Bangor, North Wales about how the Intensive Care Unit is preparing for winter. Saleyha meets Val and the Critical Care team who have looked after her since the pandemic began. Val was admitted to the unit in March and has become part of the intensive care family.

Producer, Erika Wright

20/10/2020 Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

Covid-19 damages the lungs, leaving people struggling to get enough oxygen into their body. In the early stages of the pandemic many patients needed a lot of support in intensive care - including artificial ventilation. But there are other ways of boosting oxygen levels in the body - which are being studied in the Recovery-RS trial. Professor Gavin Perkins from the University of Warwick is comparing oxygen delivered by a mask called CPAP with both regular and high-flow oxygen to see which works best.

Physiotherapy is one of the hands-on therapies which has been disrupted by the lockdown. Patients who need to do bespoke exercises following a fall or a heart attack might have been offered online sessions instead. But Manchester University researcher Dr Helen Hawley-Hague says these don't suit everyone - including people who don't have access to the internet or a smartphone. We hear from Jennifer and George - both of them have taken part in Helen's studies and have accessed physiotherapy either face-to-face or via a phone app.

An Inside Health listener wanted to know if live vaccines like the polio vaccine could protect us against Covid. Oxford University's Andy Pollard explains about the theory behind this idea and how it might help.

Dr Margaret McCartney looks at whether it makes a difference if you do a Covid throat and nose yourself - or if it's carried out by a healthcare professional.

Covid-19 Test and Trace; Non-drug trials in a pandemic Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

Margaret McCartney on National Test and Trace and why households are receiving multiple calls. Beth tells of being contacted many times when her child tested positive and began to think all the family had been separately in contact with different cases, until the penny dropped that the calls were all about the same contact - her daughter. Professor Kate Ardern, director of Public Health in Wigan explains why these calls from the national system aren't joined up. And is there time in a pandemic to do trials for non-drug interventions like pub curfews or social distancing? Professor Paul Glaziou explains that there are currently just 8 such trials globally, while Professor Martin McKee highlights the problems involved. And Margaret hears from Professor Atle Fretheim who is trying to set up a trial in Norway into the impact of school closures on infection control.

Touch in Health Care Oct 06, 2020

Show notes

The Radio 4 Touch Test included questions about touch in health care. Dr Natalie Bowling who's a psychologist from the University of Greenwich helped to create the test with colleagues at Goldsmith's University. Analysing the data revealed that a positive attitude towards touch in treatment settings increases as we get older. Surprisingly men reported being more likely to feel comfortable with touch in treatment settings - despite women preferring tactile treatments more than men.

GPs Margaret McCartney and Ann Robinson agree on the importance of touch in their consulting rooms - both to help tell the difference between constipation and a ruptured appendix - and to place a comforting hand on the shoulder of a distressed patient.

Chemotherapy cannot cure 82 year old Anne Townsend who was given a diagnosis of ovarian cancer a year ago - but it's hoped it will help to relieve her symptoms. One side effect has been a loss of her sense of touch - devastating because she loves to sew quilts. She found that reflexology sessions helped - though they stopped because of lockdown and she now uses acupressure techniques which she was taught online by therapists at St Christopher's hospice.

Deborah Bowman, Professor of Bioethics at St George's University, also felt calmer and better-prepared for medical procedures when she was having cancer treatment. She explains how she trains medical students to approach their patients in a sensitive way and use touch with care.

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