A dangerous "natural" treatment, Horse Chestnut and renal angiomyolipoma

[HysteryDiagnosis]

Just because it is natural and you can but it without a scrip doesn't mean that you can't kill yourself with it.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21310579

J Emerg Med. 2011 Feb 9.
Life-threatening Rupture of a Renal Angiomyolipoma in a Patient Taking Over-the-counter Horse Chestnut Seed Extract.

Snow A, Halpenny D, Mc Neill G, Torreggiani WC.

Department of Radiology, Adelaide & Meath Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Alternative medical therapies are increasingly being prescribed due to their good safety profile and perceived limited side effects. They are often unregulated and prescribed over the counter. One such medication is horse chestnut seed extract (HCSE), which is used for the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency and is known to affect blood coagulation. Angiomyolipoma (AML) is a benign fat-containing mesenchymal tumor of the kidney. It is often found incidentally and in most cases can be managed conservatively. Rupture of the kidney with hemorrhage is a well-known complication that may be serious and life-threatening. Known risk factors for hemorrhage include anticoagulation as well as pregnancy, increased size of the lesion, high lesion vascularity, and aneurysm formation within the tumor.

OBJECTIVES: The aim is to raise awareness of potential HCSE-induced anticoagulation, including, as in the case presented, acute renal AML hemorrhage.

CASE REPORT: The case of a patient taking HCSE for venous insufficiency is presented. The patient suffered a life-threatening rupture of the kidney in the presence of known renal AML. She underwent emergency embolization with a successful outcome. Because HCSE-containing products are thought to be generally safe in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency, it is important to be mindful of their potential anticoagulant properties and, therefore, their relative contraindication both in patients taking other anticoagulants and those with known renal AML.

CONCLUSION: We demonstrate a potentially life-threatening association between HSCE-containing products and renal AML, highlighting the risk associated with HSCE-induced anticoagulation.

[shraby]

1. I was taught from childhood that horse chestnuts were poison.

The shells are pretty, but not edible. Why would people ingest anything from them?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Because it is widely used in Europe, however it is probably prescription only

over the big pond.


Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 2009 Feb 26;129(5):420-2.
.

Methlie CB, Schjøtt J.

[e-mail]
Abstract

Horse- chestnut seed extract is widely used throughout Europe, and has been used to treat a variety of medical conditions. The most common indication is currently chronic venous insufficiency, for which conventional therapy includes use of compression stockings. Horse chestnut seed extract is generally well tolerated; the most common side effects are gastrointestinal disturbances, dizziness and calf-muscle spasms. Clinical trials have shown that horse- chestnut seed extract and placebo are associated with similar side effects Horse- chestnut may interact with anticoagulants and antidiabetics, and caution is advised in patients taking these drugs.

A number of clinical trials have shown that horse- chestnut seed extract may be beneficial to patients with mild to moderate chronic venous insufficiency. However, inadequate randomization, short duration and use of different end-points in these trials makes it difficult to conclude regarding effectiveness and safety, especially in long-term use. Horse- chestnut seed extract appears to be a short-term treatment option in patients with mild to moderate chronic venous insufficiency, but more rigorous trials are required to confirm the efficacy of this treatment.

PMID: 19247403 Free Article

[PoliticAverse]

3. Arsenic is 'natural' too... n/t

[laconicsax]

4. ...and if someone takes it, suffers renal AML, and dies at the hospital...

They get to become part of the statistics pushed by alt-med scammers who love to claim that more people die in hospitals than from their products.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Alt med scammers are greater than or equal to traditional med scammers. n/t