Unlocking Word
Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in
today’s article.
1. degeneration
(n.) [dih-jen-uh-rey-shuhn] – the gradual loss of function of body cells, tissues or organs
Example: Stress may lead to brain
degeneration.
2.
aggravate (v.) [ag-ruh-veyt] – to worsen a situation
Example: His stressful job aggravated his
disease.
3. severe
(adj.) [suh-veer] – dangerous or harmful
Example: The employee missed work for several
weeks because of a severe illness.
4. cardiovascular
(adj.) [kahr-dee-oh-vas-kyuh-ler] – relating to heart and blood vessels
Example: Older people are more prone to having
cardiovascular diseases.
5. side
effect (n.) [sahyd ih-fekt] – an undesirable effect (usually of a drug)
Example: Dizziness is one of the side effects
of drugs for cancer.
Article
Read the text below.
Aspirin, a medicine for pain and heart disease, may
cause age-related blindness to seniors who take the drug on daily basis.
In the study led by Dr. Paulus de Jong of the Netherlands
Institute for Neuroscience and Academic Medical Center, it was found that
among the 839 people who take Aspirin every day, 36 developed the wet type of
macular degeneration, a loss of
vision caused by leaking blood vessels in the eye. This means 4 out of 100
aspirin users face this risk. In addition, about 2 out of 100 less frequent
takers of Aspirin can develop the same type of disease.
In contrast, taking Aspirin was not associated
with the dry form of macular degeneration. This type is more common and less severe but still causes loss of
vision. Together with the wet type, they constitute the leading causes of
blindness among adults aged over 60.
However, the finding did not conclude that
Aspirin itself causes the loss of vision. It only indicates that Aspirin
somehow aggravates the disease.
Since the medicine is used for cardiovascular diseases, the
researchers also looked for any connection between certain cardiovascular
diseases and macular degeneration. Results, however, showed that Aspirin
causes macular degeneration regardless of any heart conditions.
Although Aspirin has this side effect, one must still prioritize taking it if it is for
cardiovascular disease. As Dr. Paulus said, a healthy eye is useless in a
dead body.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion
A
·
What
would be its advantages and disadvantages?
·
If
you were taking a medicine and you later knew of its side effects, what would
you do?
Discussion
B
·
What
are the possible effects of not knowing the side effects of medicines?
·
Do
you do some research on the medicine you are taking? Why or why not?