EXCLUSIVE Urgent Mounjaro warning: Common mistake puts patients at risk of deadly organ damage, expert says
Dubbed the 'King Kong' of weight loss injections, Mounjaro can now be prescribed by NHS GPs in a bid to tackle the ongoing obesity crisis.
But the injections often come with side effects ranging from severe dehydration, nausea and even life-threatening pancreatitis––which health professionals say could be avoided with a simple blood test.
Rachel Joy, nurse and chief clinical officer at SheMed, a private healthcare provider, said: 'The safest way for people to use these jabs is through mandatory blood screening.'
She continued: 'These blood tests help identify any underlying health issues that need to be managed before a patient starts the programme, or if the treatment is entirely unsuitable.'
Blood tests can test for liver function, thyroid problems, uncontrolled pre-diabetes and high levels of harmful fats called triglycerides in the blood.
These lipids come from foods, including butter, oil and other fats.
While a certain level of these fats is essential for good health, high levels can raise the risk of heart disease.
Ms Joy warned: 'If someone has really high triglycerides, they may be at higher risk of pancreatitis.'
Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas, a gland located behind the stomach which is used in digestion and blood sugar regulation.
While there is a high survival rate for this condition, it can trigger organ failure—which can be fatal.
In some cases of severe acute pancreatitis, the pancreas can lose its blood supply and turn necrotic, which can cause deadly sepsis (a blood infection), which can in turn make other major organs fail.
Severe acute pancreatitis can also trigger a systemic inflammatory response which causes other organs—like the lungs and kidneys—to fail.
Ms Joy continued: 'People who have uncontrolled diabetes are also at an increased risk of becoming severely dehydrated which can be really serious.
'Without a blood test, this could be missed,' she added.
Officials are now examining whether jab users affected by pancreatitis have a genetic trait that leaves them at greater risk of side-effects, which Ms Joy said could also be flagged by a simple blood test.
'Sometimes these things are subtle, but can have a massive impact.
'We should be putting these patients at the centre and treating obesity like any other clinical health condition.'
She is now urging healthcare officials to reconsider rolling out these jabs without strict guidelines in place, as GPs struggle under time-constraints.
As such, SheMed have made blood tests a mandatory part of their programme before prescribing the revolutionary jab.
Last month, the UK medicines regulator launched a probe into the safety of fat jabs after hundreds of users developed pancreatitis, leaving ten dead.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it has received more than 560 reports of people developing an inflamed pancreas after taking so-called 'GLP-1' injections since they were first launched.
The MHRA is now calling for users who are admitted to hospital with pancreatitis to report the side effect to authorities using the regulator's Yellow Card scheme.
Healthcare workers can also submit a report on patients' behalf.
This involves providing further information and submitting a saliva sample which will be used to explore whether some people are at a higher risk of acute pancreatitis when taking these medicines due to their genetic makeup.
Researchers hope this will ultimately enable doctors to use rapid genetic screening tests before prescribing drugs to make the process safer.
Side effects continue to be a significant burden on the NHS and studies have shown they account for one in six hospital admissions.
The main symptom of pancreatitis is severe pain in the stomach that radiates to the back and does not go away. Anyone who experiences this should seek immediate medical help.
Dr Alison Cave, MHRA's chief safety officer, said: 'Evidence shows that almost a third of side effects to medicines could be prevented with the introduction of genetic testing.'
It is predicted that adverse drug reactions could cost the NHS more than £2.2 billion a year in hospital stays alone she added.
These blockbuster jabs have also been credited with lowering blood sugar levels for people with type 2 diabetes, but Ms Joy warned they are not a silver bullet and can come with a number of serious side effects.
Recent estimates suggest that about 1.5 million people in the UK are taking weight loss jabs, many of which are bought privately due to NHS rationing.
Most side effects linked to the jabs are gastrointestinal including nausea, constipation and diarrhoea.
However Ms Joy warned that Mounjaro can also cause severe dehydration, especially in people with diabetes.
It typically causes headaches and dizziness but if not treated quickly can even lead to seizures, kidney failure or prove fatal.
There have been further reactions and deaths linked to other side-effects following the use of GLP-1 medicines.
The MHRA stresses that it has not been established that the jabs caused the illnesses, but that the patients themselves have reported them as side effects.
Professor Matt Brown, chief scientific officer of Genomics England, said: 'GLP-1 medicines like Ozempic and Wegovy have been making headlines, but like all medicines there can be a risk of serious side effects.
'We believe there is real potential to minimise these with many adverse reactions having a genetic cause.
'This next step in our partnership with the MHRA will generate data and evidence for safer and more effective treatment through more personalised approaches to prescription, supporting a shift towards an increasingly prevention-focused healthcare system.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
12 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Women in poorest parts of England and Wales ‘will spend only two-thirds of life in good health'
Healthy life expectancy for females in the most deprived areas of England and Wales has fallen to the lowest level since recent records began, with those women now likely to spend only two-thirds of their lives in good health. Women living in wealthier parts of England are likely to enjoy about two more decades of healthy life, the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data has shown. Females born between 2020 and 2022 in the most deprived areas of England were likely to spend just 65.1% of their lives in good health, compared with 81.5% in the least deprived areas, the ONS found. The estimate for the most deprived areas is the lowest since the series began in 2013-15, when it stood at 66.3%. 'We have higher rates of ill health than ever before in this country, and that's disproportionately affecting women more than men,' said Emma Frew, a University of Birmingham health economics professor and a research professor at the National Institute for Health and Care Research. 'The impact of the cost of living crisis, the two-child cap on benefits – these disproportionately affect women more than men because it's women that tend to have more responsibility in the household, more responsibility for childcare. 'They contribute more to unpaid care, there are higher rates of mental health problems and high rates of domestic violence, which tends to focus on girls and women.' The inequality gap between men and women has grown, with males born in 2020-22 in the most deprived areas expected to spend 70.4% of their lives in good health, compared with 84.5% for those in the least deprived. The gap between richer and poorer areas has also widened for both genders – for females, it has grown from 19.6 years in 2013-15 to 20.2 years in 2020-22, while for males it has grown from 18.7 to 19.1. In Wales, females born in the most deprived areas in 2020-22 can expect to spend 61.5% of their lives in good health, the lowest since those estimates began in 2013-15. In the least deprived areas the figure stands at 80.7%. 'We're seeing increasing levels of poverty because of things like the cost of living crisis, which has pushed more households into food insecurity states,' Frew said. 'We think of ourselves as being quite a developed country, but there are parts of the country that have economic and health outcomes much more similar to developing countries.' Compared with the pre-coronavirus pandemic period of 2017-19, life expectancy at birth in England in 2020 to 2022 has decreased in the most deprived areas by 1.4 years for males, to 72.6 years, and by 1.1 years for females, to 77.7 years. 'We've got people who still have a similar level of life expectancy, but not healthy life expectancy. I think that's the key metric healthcare service and local authorities are really targeting, because it is not just getting people to live longer, but we need to get people to live healthier and longer,' Frew said. 'There needs to be a really concerted health and equality strategy that looks at those gender differences.'
BBC News
14 minutes ago
- BBC News
Goole motocross crash teen 'shocked' at extent of injury
A teenager who survived a motocross crash says it was a "shock" to hear how serious his condition was after waking from 15, from near Goole, suffered a brain injury while out riding with his dad at a local motocross park in North Yorkshire on 10 was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary, where he needed emergency surgery to save his life and spent almost two weeks in said: "I don't remember anything from the day it happened. I just woke up in hospital a few days later and was told I'd had surgery on my brain and that I'd been on life support for a few days." Despite initially walking away from the incident, which saw him land on his head after crashing at speed, he collapsed and began fitting, prompting his concerned dad to call Air Ambulance's Nostell-based critical care team arrived within five minutes and it was clear he had suffered a serious brain Tim Moll said: "When we saw Tyler, his arms were extended in a way that indicated potential severe brain damage, and I was really concerned."There's a type of head injury where someone can seem OK at first, but inside there is bleeding or swelling putting pressure on the brain and if it is not treated quickly, it can become fatal."The crew, which included paramedic Tammy Williams, began preparing to intubate Tyler so they could take control of his breathing. During the 10-minute journey, Tyler's condition deteriorated, Dr Moll said, and he was taken straight into emergency surgery, where doctors discovered a bleed on his brain. He was placed on life support for three days and spent almost two weeks in hospital as he began the long road to said: "For a while, I couldn't go anywhere without my mum and dad in case I had a seizure, which was tough. "Now, I'm back at school and seeing my friends again, and that's what I was most excited for."Ms Williams added: "It's amazing to hear he's back at school and making such a positive recovery, that's the outcome we all hope for."The teenager will feature on an episode of the TV programme Yorkshire Air 999, which follows the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Click here, to download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and here, to download the BBC News app from Google Play for Android devices.
The Sun
16 minutes ago
- The Sun
Third of Brits are ‘obsessed' with tracking their health… from diet to sleep, survey shows
ONE in three Brits admit they're obsessed with tracking their health - including diet, heart rate, and sleep quality. A poll of 2,000 adults found 23 per cent of trackers can't go a day without logging updates. 2 2 Among the apps used were step counters (42 per cent), weight checkers (39 per cent) and menstruation monitors (14 per cent). But while 18 per cent keep tabs on their health to ensure they don't forget things, 31 per cent said it makes them feel better about their overall health. And 22 per cent claim it ensures they eat a balanced diet. While 24 per cent believe being so stringent can help them prevent illnesses in the future. Annika Bizon from Samsung UK & Ireland, which commissioned the research following the launch of its One UI 8 watch, which includes bedtime guidance and an antioxidant measuring feature, said: 'As we look to the future of health tech, it's clear that wellbeing won't just shape the big moments, but it will also guide the everyday ones too. 'From what time we go to bed, to how we manage stress at work - health and wellbeing is becoming a more conscious part of our day to day lives. 'It's no longer about extremes, but consistency.' The study also found trackers are also keeping an eye on their heart rate (28 per cent), sleep quality (25 per cent) and water intake (19 per cent). But one in four adults would like to be able to monitor how their body responds to different foods, and 18 per cent would love to know how their 'mental clarity' was at any given moment. Just under half (46 per cent) believe 'micro habits' – small, manageable daily actions that contribute to wellbeing – are easier to stick to. Back pain exercises Half (51 per cent) appeared to be keen on smarter support, rather than purely data, liking the idea of using a watch that could indicate a suitable time to go to bed. And 41 per cent said wearable tech often helps keep them motivated due to being able to track their progress. With 83 per cent believing it's important to see the long-term effects of their health habits. However, nearly a third (32 per cent) confessed they sometimes feel overwhelmed by how much health data they're trying to keep on top of. Although 55 per cent 'always or often' feel motivated to exercise, move, or do other healthy things, because of their wearable tech. Leaving 31 per cent of those who keep an eye on these things feeling more in control, with 25 per cent reporting increased fitness, according to the figures. With the top micro habits being drinking more water (51 per cent), spending time outdoors (41 per cent) or taking vitamins or supplements (40 per cent). Of all respondents, 80 per cent believe small daily changes can lead to major health benefits over time. The research was commissioned by Samsung in the lead up to the Samsung Unpacked 2025 on 9th July, when the next generation of Galaxy mobile devices will be unveiled, which include a new artificial intelligence-powered interface.
