Month: November 2011

About 38% of U.S. adults who get care from a home health agency are taking at least one inappropriate prescription drug, a study finds. The medicines were on a list of drugs that should be used only with great care among older adults. The rate of potential problem drugs was nearly 3 times as high as other studies have shown for people who get care in a doctor’s office. Researchers used data from the 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey. The study included 3,100 patients. All were age 65 or older. The average person in the study took 11 prescription drugs. Potential problem drugs were prescribed most often for those who took the most drugs. They were prescribed 5 to 6 times as often for those taking 15 or more drugs as for those taking 7 or fewer. The Journal of General Internal Medicine published the study online. HealthDay News wrote about it November 29.

A common liver disease does not increase the risk of death, a new study concludes. The results surprised researchers. The condition, called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, is found most often among people who are obese. Researchers looked at records for 11,000 Americans, ages 20 to 74. Their health was tracked for up to 18 years as part of a large national survey. About 1 out of 5 people had non-alcoholic fatty liver. But they did not have a higher risk of death than others surveyed. Researchers said they didn’t know why fatty liver does not seem to affect death rates. They suggested that fatty liver may protect the body from some of the effects of obesity and diabetes. The journal BMJ published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it November 28.

Both high and relatively low levels of sodium may be bad for some people, a new study suggests. It’s one of a few studies published recently that question whether a low-sodium diet is best for everyone. The new study included 30,000 people. Some had heart or artery disease. Others had a high risk of developing it. Researchers measured their total output of sodium in urine in a 24-hour period. This was used to estimate how much sodium they took in per day. Researchers kept track of them for the next 4 years. The most heart-related deaths and hospital stays for heart failure occurred among people with the highest and lowest levels of sodium in their urine. People with high sodium also had more heart attacks and strokes. People with a mid-range level of sodium had the fewest problems. But many of those in the lower-sodium group still consumed more sodium than recommended.

Statin drugs that lower LDL cholesterol are safe long term, an 11-year study concludes. The study found that the drugs lowered the risk of heart attack and strokes 23%. And they didn’t increase the risk of cancer or other diseases. More than 20,000 people were part of the study. All had an above average risk of heart disease and other blood vessel problems. They were randomly assigned to take either simvastatin (Zocor) or placebo (fake) pills. The original study lasted 5 years. After that, people who got the placebo at first could take the statin if a doctor prescribed it. Researchers kept track of people for another 6 years. They found no difference between the two groups in their rates of cancer or deaths from non-heart diseases. The journal Lancet published the study online. HealthDay News wrote about it November 22.