Category: news-perspectives

Addressing some common risk factors for heart disease saves lives, a study has found. The study focused on Ontario, Canada. This province had about 7,600 fewer deaths due to heart disease in 2005 than there were in 1994. About 48% of the reduction was linked with prevention of heart disease. This includes addressing risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Medicines for these conditions were a major part of the change. Another 43% of the difference was due to improved treatments for people who already had heart disease. The reduction in death rate was most dramatic for people ages 75 to 84. The study was published in the May 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation wrote about it May 11.

A group of popular heartburn drugs can cause more side effects than most people realize. That’s the overall finding of five new research articles. They appear in the May issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. The studies focus on proton pump inhibitors. These drugs include omeprazole (Prilosec), esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and others. They are mostly used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and ulcers. But some prescriptions are not needed, an editorial in the issue says. New research in this issue outlines some risks. One study found that women who take these drugs after menopause are more likely to break bones. Taking them for at least five years raises the risk of infections caused by Clostridium difficile bacteria, another study found.

Mother’s Day was the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill, the Associated Press (AP) reported May 7. Officials of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced their approval of the oral contraceptive on May 9, 1960. The pill gave women more control over whether and when to have children. Experts disagree on how large its role was in the sexual revolution that followed. “The pill,” as it’s also known, is the most popular form of reversible birth control for U.S. women. Nearly one-third of women who are trying to prevent a pregnancy use it. Yet nearly half of U.S. pregnancies are still unplanned, AP reported. Hormone doses are much lower in today’s birth control pills. But taking birth control pills still can increase a woman’s risk of blood clots. However, it also reduces the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers.

High levels of blood fats called triglycerides may increase the risk of heart disease, new research suggests. The study focuses on genes. Specifically, it looks at a gene mutation known to be linked to high triglyceride levels. The gene is called A5. Researchers analyzed data on more than 300,000 people from 101 previous studies. Triglyceride levels were 16% higher in people with one copy of the A5 gene. They were 32% higher in people with two copies. People with two copies also were 40% more likely to develop heart disease than people without the gene. Researchers reported their findings in the journal Lancet. HealthDay News wrote about the study May 6.

Researchers and automakers are working to improve safety measures for pregnant women. Every year, hundreds of fetuses die in auto accidents. And more pregnant women die in accidents than from complications of childbirth. Not all are wearing seatbelts, and some don’t wear them properly. The Associated Press wrote about the topic December 25.

Parents’ rules can help protect teen drivers, two new studies find. Both were based on a survey of more than 2,000 teen drivers. The first study looked at parenting style and rules. Teens who said their parents set clear rules and kept track of where they were going had half as many crashes as other teens. They also had better driving habits. The second study found that 70% of teen drivers had “primary access” to a car. The car was theirs or they did not have to ask for the keys. About 25% of these teens had been in crashes. This compares with 10% of teens who had to ask for the car keys. Numbers were adjusted to account for the amount of time spent driving. The journal Pediatrics published both studies. The Associated Press and USA Today wrote about them September 25.

People who care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease may get sick from the stress, a study suggests. The study included 153 people with Alzheimer’s and their family caregivers. The caregivers’ average age was 61. In the 6 months before the study, 1 out of 4 caregivers ended up in a hospital. Some just went to an emergency room. Others were admitted. Depressed people were more likely to go to a hospital. So were those who took care of someone with behavior problems or poor function. The study was in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about it November 20.

A study using mice offers some new clues about the pneumonia infections that often occur after flu. These second infections greatly increase the risk of death. First, researchers injected mice with flu virus. Later, they injected Haemophilus influenzae bacteria. These bacteria are a common cause of pneumonia. Mice were most likely to die if they were injected with the bacteria soon after the flu virus. Pneumonia quickly caused severe damage to the lungs. This damage often led to death. This happened in mice with both normal and weak immune systems. The study appeared January 22 in The American Journal of Pathology.

A diabetes drug sold outside the United States may help to prevent the disease in people at risk, a study suggests. The study included 1,780 people in Japan. All had high blood sugar, but not as high as people with diabetes. This is called pre-diabetes. People with pre-diabetes are more likely to develop diabetes. People in the study were randomly divided into two groups. One group took voglibose three times a day. The other took fake pills that looked the same (placebos). Fifty people in the voglibose group developed diabetes within three years. This compares with 106 in the placebo group. People taking voglibose also were more likely to reduce blood sugar to normal levels. The journal Lancet published the study online. Reuters Health news service wrote about it April 21.

About 1 in 5 U.S. adults is disabled, a new study has found. The most common cause was arthritis. Government researchers used data from a survey done in 2005. They found that about 48 million Americans are disabled. That’s up from 45 million in 1999. This change was caused mainly by an increase in the number of older adults. In the 2005 survey, about 8.6 million people were disabled with arthritis. Another 7.6 million had back or spine problems. Heart disease disabled 3 million. The study was published April 30. It appeared in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.