Category: news-perspectives

The proportion of children under age 5 getting flu vaccine each year increased sharply after the vaccine was recommended for all children, a study shows. But more than half of the children still were not getting the vaccine. The study focused on children ages 6 months to 59 months in a Tennessee county. In the flu season that started in 2000, about 6% of this group got the vaccine. In 2010, that increased to 38%. Hospital stays and emergency room visits varied greatly from year to year. Overall, the number of hospital stays for flu per 10,000 children declined. But when researchers excluded the peak year of 2003-2004, this trend was small enough that it could have been caused by chance. The number of emergency room visits tended to go up. The authors said neither of these trends was clearly related to increases in vaccination. The journal Pediatrics published the study December 8.

Gout attacks are more than twice as likely to occur overnight as during the day or evening, a new study shows. It confirms a finding that many doctors and patients had observed. The study kept track of 724 people with gout for a year. They recorded the date and hour of gout attacks. They described their symptoms and listed their medicines. Drinking alcohol, eating some foods or taking some medicines have been linked with gout attacks. People in the study also included whether they had done any of these things in the 24 to 48 hours before the attack. A total of 1,433 gout attacks occurred. About half of those, 733, were between midnight and 8 a.m. Another 310 occurred between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and 390 between 5 p.m. and midnight.  Therefore, gout attacks were 2.4 times as likely to occur at night as during the daytime.

A strain of influenza that often causes severe disease is the one seen most often so far in this flu season, health officials say. And this year’s flu vaccine may not protect against all of them. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued the alert December 3. It said that the H3N2 flu strain is found in most virus samples tested this fall. And about half of those have mutated from the strain that is included in vaccines. Shots may offer less protection against these mutated strains, the CDC said. H3 viruses were widespread during the 3 deadliest flu seasons of the last decade. The CDC said people still should get flu shots because they are the best protection available. In some cases, the CDC recommended quick use of antiviral medicines.

Being in surgery for a longer time may increase the risk of forming a dangerous blood clot, a new study suggests. Researchers looked at information about 1.4 million people. All of them had surgery under general anesthesia in a 6-year period. Those surgeries were done at 315 hospitals. After surgery, just under 1% of the patients developed blood clots. About 0.7% developed a clot in the body’s deep veins. This is called a deep vein thrombosis. Most of these clots occur in the legs. About 0.3% of those in the study developed a pulmonary embolism. This is a clot that travels to the lungs. Clots were 27% more likely to occur after the longest surgeries than after average-length surgeries. The risk of clots was lowest after the shortest surgeries. The journal JAMA Surgery published the study online. HealthDay News wrote about it December 3.

Preventable hospital deaths are occurring less often, a new report says. The government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did the report. It was based on medical records. The agency focused on preventable infections, drug errors and falls in hospitals. It found that 17% fewer of these problems occurred in 2013 compared with 2010. That trend led to 50,000 fewer deaths. About 1.3 million fewer people developed infections and other problems that were acquired in the hospital. Fewer errors also led to a $12 billion drop in avoidable hospital costs, the report said. But 10% of hospital patients were still affected by some sort of error. The Associated Press and Reuters Health news service wrote about the report December 2.

Contrary to some earlier research, a large new study concludes that statins do not reduce the risk of broken bones. People take statin drugs to reduce cholesterol and inflammation. But some studies suggested that people who took them also had fewer fractures related to osteoporosis (thin or brittle bones). In the new study, nearly 18,000 older adults were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group took the statin drug rosuvastatin (Crestor) daily. The other group received placebo (fake) pills. Researchers kept track of them for up to 5 years. During the study, fractures were about equal between the 2 groups. The study also found no connection between fractures and the amount of C-reactive protein in people’s blood. C-reactive protein is substance in blood that indicates inflammation. Increased inflammation is linked with artery disease.

Nearly half a million cancers worldwide each year are linked with excess weight, a new study estimates. The study was based on 2012 cancer data. Researchers looked at 184 countries. They found there were 481,000 obesity-related cancers that year. That’s about 3.6% of all cancers in the world. About 2 out of 3 occurred in North America and Europe. In developed nations, about 8% of cancers in women were linked with obesity. The rate was 3% for men. In developing nations, rates were 1.5% for women and 0.3% for men. Cancers of the breast, uterus and colon among older women accounted for 250,000 cases. That was nearly three-quarters of all obesity-related cancers among women. Nearly 90,000 cases among men were colon and kidney cancers. They accounted for more than two-thirds of the obesity-related cancers among men. Rates of obesity-related cancers also varied by country and by region.

More than half of families use soft bedding for sleeping infants, despite warnings that the practice is unsafe, a study shows. Soft bedding includes quilts, blankets and pillows. They have been shown to increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sleep-related suffocation. The American Academy of Pediatrics has advised against soft bedding for babies since 1996. They should be placed on a firm surface without any objects that might trap air. The bed should be covered only by a fitted sheet. The new study looked at results from a U.S. phone survey on infant sleep habits. It was done each year from 1993 through 2010. Researchers interviewed parents of babies younger than 8 months old. Use of soft bedding dropped from 86% in the first 3 years of the survey to 55% in the last 3 years. Bedding use of was most common among teen mothers (80%).

A cup of yogurt a day may help keep diabetes away, a new study suggests. But the reduction in risk was relatively small. The study was based on information about the diets of nearly 200,000 health professionals. They were part of three long-term studies. Researchers asked them regularly about their diets, other habits and health. They kept track of people for up to 30 years. During the study, about 15,000 developed type 2 diabetes. Researchers took account of other things that affect diabetes risk, such as weight, age, smoking and high blood pressure. After these adjustments, they found no link between type 2 diabetes risk and the total amount of dairy products people ate. But for those who ate yogurt, the risk was lower. Researchers then combined their results with other studies that looked at diet and type 2 diabetes risk.

Growing numbers of U.S. children are being diagnosed with eczema, a new report says. The report comes from the American Academy of Pediatrics. It offers updated information and advice for pediatricians. These doctors treat most of the children with this condition. Eczema is an allergic skin condition. It is also called atopic dermatitis. Most people are diagnosed before age 5. A national health survey found that eczema rates rose for U.S. children between 2000 and 2010. Eczema increased from 9% to 17% among black children. Rates rose from 5% to 10% for Hispanics and 8% to 13% for non-Hispanic whites. Treatments include skin care with mild soap and regular use of moisturizers. Steroid creams or ointments also can be applied to the skin. They can help to control the condition and ease symptoms. Baths with diluted bleach can help to prevent infections.