Category: news-perspectives

People whose blood pressure spikes from time to time are more likely to develop long-term high blood pressure, a study finds. The study included 1,400 people. Some had “white-coat” hypertension. This means that pressure is high in the doctor’s office but normal otherwise. Of this group, 43 out of 100 had true high blood pressure within 10 years. Other people in the study had “masked” hypertension. Their blood pressure was normal in the doctor’s office but spiked from time to time in everyday life. Of this group, 47 out of 100 later developed high blood pressure. Some people always had normal blood pressure when the study started. Only 18 out of 100 of them later developed high blood pressure. The study appeared in the journal Hypertension. HealthDay News wrote about it June 29.

Two types of intensive drug treatments have failed to reduce heart attacks in diabetics, researchers report. But one treatment did reduce strokes. One study randomly divided 5,500 diabetics into two groups. One group took TriCor, a pill to lower blood fats called triglycerides and boost HDL (“good”) cholesterol. The other group got placebo (fake) pills. All were given a statin drug to lower their LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. After five years, the two groups had similar rates of heart attack and stroke. In another study, about 4,700 diabetics received pills to lower systolic blood pressure. This is the top number in a blood pressure reading. One group aimed to push systolic pressure below 140. People with systolic blood pressure above 140 are said to have high blood pressure. The other group aimed for lower than 120.

Norway has reduced cases of the “superbug” MRSA to very low levels. This has occurred even this infection is growing around the world. The main reason? Doctors in Norway prescribe fewer antibiotics. This effort began 25 years ago, the Associated Press reported January 4. Hospital patients with MRSA are isolated. Medical staff who test positive stay at home. Doctors also track contacts of people with MRSA and test them. MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Standard antibiotics can’t cure it. The use of antibiotics helps spur resistance. The bacteria that survive usually are the resistant ones. Then they grow and infect other people. In Norway, antibiotics are used less. This gives bacteria less chance to become resistant. Most cases occur in someone who has been abroad.

A drug used to combat bone loss may also fight breast cancer, a new study finds. The study included 1,803 women with early-stage breast cancer. All had surgery. They also took medicines to reduce estrogen in their bodies and keep the cancers from using estrogen to grow. Half of the women also received zoledronic acid. This drug is used to treat bone loss caused by cancer treatment or osteoporosis. Within four years, the cancer came back or spread in 54 women who received the extra drug and 83 who did not. That’s a 36% lower risk with zoledronic acid. The study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. The New York Times wrote about it February 12.

Americans are more likely to die in traffic accidents on Election Day, researchers say. The study looked at presidential Election Days dating back to 1976. It compared accidents during polling hours with the same hours on the previous and next Tuesday. Election Days had an average of 158 traffic deaths. The other days had 134. The Associated Press (AP) wrote about the study October 1. AP asked experts about causes of the higher accident rate. They and study authors offered a few possibilities. For example, there may be more traffic on Election Day. People may rush to get to the polls. Or they may be distracted by politics. The study was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Using a cell phone — even a hands-free phone — distracts drivers more than talking to a passenger, researchers say. The new study used driving simulators. Researchers tested 96 adults under age 50. Some people talked on a hands-free phone. Others talked to a passenger. People on the phone missed exits and drifted out of their lanes more often. Researchers said the passengers sometimes helped the drivers. For example, they pointed out exits or hazards. They also talked less in more intense driving situations. The study was in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. Reuters Health news service wrote about it December 1.

A childhood vaccine has reduced one form of meningitis in both children and adults, researchers say. The vaccine, Prevnar, was introduced in 2000. It protects against seven strains of pneumococcus bacteria. Those strains cause 8 out of 10 cases of pneumococcal meningitis. They also cause ear infections and pneumonia. The study looked at data on pneumococcal meningitis. It found that cases dropped 30% since 1998. The drop was 64% in children under 2 and 54% in adults 65 and older. Experts said older adults were protected by less disease in the community. The study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. Reuters Health news service wrote about it January 15.

Teens often don’t recognize the risks of inexperience and distractions while driving, a study has found. Researchers surveyed 5,665 U.S. high school students. About 60% said that experience is important in driving. But only 15% recognized that they rode with drivers who were inexperienced. About 2 out of 3 teens rode with passengers in the car. Only 1 in 10 saw this as a distraction. Most did not see cell phone use as distracting, either. HealthDay News reported on the study May 6. It appeared in the journal Pediatrics.

How quickly does your risk of death fall after you quit smoking? It depends on the disease. That’s the conclusion of a new study based on data from the Nurses’ Health Study. This study tracked 100,000 women for 24 years. Women who quit smoking reduced their risk of death from heart and artery disease by half within five years. But it took 20 years for the risk of death from emphysema to return to normal. It took 30 years for lung cancer. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Reuters Health news service wrote about it May 7.

Some drugs for depression may increase the risk of stomach or intestinal bleeding, a study suggests. Researchers looked at data on 1,321 people with bleeding. They compared them to 10,000 people who did not have bleeding. About 5.3% of those with bleeding took certain depression drugs. About 3% of those who did not have bleeding took the drugs. The drugs are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. They include Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. Also, 1.1% of those with bleeding took a related drug called Effexor. Only 0.3% of the other group took this drug. Bleeding was even more common for those who also took certain pain-relievers, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. HealthDay News wrote about the study July 7. It was published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.