Category: news-perspectives

Children who have had a concussion before may take a much longer time to get well after a second concussion, a new study finds. And the more recent the first concussion was, the longer the recovery time. The study included 280 children and young adults who came to a hospital emergency room with concussion symptoms. Their ages ranged from 11 to 22. About 60% were injured playing sports. Researchers kept track of them during recovery. Those who had a prior concussion took about 24 days to recover. That was twice as long as the average of 12 days for other patients. If the earlier concussion was in the last year, recovery took even longer — about 35 days. Average recovery was 28 days for those with 2 or more prior concussions. The journal Pediatrics published the study online. HealthDay News and USA Today wrote about it June 10.

Older adults with one type of abnormal heart rhythm may be more likely to develop problems with memory and thinking, a study suggests. The study used information on 5,152 people in a long-term health study. All were age 65 and older when the study began. Each year, they took a 100-point test of memory and thinking ability. Researchers kept track of people for an average of 7 years. In that time, 552 developed a heart rhythm problem called atrial fibrillation. This condition involves the heart’s upper chambers, the atria. They beat fast and in a chaotic way instead of a regular pattern. Thinking and memory scores tended to fall faster for those with atrial fibrillation than for other people in the study. Test scores below 78 are linked with dementia. The average score for people with atrial fibrillation dropped below 78 at age 85.

Weight-loss surgery can help to control diabetes better than diet and exercise alone in people with mild to moderate obesity, a new study finds. The study focused on 120 people with diabetes. They were about 50 to 70 pounds overweight. Weight-loss surgery usually is used for people who are at least 100 pounds overweight. Less obese people also may qualify if they have weight-related conditions, such as diabetes. The new study randomly divided people into 2 groups. Both groups got an intensive diet and exercise program. One group also received gastric bypass surgery. In the next year, people in the surgery group lost an average of almost 60 pounds. In the non-surgery group, weight loss averaged 17 pounds. About 75% of the surgery group and 30% of the other group reduced blood sugar levels to normal or near normal. About 6% had serious problems as a result of surgery.

Actor Michael Douglas startled many this week by appearing to say that his throat cancer was caused by oral sex. The Guardian, a British newspaper, published the interview with Douglas June 3. When asked about his cancer, he said, “without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV (human papillomavirus), which actually comes from cunnilingus.” Later, his spokesman said Douglas only meant that oral sex was one of the causes of his cancer. Douglas also has a history of smoking and heavy drinking. In the past, he has attributed his throat cancer to those causes. But HPV also can cause throat cancer. Those caused by smoking and alcohol have declined in the last 20 years. Those caused by HPV have increased. The virus is now the leading cause or oropharyngeal cancer.

Taking high doses of common pain relievers for a long time may increase the risk of heart attack or stroke up to one-third, a review of research finds. The study focused on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These drugs include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and generics) and naproxen (Naprosyn, Anaprox, Aleve and generics). Diclofenac, another NSAID, is popular in Europe. Rofecoxib (Vioxx) was taken off the market in 2004 because of an increased heart attack risk. Other coxibs, including celecoxib (Celebrex), are still sold. Experts still debate whether other NSAIDs carry the same risk as Vioxx. The new research review combined results of 639 studies. People in these studies were randomly assigned to take an NSAID or a placebo (fake pill). Taking high-dose diclofenac or a coxib increased the risk of heart attacks, strokes and related death by about one-third.

About 1.6 million U.S. children were homeless at some point in 2010. The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging doctors and the public to help improve life for these children. The journal Pediatrics published the new policy statement May 27. It notes that many people lost their homes in the recent recession. Homeless children tend to have more physical and mental health problems. The statement urges doctors to help these families apply for Medicaid. Doctors also can take other steps to improve health care for the homeless. Doctors and the public can press for public policy changes, too. One example is improved access to short-term and permanent housing. Other changes could help schools and the foster care system to support homeless children.

A small new study suggests that taking a statin drug to lower cholesterol may reduce some of the positive effects of exercise. The study included 37 people who were overweight or obese. They had high blood pressure, large waist size or other factors that increased their risk of heart disease. They had slightly high levels of LDL cholesterol and did not exercise regularly. Researchers randomly divided them into 2 groups. Both groups completed a 12-week program of supervised exercise. One group also took 40 milligrams of simvastatin daily. After the 12 weeks, people who did not take statins showed a 10% improvement in their aerobic fitness. Those taking statins improved by only about 1%. Researchers also took samples of muscle tissue. They found that people who did not take statins had a 13% increase in activity by mitochondria.

People with pain caused by migraines, back issues or psychological distress may have an increased risk of suicide, a new study suggests. Researchers looked at records for more than 4.8 million people in the Veterans Affairs medical system. They focused on people with chronic (long-lasting) pain that was not related to cancer. In the next 3 years, more than 2,800 people with a pain-causing condition committed suicide. People with most pain conditions had higher rates of suicide than people without pain. Some people with pain also had mental-health conditions. Researchers adjusted the numbers to account for the effects this might have on suicide rates. Three causes of pain were still linked with a higher suicide risk. The increased risk was 13% with back pain and 34% with migraines. The highest increased risk was 58% for people with psychogenic pain.

The costs of treating stroke will more than double by 2030, a new report says. The main reason given is the aging of the U.S. population. American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association released the policy statement. It predicts that the actual number of strokes will rise 20%. Stroke care costs are projected to jump from about $72 billion in 2010 to $183 billion in 2030. The result will be a strain on the health care system, an expert told HealthDay News. Lost productivity would cost another $57 billion, the policy statement says. That’s up from $34 billion in 2010. About 90% of people who survive a stroke are left with some type of disability. Strokes are expected to increase most among people ages 45 to 64 years old, and among Hispanics. The journal Stroke published the statement. HealthDay News wrote about it May 22.

In any given year, up to 1 in 5 U.S. children has a mental health disorder, a new report says. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report. It’s the government’s first detailed look at the subject. Estimates cover children ages 3 through 17. Nearly 7% have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most common condition. About 3.5% have behavior or conduct disorders. About 3% have anxiety, 2% have depression and 1% have autism. The report also looked at substance abuse disorders among teenagers. Drug use disorders affected nearly 5%. Other totals included more than 4% for alcohol abuse and nearly 3% for cigarettes. The journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it May 16.