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. . .
Children 'Inherit Parents' Anxiety over Health'
Mothers and fathers who are anxious about their own health may
unwittingly be passing their concerns on to their children, researchers
claimed today.
A study by the University of Bristol found that children of parents who
worry about illness and visit the doctor regularly pick up this pattern
of behaviour in later life.
The findings, based on data collected by the Bristol-based Children of
the 90s project, showed that parents who suffer from illnesses such as
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) tend to take their children to the doctor
more often.
As a result of learning this behaviour, their children are more likely
to seek treatment for similar conditions when they are adults, the
research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology showed.
The report’s author, psychologist Catherine Crane of the University of
Oxford, said: “We know that the children of people with IBS tend to use
health care more than average, and that having a parent with IBS is
associated with reporting symptoms of IBS in later life oneself.”
“Those findings cannot be attributed solely to genetic factors and this
new research suggests that at least part of the explanation may be
differences in parenting — although as the children get older, it is
quite likely that they would imitate their parents’ illness behaviour,
which in turn would reinforce parents’ concern.”
Researchers analysed the health records of 220 babies aged up to 18
months, comparing those where mothers were taking medication for bowel
symptoms, such as IBS, with a group of infants whose mothers had
suffered stomach ulcers.
Although there was no difference in infant health problems reported by
the two groups, mothers with bowel symptoms visited the doctor more
regularly for cold, snuffles and minor accidents.
Source
Additives do harm children, tests show
Artificial colourings and preservatives in food and drink boost levels
of hyperactivity in pre-school children and urgent consideration should
be given to removing them, doctors will claim today.
The additives have a "significant" impact on the behaviour of ordinary
children and their elimination would be in the long-term interests of
public health, researchers from the University of Southampton say.
The proportion of children with high levels of hyperactivity was halved
when the additives were removed, the researchers found.
The Food Standards Agency, which assessed the findings, is to fund a
larger follow-up study, beginning in September and continuing for three
years.
The impact of additives on the behaviour of young children has been
disputed for a quarter of a century since the first claims that they
caused fidgeting and inattention in vulnerable children were made in the
1970s.
Researchers have found it difficult to prove the effect of additives in
a normal population of children because the additives are ubiquitous in
the foods and drinks that they consume. Previous studies have focused on
their impact on children already identified as hyperactive, on the
assumption that they would be more vulnerable to the additives' effect.
Now doctors at Southampton University have carried out the first study
of their impact on a normal child population. They selected 277 children
aged between three and four on the Isle of Wight and fed them a
carefully controlled diet over four weeks. During the first week, they
ate a strictly additive-free diet, devoid of colourings such as
tartrazine and sunset yellow and the preservative sodium benzoate.
In the second week, half the children were given a daily drink of fruit
juice containing colourings and preservatives, while the other half were
given the same drink minus the additives. The experiment was repeated in
the third and fourth weeks and changes in the behaviour of the children
were noted by their parents, who did not know which drink their child
had received. The children were also given a series of tests by
independent observers.
The results showed parents rated their child as significantly less
hyperactive when the additives were removed and markedly more so when
they were put back in. As a result the proportion with the highest level
of hyperactivity fell from 15 per cent to 6 per cent, the authors say.
However, the independent observers found no differences in the behaviour
of the children when the additives were given or removed. The
researchers say this may be because the tests they administered were too
entertaining and they saw the children when they were at their best.
Parents, on the other hand, see their children when they are hungry and
tired, quarrelling with siblings or causing disruption in the
supermarket and are more likely to be sensitive to subtle changes in
behaviour.
Professor John Warner of the department of child health at Southampton
University, who led the study published in Archives of Child Health,
said: "These findings suggest that significant changes in children's
hyperactive behaviour could be produced by the removal of artificial
colourings and sodium benzoate from their diet." Professor Warner said
the doses of additives used in the study were "on the low side of
normal," and the effects were felt across all the children, regardless
of their sensitivity to allergy causing substances.
"We were surprised by the results because the effect was not just in one
group. We showed there was an effect on perfectly normal children. If
that is confirmed by further research then there is a public health
issue."
THE ADDITIVES IN THE TEST
COLOURINGS
Tartrazine (E102): A synthetic yellow azo dye found in fruit squash, fizzy drinks, custard powder, ice cream, sweets, chewing gum, jam and yoghurt. Commonly used in UK but banned in Norway and Austria.
Sunset yellow (E110): Also a synthetic yellow azo dye which must be heat treated. Found in orange jelly and squash, swiss roll, apricot jam, hot chocolate mix, packet soups, canned fish. Banned in Norway and Finland.
Carmoisine (E122): A synthetic red azo dye which must be heat treated. Used in blancmange, marzipan, jams, sweets, brown sauce, yoghurts, jellies and cheesecake mixes. Banned in Japan, Norway, Sweden and the US.
Ponceau 4R (E124): Also known as Cochineal Red, a synthetic red azo dye used in dessert toppings, jelly, salami, seafood dressings, tinned strawberries and fruit pie fillings. Banned in Norway and the US.
PRESERVATIVES
Sodium Benzoate (E211): The sodium salt
of benzoic acid used as a food preservative and antiseptic. Found in
margarine, pineapple juice, prawns, milk products, baked goods,
lollipops and soft drinks.
Source
Medical science taming child leukaemias, report
claims
More children will survive leukaemia in the future as further new
medicines and treatments are developed, a report claimed today.
Deaths from the disease among youngsters have dropped since the 1960s,
but progress in the following years was slow, according to the
Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
But the report —Target Leukaemia — said that the numbers of children
dying from the disease was likely to drop further now thanks to
innovative medicines being developed.
In the mid-1960s, only 20% of children with all types of cancer survived
longer than 10 years after diagnosis. Today the figure is about 70%.
In 1960 the number of youngsters with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
(ALL) — the most common form of leukaemia in children —lived for about
four months after being diagnosed.
But today more than 80% of children with the disease will be alive five
years after diagnosis and treatment, according to the report by Dr Mike
Hall. “These advances are the direct result of new medicines, more
intensive combinations and an increased use of bone marrow
transplantation,” he wrote.
Some of the new types of treatment highlighted by the report are
monoclonal antibodies — “magic bullets” that seek out and destroy cancer
cells.
“There has been a lot of progress in recent years and we can look
forward with optimism to the next decade, when we may witness a
revolution in cancer treatment and major advances in the fight against
leukaemia,” Dr Hall said.
Dr Richard Tiner, the ABPI’s director of medicine, said that, while the
number of children suffering from leukaemia was comparatively small, it
was an especially distressing condition.
“Thus, although there is some way to go, it is particularly gratifying
that research carried out by the UK-based pharmaceutical industry and
others has been so successful at extending and saving lives.
“The fact that this is an area of research where there is still so much
activity going on gives us all great hope that the dramatic improvements
already made can be continued, yet more children’s lives saved in the
future, and this progress extended to adult leukaemias,” he said.
More than 6,700 cases of leukaemia are diagnosed in adults and children
every year in the UK.
Source
Child diabetes could be widespread
The number of children suffering diabetes may be much larger than
believed as the obesity epidemic continues to take its grip, experts
warn.
Type 2 diabetes - also referred to as adult-onset diabetes — was once
only seen among adults. But now doctors are reporting a growing number
of cases in British children, brought about by rising levels of weight
problems and obesity.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, Tim Lobstein and Rachel Leach of
the International Obesity Taskforce warned that there could be a hidden
population of children with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.
“Cases of children showing type 2 diabetes have been linked to the
rising prevalence of paediatric obesity.”
“We are concerned that the true number of children with this form of
diabetes may be far larger than paediatricians realise,” they said.
A recent survey in England showed that 18% of schoolchildren were
overweight and a further 6% were obese.
According to the researchers this amounted to 1.8 million children in
the UK being overweight and a further 700,000 children obese.
They said using estimates of the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in obese
children, they would expect 1,400 children to be currently diagnosed
with type 2 diabetes in the UK.
In addition the experts said they would expect over 20,000 children to
suffer from poor glucose intolerance.
Source
Guidelines target hypertension in youths
New federal guidelines recommend checking children for possible heart
and blood vessel damage if they have high blood pressure — a hazard
increasing among the very young as Americans put on more and more
weight.
The new guidelines, like earlier ones issued eight years ago, urge
doctors to begin checking children for high blood pressure at age 3
during routine office visits, just as they do for adults.
“I think there is still a large proportion of pediatricians and family
practitioners who are not routinely measuring blood pressure,” said
Ronald Portman of the University of Texas at Houston, a member of the
committee that drew up the new guidelines.
The updated guidelines are being released today at a meeting in New York
of the American Society of Hypertension and will be published in the
July issue of the journal Pediatrics. They were written by the National
High Blood Pressure Education Program.
“The real problem is obesity,” said Dr. Barbara Alving, acting director
of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. “We are setting the
stage for our children to develop into really unhealthy young adults.”
The government estimates that 16 percent of U.S. children are
overweight. The risks of both high blood pressure and the adult form of
diabetes increase as children get heavier.
The latest nationwide health statistics, gathered in the late 1990s,
show that children’s blood pressures have edged up slightly but
significantly in a decade. Average systolic pressure (the higher number
in a blood pressure reading) has risen from 105 to 106, and diastolic
has gone from 58 to 62.
Much of this can be explained by children’s increasing weight, although
doctors think that less physical activity and changes in diet also play
a role.
Unlike adult blood pressure, healthy readings for children vary
according to their size and age. Doctors consider any reading above the
95th percentile to be hypertension. Somewhat less than 5 percent of the
population — perhaps 1 percent to 3 percent — is in this category
because readings that are initially high tend to drop with repeated
measurements.
Children’s readings between the 90th and 95th percentiles are considered
to be prehypertension. Earlier guidelines called this category high
normal.
Dr. Bonita Falkner of Thomas Jefferson University, who chaired the
guidelines committee, said that in recent years, doctors have learned
that even very young children with high blood pressure can have
resulting organ damage. So patients should be routinely checked for such
conditions as heart enlargement and thickening of the carotid artery.
Even without signs of damage, doctors should work to help young patients
get their blood pressure under control. “The first step is lifestyle
changes, since the most common issue is that they are overweight,”
Falkner said.
If this does not work, then children should be put on blood
pressure-lowering medicines, just as adults are.
Source
Aggressively treat high blood pressure in
children
New federal guidelines recommend checking children for possible heart
and blood vessel damage if they have high blood pressure — a hazard
increasing among the very young as Americans put on more and more
weight. The new guidelines, like earlier ones issued eight years ago,
urge doctors to begin checking children for high blood pressure at age 3
during routine office visits, just as they do for adults.
"I think there is still a large proportion of pediatricians and family
practitioners who are not routinely measuring blood pressure," said
Ronald Portman of the University of Texas at Houston, a member of the
committee that drew up the new guidelines.
The updated guidelines are being released Thursday at a meeting in New
York City of the American Society of Hypertension and will be published
in the July issue of the journal Pediatrics. They were written by the
National High Blood Pressure Education Program.
"The real problem is obesity," said Dr. Barbara Alving, acting director
of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. "We are setting the
stage for our children to develop into really unhealthy young adults."
The government now estimates that 16% of U.S. children are overweight.
The risk of both high blood pressure and the adult form of diabetes
increase as children get heavier.
The latest nationwide health statistics, gathered in the late 1990s,
show that children's blood pressures have edged up slightly but
significantly in a decade. Average systolic pressure (the higher number
in a blood pressure reading) has risen from 105 to 106, and diastolic
has gone from 58 to 62.
Much of this can be explained by children's increasing weight, although
doctors think that less physical activity and changes in diet also play
a role.
Unlike adult blood pressure, healthy readings for children vary
according to their size and age. Doctors consider any reading over the
95th percentile to be hypertension. Somewhat less than 5% of the
population — perhaps 1% to 3% — is in this category, because readings
that are initially high tend to drop with repeated measurements.
Children's readings between the 90th and 95th percentiles are now
considered to be prehypertension. Earlier guidelines called this
category high normal.
Dr. Bonita Falkner of Thomas Jefferson University, who chaired the
guidelines committee, said that in recent years, doctors have learned
that even very young children with high blood pressure can have
resulting organ damage. So patients should be routinely checked for such
conditions as heart enlargement and thickening of the carotid artery.
Even without signs of damage, doctors should work to help young patients
get their blood pressure under control. "The first step is lifestyle
changes, since the most common issue is that they are overweight,"
Falkner said.
If this does not work, then children should be put on blood
pressure-lowering medicines, just as adults are.
Unhealthy diet linked abdominal pain in
children
Children who eat a lot of fast food are more likely than others to
experience recurrent abdominal pain severe enough to interfere with
school activities, according to data presented here at Digestive Disease
Week.
On the other hand, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables seems to be
protective, Dr. Hoda M. Malaty and associates at the Baylor College of
Medicine, Houston, Texas, reported.
Malaty's group created a questionnaire that was completed by 900
students, ages 5 to 15 attending one of four schools in Houston, and by
their parents.
Recurrent abdominal pain occurred in 24 percent of children, with 60
percent reporting moderate to severe pain, and nearly half having pain
for at least 39 minutes with each episode. There were no significant
differences associated with gender or ethnicity.
Further analysis revealed that the biggest factor associated with
recurrent abdominal pain was the consumption of fresh fruits and
vegetables, which was protective, and fast food, which directly
correlated with recurrent abdominal pain.
After considering factors such as age, gender, race and socioeconomic
status, which was determined by parental education and income, the risk
of recurrent abdominal pain was 2.2-fold higher among children who ate
no more than two servings of fruit per week compared with those who ate
fruit daily.
In contrast, for those who ate in fast food restaurants daily, the risk
was increased 50% over those who at fast food only once each week.
Source
Hypertension is on the rise in U.S. children,
teens
Doctors have long worried about
children having too much peer and school pressure. Now, researchers are
sounding an alarm for the first time about childhood pressure of a
different kind — blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension,
was once barely a blip on a diagnostic dial at children's annual
checkups.
Two studies released last week, however, show blood pressure to be on
the rise in American children and teens. That's cause for concern now,
doctors said, and not just in adulthood.
"We thought that if you had high blood pressure as a kid, you were at
higher risk for having high blood pressure as an adult," said Gregory
Harshfield, a professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia
and co-author of one of the studies. That is still true, Harshfield
said, but doctors also are seeing damage while children are still young.
A Tulane University study published last week in the Journal of the
American Medical Association compared blood pressure statistics from a
national survey between 1988 and 1994 and another in 1999 and 2000. It
showed that systolic blood pressure, the measurement during a heartbeat,
increased for boys and girls between 8 and 17 by an average of 1.4.
Diastolic pressure, the measure taken when the heart is at rest, rose by
3.3. Researchers say any increase can be harmful.
In the other study, researchers at the Medical College of Georgia,
including Harshfield, suggested that high caffeine consumption raised
the blood pressure of teens in a vulnerable group. They found that
African-American teens who drank more than three soft drinks a day
experienced a 14 point increase in systolic pressure over three days.
Taken together, the studies are warning signals for children, teens and
their parents that youngsters should watch their diets and exercise more
to lower their blood pressure to avoid its negative consequences.
Doctors believe that as many as 2 million children and teens have high
blood pressure. As a result, they already are experiencing damage to
their hearts and veins. While caffeine may be a culprit in vulnerable
groups such as African-Americans, obesity, lack of exercise and poor
diet are most responsible across all populations, research shows.
The consequences are bad. Researchers have seen enlarged hearts, kidney
problems and a thickening of part of the blood vessels among thousands
of teens in studies across the country. The enlarging of vessel walls
creates the perfect climate for hardening of the arteries in adolescence
and in adulthood.
"The wall becomes thicker [in response to higher pressure] and becomes
less compliant, like a garden hose instead of a straw," said Dr. Ronald
Portman, professor of pediatric nephrology and hypertension at the
University of Texas Medical School in Houston.
Aisha Stanley, 17, of Atlanta, a senior due to graduate May 21 from the
Howard School, was diagnosed with high blood pressure last year after
having headaches and feeling sleepy. Aisha has been taking medication
for a year and has changed her diet, limiting salt and fats. She also
has increased her exercise. Her blood pressure is back to normal. "I
feel good. I'm glad I got it under control."
Portman has become nearly evangelical about helping teens like Aisha
bring their pressure into normal range. He is president of the
International Pediatric Hypertension Association, a group formed four
years ago to stem pediatric hypertension, and he is editor of the first
textbook on pediatric hypertension, due to be published later this week.
The text will be used in many medical schools to help better educate
medical students about the dangers of high blood pressure. Its symptoms
in young people are often silent, making it difficult to diagnose,
Portman said. It's also difficult to set norms because blood pressure
varies by height, age and gender.
"What our job is as pediatricians is to come up with tests to identify
who's going to have hypertension early so that with lifestyle changes,
we can change that. So imagine you have a 7-year-old who's becoming Mr.
Pudge. You still have time to change him; you can thin him out. We could
put them on a certain type of anti-hypertensive medication, change their
lifestyle and cure their hypertension before it ever starts."
That would help millions of adults too, Portman said. By stemming
hypertension — the reason behind about one in four visits to a doctor —
in youth, doctors could cut back dramatically the number of adults with
hypertension. "I want to put the internists out of business," he said.
While opponents of the sale of soft drinks in schools are not out to put
soft drink manufacturers out of business, many would like to see the
beverage makers curb one business practice — selling cola in schools.
The study from the Medical College of Georgia bolsters their argument,
some researchers said.
"It strengthened the issue that having calorie-containing soft drinks in
schools is ill-advised," said Dr. George Bray, division chief of
clinical obesity and metabolic syndrome at the Pennington Biomedical
Research Center, a research campus of the Louisiana State University
system.
Canada's soft drink makers announced in January that they would
voluntarily refrain from selling soft drinks in elementary and middle
schools. Instead, they will sell bottled water, juice and sports drinks.
Also, school boards in Los Angeles and New York have voted to ban soft
drinks.
Coca-Cola spokeswoman Kari Bjorhus referred questions about school sales
to a statement issued by the National Soft Drink Association.
The statement stresses that moderate caffeine consumption is considered
safe for most people and urged "moderation and common sense."
Some researchers agree that moderation of caffeine is key. They remind
parents that teens and children do not need any caffeine or extra, empty
calories. They suggest moderation in the stocking of school vending
machines.
"Should there be vending machines in school? I have no objections, but
let's be careful about what we put in there. Let's put bottled water,
fruit juices. Let's have yogurt and carrot sticks," Portman said.
Source
Former Surgeon General urges hearing screenings
for every newborn in America
Today the World Council on Hearing Health (WCHH) in partnership with the
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Center for Hearing
Assessment and Management (NCHAM) released the results of its' Annual
Hearing Healthy Kids State Report Card on Infant Hearing Screenings,
citing a 64.8 percent increase in newborn hearing screenings in the past
five years. The percentage of babies screened for hearing loss at birth
has risen to an all time high of 89.8 percent as states ensure early
detection of this silent epidemic. In November 1999, the World Council
on Hearing Health (formerly the National Campaign for Hearing Health)
released data that indicated only 25 percent of U.S. newborns were
screened for hearing loss that year. While there is widespread
compliance with 50 states and the District of Columbia adopting policies
or laws that mandate hearing screenings at birth, there are still a
number of states that received an unsatisfactory rating of their newborn
hearing screening programs including Alaska, California and Ohio.
"We have made great strides in the past five years to get the word out
and stress the importance of infant hearing screenings. We are
encouraged by the incredible rate at which more and more babies are
automatically screened for hearing loss at birth," said Susan Greco,
Executive Director of the World Council on Hearing Health. "That said,
our work will not stop until we see universal newborn hearing screening
and ensure that every state receives the necessary federal funding for
these critical tests and follow up services."
Approximately 33 babies are born each day with significant permanent
hearing loss. Experts have stressed the importance of screening all
babies at birth in order to prevent these children from leaving the
hospital with undetected hearing loss. With 89.8 percent of babies being
screened today, that means that three babies still go home every day
with undetected deafness or hearing loss.
"One in every one-thousand infants born in the United States today has a
severe or profound hearing loss," said former Surgeon General C. Everett
Koop, M.D. "Without proper screening before the age of three months and
appropriate intervention, it can have a severe impact on the development
of communication skills, academic achievement, and social functioning of
the child. It's not only good medicine, but it demonstrates fiscal
responsibility to detect and treat hearing loss early on."
The 2004 findings of the fifth annual State-by-State Report Card indicate the following:
- Nine (9) Exemplary States: 95% - 100% of babies being screened, of which less than 50% of the funding for the program comes from temporary federal grants.
- Twenty-nine (29) Excellent States: 94 % - 100% of babies being screened, of which most of the funding for the program comes from temporary federal grants.
- Ten (10) Good States: 80% - 94% of babies being screened.
- Three (3) Unsatisfactory States: 80% or less of babies being screened.
The full report card can be seen on the web at www.WCHH.com.
This increase is largely due to the leadership on this issue by U.S. Rep. James T. Walsh (NY) for sponsoring the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Bill -- the "Walsh Bill," the first-ever infant hearing legislation enacted in 1999.
"Before 1999, only 22% of all babies born in the United States had their hearing screened at birth," said Congressman Walsh. "Today, that number is 90% thanks to the encouragement and support of the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Bill. Furthermore, this federal effort supports appropriate intervention so that the impact of hearing loss on the child's development of communication skills, academic achievement, and social functioning is minimized."
"It's great to see such an improvement over the last five years in the numbers of babies being screened," said Carden Johnston, MD, AAP President. "The American Academy of Pediatrics supports early hearing detection and intervention for children, and is committed to working with the World Council on Hearing Health to ensure that 100 percent of babies born in the United States each year will have their hearing tested at birth and referred to a medical home for intervention as needed."
About the World Council on Hearing
Health
Affiliated with 45 years of progress and proven support through otologic
research discoveries, the Deafness Research Foundation launched the
World Council on Hearing Health to put hearing health on the global
agenda by promoting awareness, advocacy, education and legislation.
Among the Founding Corporate Members of the WCHH are: Advanced Bionics,
Sonomax Hearing HealthCare, Shure, Inc., Medtronic Xomed, Beltone
Electronics, and Pediatrix Medical Group. Included in the
Association/Institution members are the National Hearing Conservation
Association and the League for the Hard of Hearing.
Hypertension
Blood pressure rising in kids 5/5/2004 Weight isn't the only thing
that's risen dramatically among children in the last decade: Their blood
pressure has too. Across-the-board increases in the blood pressure of
boys and girls of different ethnic and racial backgrounds could set the
stage for an explosion of hypertension, heart disease and stroke in as
little as 20 years, according to a study in the May 5 issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Association.
More bad news And that's not the only bad news. A study in the May issue
of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found caffeine may
increase blood pressure and, therefore, the risk of hypertension, in
adolescents, particularly among blacks. It's also possible caffeine
intake may simply be associated with other dietary and lifestyle habits
that have a harmful effect on blood pressure.
Previous research has shown the proportion of overweight American boys
has grown from 11,3 percent in 1988-1994 to 15,5 percent in 1999-2000.
For girls, the increase was from 9,7 percent to 15,5 percent. No one had
yet looked at possibly related changes in blood pressure.
How the study was conducted A team led by Paul Muntner, an assistant
professor of epidemiology and medicine at Tulane University School of
Public Health and Tropical Medicine, analysed data on 5 582 children and
adolescents aged eight to 17 collected during the US government's
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Blood pressure data
for 3 496 kids in the 1988-94 period was compared to data for 2 086 kids
in the 1999-2000 period.
Between the two time periods, systolic (the upper figure, which
indicates the number of heartbeats) increased an average of 1,4
millimetres of mercury (mmHg), while diastolic blood pressure (the lower
number, indicating the between-beat intervals) increased 3,3 mmHg.
The mean systolic blood pressure levels increased 1,9 mmHg among
non-Hispanic blacks, 2,3 mmHg among Mexican-Americans, and 1,9 mmHg
among children aged eight to 12 years old.
Significant increases in blood pressure "Blood pressure has increased
over the past 15 years in children," Muntner said. "These increases are
both significant and substantial, and the increases we saw were across
the board - among blacks, among Mexican-Americans, among boys, among
girls."
"About 30 percent of the increases could be attributed to increases in
body mass index, a ratio of height to weight. We can't be certain that
it's not more," Muntner said. "We have uncertainty around the estimate,
so I think it's larger, but hard to pinpoint the exact percent."
Other factors could be dietary changes as well as declines in physical
activity.
Roots of adult hypertension in childhood "We see the roots of adult
hypertension in childhood," said Muntner. "Although we're not talking
about the need to treat these children with drugs, we need to be aware
that more children are at a higher risk for developing high blood
pressure over the next 20 years as they become adults. It doesn't mean
that we have to be treating these children. However we do have to track
blood pressure in children. We have to encourage lifestyle modifications
such as weight loss, since our body size is a major determinant of blood
pressure."
"Any attempts to change behaviour and health in this age group are going
to be challenging. We know that there are interventions that can help,
but with adolescents it gets a little difficult," said Dr Mary Jo
DiMilia, an assistant clinical professor of medicine and paediatrics at
Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. "The best treatment for
hypertension is diet and exercise."
Full
story
'Morning after' pill doesn't affect teen sexual
behavior
The availability of the "morning
after" pill doesn't increase teenagers having unprotected sex, according
to a new study.
The University of Pittsburgh study is published in the April issue of
the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.
The research did find that when emergency contraceptives are readily
available, teens are more likely to use them — and they use them sooner,
when they are most effective.
More than 300 females, age 15 to 20, took part in the study. They were
educated about emergency contraceptive pills and then received six
monthly follow-up phone calls to assess their sexual activity and usage
of various types of contraception.
Some of the women received a package of emergency contraceptive pills —
also known as the "morning after" pill — along with instruction about
its use. Other women were given the education only, along with
guidelines on how to get the pills if they needed them.
Emergency contraceptive pills can reduce the risk of pregnancy by about
89 percent if taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex.
"At one- and six-month follow-up interviews, there were no differences
between the groups in reported unprotected sex within that month," lead
author Dr. Melanie A. Gold, associate professor of pediatrics,
University Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.
"Interestingly, at the six-month interview, more of the study
participants who had received emergency contraceptive pills reported
using condoms during that month," Gold said.
She and her colleagues concluded that the study shows no evidence that
providing teens with advance emergency contraception leads them to have
more unprotected sex or to be less consistent in their use of
contraceptives.
"However, the study does add to the growing body of literature that
demonstrates there are no negative behavioral or health ramifications to
making emergency contraceptives available outside the confines of a
pediatric health care visit," the study authors write.
Source
Weighing the worth of Whooping Cough vaccine
Vaccinating teenagers against whooping cough may be cost-effective in
certain circumstances, says a study meant to help U.S. health officials
evaluate the potential benefits, risks and costs of a national booster
vaccination program.
Whooping cough vaccinations in the United States began in the mid-1940s
and led to steep reduction in the prevalence of whooping cough over the
ensuing 25 years. But over the past two decades, immunity to whooping
cough has waned and this serious illness has re-emerged in the United
States.
Adolescents and adults in Canada can now get a combined acellular
pertussis vaccine (TdaP), which has fewer side effects than previous
vaccines. This new vaccine may be considered for use in the United
States.
"In the past, vaccination programs were cost-saving and lifesaving.
However, newer vaccines are now focused on reducing morbidity, rather
than mortality, and we need to carefully weigh the risks and benefits of
vaccination. By examining medical and non-medical costs as well as
quality-of-life issues, we can determine the optimal strategy," study
author Dr. Grace Lee, an infectious disease specialist at Children's
Hospital Boston and the Center for Child Health Care Studies at Harvard
Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, said in a prepared
statement.
fter reviewing the data, she and her colleagues concluded that all
whooping cough vaccination strategies were more costly and less
effective compared to no vaccination. They did find that an adolescent
booster strategy against whooping cough may be effective under certain
circumstances defined by cost, vaccine efficacy and disease incidence.
The study was presented over the weekend at the Pediatric Academic
Societies' annual meeting in San Francisco.
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