When it comes kids and head injuries are we getting to many cat scans? A new study says, "yes."
This isn't so much a don't get a CT scan story, but more of a “sometimes” it's better to do a little of what we call watchful waiting.
According the the CDC, more than half of the children brought to the Emergency Room for head injuries end up getting a cat scan. And although it gives the doctor and parents some very useful information it also gives the child a dose of radiation. And repeated cat scans over time can increase the amount of radiation they are exposed to.
Researchers involved in a new study feel that more watchful waiting might mean less CT scans for children and less exposure to that radiation. According to them, blunt head trauma in children is very common but oftentimes not serious. The problem is that it's sometimes hard to tell which is which. But for some cases they feel that watching a child for a few hours might eliminate the need to get the cat scan. However, they also say that for some more severe cases, especially when children ended up vomiting, ended up losing consciousness at some point or have a memory loss, these are more serious signs that could mean a cat scan is needed sooner rather than later.
So, if you end up in the ER with a banged up child the doctor might want to just observe them for a few hours instead of getting a quick CT scan.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Measles Outbreak
It's not a disease you hear much about these days, but the U.S. is on track to have the most measles cases in the last decade.
Most of the new cases doctors are seeing here in the U.S. are linked to other countries, especially Europe. Health experts are blaming this increase on a failure to vaccinate children. Some of the cases are from adults visiting the U.S., other cases are children who live here but visited a foreign country recently and returned infected with the measles.
In a typical year, this country only sees around 50 cases. So far this year we've seen 89 and are on track to have more cases than we did back in 2008 when 140 people got infected. Measles is a very contagious disease with up to 90% of unvaccinated people getting infected if exposed to a sick person. Unfortunately, in bad cases it can cause pneumonia or even encephalitis, which is a swelling of the brain. And for every 1,000 kids that get sick, around 2 will die.
Prior to the introduction of the MMR vaccine about 500 died from the measles every year. But now fewer children are getting vaccinated than in the past decades meaning they can not only get this disease, but they can spread it once they become infected. And for those traveling overseas, especially to Europe, this vaccine is more important than ever.
Most of the new cases doctors are seeing here in the U.S. are linked to other countries, especially Europe. Health experts are blaming this increase on a failure to vaccinate children. Some of the cases are from adults visiting the U.S., other cases are children who live here but visited a foreign country recently and returned infected with the measles.
In a typical year, this country only sees around 50 cases. So far this year we've seen 89 and are on track to have more cases than we did back in 2008 when 140 people got infected. Measles is a very contagious disease with up to 90% of unvaccinated people getting infected if exposed to a sick person. Unfortunately, in bad cases it can cause pneumonia or even encephalitis, which is a swelling of the brain. And for every 1,000 kids that get sick, around 2 will die.
Prior to the introduction of the MMR vaccine about 500 died from the measles every year. But now fewer children are getting vaccinated than in the past decades meaning they can not only get this disease, but they can spread it once they become infected. And for those traveling overseas, especially to Europe, this vaccine is more important than ever.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Beware The Baby Bottle
Using a baby bottle to comfort your older toddler, might be setting them up for obesity.
According to a new study, 15 months seems to be the cutoff point for the bottle.
Researchers looked at the diet of over 6,000 children and found that more than 20% of them still used a baby bottle. When these same children were looked at three years later, when they were 5 1/2, more of the late bottle users ended up being obese children. Prolonged bottle users were much more likely to be obese children even if they were breastfed early on and regardless of when they started solid foods or even if they spent more time in front of the television or video games. In this study, late bottle feeding seemed to be the big issue.
Part of the reason is because at this stage, beyond 15 months, using a bottle sets up bad food management habits that children use later in life. It lets them get food, in this case from a baby bottle, for behavior reasons and not because of hunger or appetite.
The researchers involved in this study, from temple university have a couple of recommendations when it comes to bottle feeding. Weaning them by 12 to 14 months could help fight this obesity issue. Also, instead of using the bottle to calm children, parents should instead address their underlying hunger and nutritional needs. And, of course, switch them to a cup as soon as you can.
According to a new study, 15 months seems to be the cutoff point for the bottle.
Researchers looked at the diet of over 6,000 children and found that more than 20% of them still used a baby bottle. When these same children were looked at three years later, when they were 5 1/2, more of the late bottle users ended up being obese children. Prolonged bottle users were much more likely to be obese children even if they were breastfed early on and regardless of when they started solid foods or even if they spent more time in front of the television or video games. In this study, late bottle feeding seemed to be the big issue.
Part of the reason is because at this stage, beyond 15 months, using a bottle sets up bad food management habits that children use later in life. It lets them get food, in this case from a baby bottle, for behavior reasons and not because of hunger or appetite.
The researchers involved in this study, from temple university have a couple of recommendations when it comes to bottle feeding. Weaning them by 12 to 14 months could help fight this obesity issue. Also, instead of using the bottle to calm children, parents should instead address their underlying hunger and nutritional needs. And, of course, switch them to a cup as soon as you can.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
New Autism Test
There's a new, quick test that might help doctors and parents spot Autism earlier than ever.
The important part behind this is that when it comes to Autism, the earlier treatment is started the more successful it is. And this new, simple test can help discover it much earlier than what we can currently do.
Right now, it's usually discovered around the time a child turns three. But researchers have found clues in early infancy that can be used to help spot it even earlier. And they have turned that information into a new test that can find signs of autism in infants as young as 12 months old. And one of the beauties of this test is that it only involved about five minutes worth of paperwork while waiting in the doctor's office.
Researchers involved in this study used a 24-question checklist asking parents about things ranging from, "When your child plays with toys, does he/she look at you to see if you are watching?" to, "When you are not paying attention to your child, does he/she try to get your attention?"
By using this checklist, doctors involved in the research were able to diagnose around 75% of babies that went on to develop Autism. Although this survey tool still needs some fine tuning and isn't ready for widespread use yet, once more testing has been done to verify its accuracy it should become widely available.
The hope is this simple tool will be used by doctors and parents to get treatments started earlier on children at a higher risk of developing Autism.
The important part behind this is that when it comes to Autism, the earlier treatment is started the more successful it is. And this new, simple test can help discover it much earlier than what we can currently do.
Right now, it's usually discovered around the time a child turns three. But researchers have found clues in early infancy that can be used to help spot it even earlier. And they have turned that information into a new test that can find signs of autism in infants as young as 12 months old. And one of the beauties of this test is that it only involved about five minutes worth of paperwork while waiting in the doctor's office.
Researchers involved in this study used a 24-question checklist asking parents about things ranging from, "When your child plays with toys, does he/she look at you to see if you are watching?" to, "When you are not paying attention to your child, does he/she try to get your attention?"
By using this checklist, doctors involved in the research were able to diagnose around 75% of babies that went on to develop Autism. Although this survey tool still needs some fine tuning and isn't ready for widespread use yet, once more testing has been done to verify its accuracy it should become widely available.
The hope is this simple tool will be used by doctors and parents to get treatments started earlier on children at a higher risk of developing Autism.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Liposuction - Fat Comes Back
Liposuction can help shape parts of your body, but the fat it takes away might not stay away.
A new study is showing that one year after liposuction the fat does come back, but it comes back in a different area of the body. And most women in the study were still happy with the results.
A University of Colorado study looking at what happens to women's fat after liposuction found that in the 14 women they followed, the fat returned to their bodies. The women in this study had a modest amount of fat removed from their thighs and hips. Fat measurements, using a device called a DXA that not only measures body fat but tells where most of it is, found that 12 months after undergoing liposuction, the fat they lost had actually come back. But instead of going to the waist or hips, where they had it removed, for most of the women it was added to their abdomen.
Obesity experts think the reason the fat comes back is because our bodies defend the fat it has. So, when it's removed by liposuction the body brings it back. But it doesn't come back to the area it was removed from since the structures supporting fat in that area were damaged, but instead goes to other parts of the body. In this case, the abdomen. However, the women in the study were still happy with the results of their liposuction, probably because it improved their "problem areas."
A new study is showing that one year after liposuction the fat does come back, but it comes back in a different area of the body. And most women in the study were still happy with the results.
A University of Colorado study looking at what happens to women's fat after liposuction found that in the 14 women they followed, the fat returned to their bodies. The women in this study had a modest amount of fat removed from their thighs and hips. Fat measurements, using a device called a DXA that not only measures body fat but tells where most of it is, found that 12 months after undergoing liposuction, the fat they lost had actually come back. But instead of going to the waist or hips, where they had it removed, for most of the women it was added to their abdomen.
Obesity experts think the reason the fat comes back is because our bodies defend the fat it has. So, when it's removed by liposuction the body brings it back. But it doesn't come back to the area it was removed from since the structures supporting fat in that area were damaged, but instead goes to other parts of the body. In this case, the abdomen. However, the women in the study were still happy with the results of their liposuction, probably because it improved their "problem areas."
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Happy/Sad States
Colorado is ranked as one of the happiest states, but does all this happiness also have a downside?
It turns out that misery does indeed love company. But in the case of happy states like Colorado, some might not be finding that company and it could be part of the reason happy states also have higher suicide rates.
Colorado is in the top 10 in this year's "happy states" ranking. That's great news and means that we as a group are doing pretty well on the happiness scale. But Colorado is also ranked 6th in suicide rates. As a matter of fact, four of the top 10 happy states are also in the top 10 for suicide rates.
Perhaps more surprising, of the bottom 10 states for happiness, only one, West Virginia, was also in the top 10 for suicides. States like New York, one of the unhappiest, also had low suicide rates.
Although experts aren't sure why this is happening, some think it could be that when someone is depressed in a place where everyone around them seems happy, it makes it all that much tougher to deal with. On the other hand, if you're feeling sad in a place like New York City, it might feel like you have plenty of people around you sharing the same feeling.
But for those in a happy state like Colorado, the big message here is that you aren't really alone, no matter what it seems like as you look around. If you are feeling depressed, and especially if you are considering harming yourself, talk to someone. And if it's needed, seek professional help.
It turns out that misery does indeed love company. But in the case of happy states like Colorado, some might not be finding that company and it could be part of the reason happy states also have higher suicide rates.
Colorado is in the top 10 in this year's "happy states" ranking. That's great news and means that we as a group are doing pretty well on the happiness scale. But Colorado is also ranked 6th in suicide rates. As a matter of fact, four of the top 10 happy states are also in the top 10 for suicide rates.
Perhaps more surprising, of the bottom 10 states for happiness, only one, West Virginia, was also in the top 10 for suicides. States like New York, one of the unhappiest, also had low suicide rates.
Although experts aren't sure why this is happening, some think it could be that when someone is depressed in a place where everyone around them seems happy, it makes it all that much tougher to deal with. On the other hand, if you're feeling sad in a place like New York City, it might feel like you have plenty of people around you sharing the same feeling.
But for those in a happy state like Colorado, the big message here is that you aren't really alone, no matter what it seems like as you look around. If you are feeling depressed, and especially if you are considering harming yourself, talk to someone. And if it's needed, seek professional help.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Prescription Drug Abuse & Drug Drop-Off
More and more Americans are ending up in the ER from overdoses. But what they're overdosing on may surprise you.
It's not the street drugs you might think about, or even household chemicals, but prescription drugs that come from people's medicine cabinets that are getting them into trouble.
According to a recent study, more Americans are landing in the hospital because of overdoses from prescription painkillers, sedatives and even tranquilizers
This study found between 1999 and 2006, hospital admissions due to poisonings by these medications increased 65%. That number is about twice the increase from overdosing on all other drugs or medicinal substances.
And according to the White House prescription drug overdose has now become this country's fastest growing drug issue. It's an even bigger problem than crack was in the 80s and heroin in the 70s. In 2007 alone, about 28 thousand died from drug overdoses and most of these were because of prescription drugs.
You can help fight this problem, and do a little spring cleaning while you're at it, this weekend. On Saturday, from 10 till 2, local public health departments, local law enforcement and the DEA are holding their second annual National Prescription Drug take-back day at various spots in southern Colorado. It's the perfect time to get rid of any medicines, expired or not, in your house that you aren't using. Getting them out of the house can get rid of the temptation they sometimes present and will give you a little more shelf room to boot.
You can go to KRDO.com, under links we mentioned, to find drop off sites near your house.
It's not the street drugs you might think about, or even household chemicals, but prescription drugs that come from people's medicine cabinets that are getting them into trouble.
According to a recent study, more Americans are landing in the hospital because of overdoses from prescription painkillers, sedatives and even tranquilizers
This study found between 1999 and 2006, hospital admissions due to poisonings by these medications increased 65%. That number is about twice the increase from overdosing on all other drugs or medicinal substances.
And according to the White House prescription drug overdose has now become this country's fastest growing drug issue. It's an even bigger problem than crack was in the 80s and heroin in the 70s. In 2007 alone, about 28 thousand died from drug overdoses and most of these were because of prescription drugs.
You can help fight this problem, and do a little spring cleaning while you're at it, this weekend. On Saturday, from 10 till 2, local public health departments, local law enforcement and the DEA are holding their second annual National Prescription Drug take-back day at various spots in southern Colorado. It's the perfect time to get rid of any medicines, expired or not, in your house that you aren't using. Getting them out of the house can get rid of the temptation they sometimes present and will give you a little more shelf room to boot.
You can go to KRDO.com, under links we mentioned, to find drop off sites near your house.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)