Sharp Rise in Drug Overdoses Among U.S. Women: CDC

More now die from prescription medications than from car crashes, study finds

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- The rate of fatal overdoses of prescription painkillers and other drugs among U.S. women quadrupled between 1999 and 2010, federal officials reported Tuesday.

Long thought of as primarily a male problem, drug addiction is increasingly affecting women, and the new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 42 women in the United States die each day from prescription drug overdoses.

"Prescription drug overdose deaths have skyrocketed in women," CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said during a noon press conference. "Mothers, wives, sisters and daughters are dying from overdoses at rates we have never seen before."

The CDC said that nearly 48,000 women died of overdoses from any form of prescribed drug between 1999 and 2010. The annual death rate for women from drug overdoses now surpasses that of car crash deaths, the agency said.

Emergency room visits for abuse or overdose have also increased dramatically, Frieden added.

Much of this increase is due to the widespread abuse of prescription opioid painkillers such as Oxycontin or Vicodin, which have been more frequently prescribed in the past decade.

"The increase in opioid overdoses and opioid overdose deaths is directly proportional to the increase in prescribing," Frieden said.

These drugs should be reserved for treating severe pain, as occurs with debilitating illnesses such as cancer. "But in many other situations, the risks [to patients] far outweigh the benefits," he said. "Prescribing an opioid may be condemning a patient to lifelong addiction and life-threatening complications."

Although men are still more likely to die from painkiller overdoses, since 1999 the percentage increase in deaths was greater among women -- 400 percent in women compared with 265 percent in men, the CDC said.

Other statistics, based on 2010 data:

Suicides from these drugs accounted for 34 percent of all suicides among women, compared with 8 percent among men.More than 940,000 women were seen in emergency departments for drug misuse or abuse.More than 6,600 women, or 18 women every day, died from a prescription painkiller overdose.Narcotic painkillers accounted for four times more deaths among women than deaths linked to cocaine and heroin combined. More than 200,000 emergency department visits were for misuse or abuse of these drugs among women -- about one every three minutes.

"This is a major public health concern and it's getting worse every year," said Dr. Yves Duroseau, chairman of emergency services at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "People are losing their lives unnecessarily.

"There needs to be more public awareness of the detrimental effects of these medications," he added. "And there needs to be more support to get people off narcotic painkillers and help them with their dependence."

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Testicular Cancer on Rise in U.S., Especially Among Hispanic Men

By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, May 3 (HealthDay News) -- The number of testicular cancer cases continues to climb slowly but steadily in the United States, according to new research.

While the cancer is still most common among white males, the greatest increase is among Hispanic men, according to Dr. Scott Eggener, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Chicago.

Eggener tracked the statistics on testicular cancer from 1992 through 2009, looking at data from a nationwide epidemiology database.

"The incidence of testicular cancer appears to be increasing very slowly but steadily among virtually all groups that we studied," he said. "The novel finding is that the most dramatic increase is in Hispanic men."

Eggener can't explain the increase. He is due to present his findings Monday at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association, in San Diego. The data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases supported the study.

Testicular cancer is known as a young man's cancer, as half of the cases affect men aged 20 to 34, according to the American Cancer Society. However, older men can also be affected.

This year, the American Cancer Society expects 7,920 new cases of testicular cancer in the United States. About 370 men are expected to die of it.

"It still remains an uncommon cancer," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. He reviewed the new findings. "It's important that we become aware of the situation [of rising numbers of cases], but not become alarmed by it." Hispanic men, he noted, still have a lower rate of the cancer than do white men.

In his study, Eggener found that the incidence of testicular cancer rose from 1992 through 2009. In 1992, for instance, 5.7 of every 100,000 men had testicular cancer. By 2009, that number had risen to 6.8 men for every 100,000.

Hispanic men had the largest annual percentage increase. In 1992, four of every 100,000 Hispanic men were affected. By 2009, it was 6.3 men of every 100,000, the investigators found.

For men affected, the outlook is generally good, experts agreed. "It has the highest survival rate of any solid tumor," Eggener said. The overall five-year survival rate, he noted, is 95 percent or higher.

Symptoms can include a painless lump on a testicle, an enlarged testicle or an achy feeling in the lower belly.

Few risk factors have been identified. One known risk factor is having an undescended testicle -- one that does not move down into the scrotum at birth. In the United States, those born with an undescended testicle commonly have corrective surgery, Eggener said.

Currently, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a national panel of experts, does not recommend routine testicular self-exams. It concludes that screenings performed by health care providers or men ''are unlikely to provide meaningful health benefits because of the low incidence and high survival rate of testicular cancer, even when it is detected at symptomatic stages."

Nor does the cancer society recommend routine monthly self-exams, Lichtenfeld said. "Clearly the task force has looked at this very carefully and they recommend not doing testicular self-exam or any form of screening for testicular cancer.''

According to the cancer society, testicular exam should be part of a routine exam by a health care provider, Lichtenfeld said.

It's important for men to pay attention to any changes in their testicles, he said.

"If a man notices a lump or a change, he should go see his doctor," Lichtenfeld said. "We have had a significant improvement in the treatment of this cancer."

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Scott Eggener, M.D., associate professor of surgery, University of Chicago; Len Lichtenfeld, M.D., deputy chief medical officer, American Cancer Society; May 6, 2013, presentation, American Urological Association annual meeting, San Diego

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Food, Skin Allergies on the Rise Among Children: CDC

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- The number of American children who suffer from food allergies and skin allergies has increased dramatically in recent years, a new government report shows.

Interestingly, the prevalence of food and respiratory allergies rose with income: Children living in families that made more than 200 percent of the poverty level had the highest rates, the statistics showed.

"The prevalence of food and skin allergies both increased over the past 14 years," said report co-author LaJeana Howie, from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This has been a consistent trend."

With food allergies, the overall rate went from 3.4 percent in 1997 to 5.1 percent in 2011. With skin allergies, the overall rate increased from 7.4 percent in 1997 to 12.5 percent in 2011. The prevalence of respiratory allergies remained constant, at 17 percent, between 1997 and 2011, although it remained the most common type of allergy affecting children, according to the NCHS report published May 2.

Pediatric allergists noted that they have been seeing the trend in their own practices.

Dr. Vivian Hernandez-Trujillo, director of allergy and immunology at Miami Children's Hospital, said: "We are certainly seeing increases in food and skin allergy in pediatric patients."

However, why these allergies are on the rise remains a mystery, another expert pointed out.

"We do not know why there has been an increase, but the theories include the 'hygiene hypothesis'; that reduced infection and reduced exposure to germs has left our immune systems 'looking for a fight' and attacking innocent proteins," explained Dr. Scott Sicherer, chief of the division of pediatric allergy and immunology at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

In addition, there are theories about insufficient vitamin D, unhealthy fats in the diet, the obesity epidemic and processed food, none of which have been confirmed with hard science, he noted.

These increases are real, Sicherer added. "They speak to a need for more research toward prevention and cures," he said.

"We and others are undertaking studies to try to better understand the risk factors and opportunities for prevention, while aggressively doing research on multiple means to treat those with food allergies," Sicherer said.

Racial differences did emerge in the data.

The researchers found Hispanic children had the lowest prevalence of food, skin and respiratory allergies, compared with other groups.

And black children were more likely to have skin allergies than white children (17.4 percent versus 12 percent, respectively), but less likely to have respiratory allergies (15.6 percent versus 19.1 percent, respectively).

Age also was a factor in the prevalence of skin and respiratory allergies, the report noted.

With skin allergies, the rate dropped with age: 14.2 percent of those aged 4 and younger had them, while 13.1 percent of those aged 5 to 9, and 10.9 percent of those aged 10 to 17 had them.

The opposite was true for respiratory allergies: 10.8 percent of those aged 4 and younger had them, while 17.4 percent of those aged 5 to 9 and 20.8 percent of those aged 10 to 17 had them.

Last, but not least, there was the income gap.

Among families making less than 100 percent of poverty level, 4.4 percent of those children had food allergies and 14.9 percent had respiratory allergies. Among families making more than 200 percent of poverty level, 5.4 percent of those children had food allergies and 18.3 percent had respiratory allergies.

John Lehr, CEO of Food Allergy Research & Education, added that the report "confirms what we have already known, which is that millions of children are affected by food allergies, and this potentially deadly disease is a serious and growing public health concern. The CDC's report reinforces the need for education and awareness about food allergies across the country."

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: LaJeana Howie, M.P.H., U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics; Scott Sicherer, M.D., chief, division of pediatric allergy and immunology, Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York City; Vivian Hernandez-Trujillo, M.D., director, allergy and immunology, Miami Children's Hospital; John Lehr, CEO, Food Allergy Research & Education, McLean, Va.; May 2, 2013, National Center for Health Statistics report, Trends in Allergic Conditions Among Children: United States, 1997-2011

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Testicular Cancer on Rise in U.S., Especially Among Hispanic Men

Study finds slow, steady increase, but experts say condition remains uncommon

By Kathleen Doheny

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, May 3 (HealthDay News) -- The number of testicular cancer cases continues to climb slowly but steadily in the United States, according to new research.

While the cancer is still most common among white males, the greatest increase is among Hispanic men, according to Dr. Scott Eggener, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Chicago.

Eggener tracked the statistics on testicular cancer from 1992 through 2009, looking at data from a nationwide epidemiology database.

"The incidence of testicular cancer appears to be increasing very slowly but steadily among virtually all groups that we studied," he said. "The novel finding is that the most dramatic increase is in Hispanic men."

Eggener can't explain the increase. He is due to present his findings Monday at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association, in San Diego. The data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases supported the study.

Testicular cancer is known as a young man's cancer, as half of the cases affect men aged 20 to 34, according to the American Cancer Society. However, older men can also be affected.

This year, the American Cancer Society expects 7,920 new cases of testicular cancer in the United States. About 370 men are expected to die of it.

"It still remains an uncommon cancer," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. He reviewed the new findings. "It's important that we become aware of the situation [of rising numbers of cases], but not become alarmed by it." Hispanic men, he noted, still have a lower rate of the cancer than do white men.

In his study, Eggener found that the incidence of testicular cancer rose from 1992 through 2009. In 1992, for instance, 5.7 of every 100,000 men had testicular cancer. By 2009, that number had risen to 6.8 men for every 100,000.

Hispanic men had the largest annual percentage increase. In 1992, four of every 100,000 Hispanic men were affected. By 2009, it was 6.3 men of every 100,000, the investigators found.

For men affected, the outlook is generally good, experts agreed. "It has the highest survival rate of any solid tumor," Eggener said. The overall five-year survival rate, he noted, is 95 percent or higher.

Symptoms can include a painless lump on a testicle, an enlarged testicle or an achy feeling in the lower belly.

Few risk factors have been identified. One known risk factor is having an undescended testicle -- one that does not move down into the scrotum at birth. In the United States, those born with an undescended testicle commonly have corrective surgery, Eggener said.

View the original article here

Food, Skin Allergies on the Rise Among Children: CDC

Reasons aren't known, but researchers found racial, age and income differences

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- The number of American children who suffer from food and skin allergies has increased dramatically in recent years, a new government report shows.

Interestingly, the prevalence of food and respiratory allergies rose with income: Children living in families that made more than 200 percent of the poverty level had the highest rates, the statistics showed.

"The prevalence of food and skin allergies both increased over the past 14 years," said report co-author LaJeana Howie, from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This has been a consistent trend."

With food allergies, the overall rate went from 3.4 percent in 1997 to 5.1 percent in 2011. With skin allergies, the overall rate increased from 7.4 percent in 1997 to 12.5 percent in 2011. The prevalence of respiratory allergies remained constant, at 17 percent, between 1997 and 2011, although it remained the most common type of allergy affecting children, according to the NCHS report published May 2.

Pediatric allergists noted that they have been seeing the trend in their own practices.

Dr. Vivian Hernandez-Trujillo, director of allergy and immunology at Miami Children's Hospital, said: "We are certainly seeing increases in food and skin allergy in pediatric patients."

However, why these allergies are on the rise remains a mystery, another expert pointed out.

"We do not know why there has been an increase, but the theories include the 'hygiene hypothesis'; that reduced infection and reduced exposure to germs has left our immune systems 'looking for a fight' and attacking innocent proteins," explained Dr. Scott Sicherer, chief of the division of pediatric allergy and immunology at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

In addition, there are theories about insufficient vitamin D, unhealthy fats in the diet, the obesity epidemic and processed food, none of which have been confirmed with hard science, he noted.

These increases are real, Sicherer added. "They speak to a need for more research toward prevention and cures," he said.

"We and others are undertaking studies to try to better understand the risk factors and opportunities for prevention, while aggressively doing research on multiple means to treat those with food allergies," Sicherer said.

Racial differences did emerge in the data.

The researchers found Hispanic children had the lowest prevalence of food, skin and respiratory allergies, compared with other groups.

And black children were more likely to have skin allergies than white children (17.4 percent versus 12 percent, respectively), but less likely to have respiratory allergies (15.6 percent versus 19.1 percent, respectively).

View the original article here

HPV Vaccine Lowering Infection Rates Among Girls: CDC

Extent of protection from sexually transmitted virus higher than expected, suggesting 'herd immunity' is at work, experts say

By Dennis Thompson

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- Vaccination against the cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV) is proving highly effective in reducing the spread of the sexually transmitted virus among young women, new research shows.

The rate of new infections with strains of HPV targeted by the vaccine have dropped by 56 percent among females aged 14 to 19 since the first vaccine was approved in 2006, report researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the CDC, HPV infection is known to be the major cause of cervical cancer, and has also been strongly linked to vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal, and certain throat/oral cancers.

The new findings "are striking results, and I think they should be a wake-up call that we should increase vaccination rates, because we can protect the next generation of adolescents and young girls against cancer," CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a press conference held Wednesday.

The findings are published in the June issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Each year in the United States about 19,000 cancers caused by HPV occur in women, with cervical cancer being the most common. Virtually all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV, and just two HPV subtypes, 16 and 18, are responsible for seven out of every 10 cervical cancers.

About 8,000 cancers caused by HPV occur each year in men in the United States, most commonly being throat cancer.

The decline in HPV infections among girls is actually higher than had been expected, indicating that "herd immunity" may have taken effect as more girls receive the vaccine, study lead author Dr. Lauri Markowitz said at the press conference.

Herd immunity occurs when widespread vaccination shrinks the pool of infected people to the point that it becomes less likely that a person can catch the disease from someone else. In this type of scenario, "even people who aren't vaccinated will have some protection due to the vaccination program," Markowitz said.

Another possible reason for the better-than-expected results could be that the vaccine is so effective that a girl receives protection from HPV even if she receives only one or two shots out of the full recommended three-dose series of vaccination.

Whatever the reason, the new statistics are "great news," according to Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. "I think every young woman should have the opportunity to have this vaccine. That's what I've been telling people for however long the vaccine has been available."

HPV is highly infectious. In fact, about 79 million Americans, most in their late teens and early 20s, are thought to be currently infected with HPV, and each year about 14 million people become newly infected.

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Prescription Drug Abuse Up Among U.S. Teens: Survey

More than 5 million, nearly 25 percent, said they had abused these medications

By Alan Mozes

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- The United States appears to be in the throes of a prescription drug abuse crisis among teens, with a new survey showing that 24 percent of high school students -- more than 5 million kids -- have abused these medications.

That's a 33 percent increase from 2008, the survey authors noted. They said that 13 percent of teens acknowledged having experimented at least once with either Ritalin or Adderall (normally prescribed for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD) that was not prescribed for them.

What's more, 20 percent of teens who admit they have abused prescription drugs said their first experience doing so was before the age of 14, with 27 percent mistakenly believing that prescription drug abuse is safer than "street drugs," such as cocaine or ecstasy.

Compounding the problem: The parents surveyed seemed to share in this misperception, with almost one-third buying into the notion that Ritalin or Adderall can boost a child's school performance even if the child is not diagnosed with ADHD.

The findings stem from a nationally representative poll launched in 2012 by The Partnership at Drugfree.org, in conjunction with the MetLife Foundation. The survey involved nearly 3,900 teens currently enrolled in grades 9 through 12 at public, private and parochial schools, along with more than 800 parents who participated in at-home interviews.

"From my perspective, one way to look at this is that we've got a real public health crisis," said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO at the Partnership organization. "And it's not getting better. In fact, it's getting deeper and more complex," he said.

"The key here is that kids and often their parents are buying into the myth and misunderstanding that prescription drug abuse is a safer way to get high, a safer alternative to street drugs, and that they can control it," Pasierb continued. "And it's very important to note that, on this, kids and parents are in the same place. Kids say that they don't think that their parents are going to be upset if they know about this, and parents are essentially saying the same thing," he pointed out.

"Now, if cocaine or heroin use was going up the way prescription drug use is parents would certainly be freaking out," Pasierb added. "And they should be now, because prescription drug abuse is no better."

Among the findings: one-third of teens think there's nothing particularly wrong with the notion of using prescription medications that were never prescribed for them to tackle a specific injury or illness, with almost one-quarter believing that their parents are more concerned about street drug use than the misuse of prescription drugs.

Sixteen percent of parents also said they think prescription drugs are less dangerous than street drugs.

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Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' May Spread Among Patients, Study Finds

People with cystic fibrosis are of special concern

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- Drug-resistant bacteria that cause lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis can be passed indirectly from person to person, a new study finds.

Between 3 percent and 10 percent of cystic fibrosis patients in the United States and Europe are infected with multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium abscessus, and the numbers are rising. The difficult-to-treat infection causes progressive lung damage.

In this study, researchers conducted DNA tracking of a multi-drug resistant M. abscessus outbreak that occurred among 31 cystic fibrosis patients at a British treatment center between 2007 and 2011.

Despite tight infection-control measures, patient-to-patient transmission was common, according to the study, published online March 29 in the journal The Lancet.

The researchers were unable to pinpoint the exact method of cross-infection between the patients. They said it likely occurred through contamination of things such as hair, clothing and bedding, or when bacteria were released into the air during procedures such as lung function tests.

The findings will have a major effect on how cystic fibrosis patients are cared for in hospitals and raise questions about the effectiveness of current infection-control measures and the risk of multi-drug resistant M. abscessus cross infection in other groups of patients, said Dr. Andres Floto, of the University of Cambridge, and colleagues.

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Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' May Spread Among Patients, Study Finds

Title: Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' May Spread Among Patients, Study Finds
Category: Health News
Created: 3/29/2013 10:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 3/29/2013 12:00:00 AM

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COPD May Be Over-Diagnosed Among Uninsured

Patients thought to have lung condition were re-evaluated in small study

By Alan Mozes

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Roughly four in 10 uninsured patients who have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) actually do not have the lung disease, a small new study suggests.

At issue: Faulty diagnoses were made based on an evaluation of symptoms, rather than by means of the so-called "gold standard" disease test known as spirometry, which shows how well a patient's lungs are working by measuring the amount of air they can exhale and how long that takes.

The study is scheduled for presentation Wednesday at the American Thoracic Society annual meeting in Philadelphia. The data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

COPD is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Cigarette smoking is the top cause of COPD.

"While there have been many studies of the under-diagnosis of COPD, there has not been a U.S.-based study that has quantified the problem of over-diagnosis," Dr. Christian Ghattas, a second-year medical resident at Saint Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, Ohio, said in a society news release. "And yet, the cost of treating someone for COPD is high."

How high? The study team cited statistics suggesting the cost exceeds $4,100 per year.

The researchers re-evaluated 80 patients, average age 53, being treated at a federally funded health center based in Akron, Ohio, that is designed to offer medical care to the uninsured and Medicaid patients. All the patients had been diagnosed in 2011 or 2012 as having COPD or as needing an inhaler device often given to treat COPD.

Investigators found that less than 18 percent of the patients had undergone spirometry testing, despite a Global Obstructive Lung Disease recommendation that COPD not be diagnosed without such a test.

Once conducted, spirometry testing revealed that nearly 43 percent of the patients did not have any obstruction that could be construed as COPD.

What's more, another quarter of the patients had a reversible condition that is more typical of asthma than COPD.

"We were shocked at the percentage," Ghattas said. He noted that, overall, probably half the patients were misdiagnosed.

"Although the number of patients in our study was small, I believe this study is representative of an uninsured and underserved patient population," he added. "However, the findings might be different among patients who are insured. They might be higher or lower. We simply don't know," Ghattas said.

But, "it is obviously detrimental to be on medications that won't work for you," Ghattas cautioned. "You won't feel better -- and that by itself can take a psychological toll -- and you may experience side effects that can compromise other aspects of your health."

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Gene Variations May Explain Weight Gain Among Men, Women

People with specific 'polymorphisms' were more likely to put on pounds in 10-year study

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- Weight gain in men and women is predicted by two different genetic variations -- so-called polymorphisms, according to a new study from the Netherlands.

Men with a certain mutation of the FTO gene had an 87 percent greater risk for gaining weight over 10 years. Meanwhile, women with a different variation on the MMP2 gene had a two and a half times increased risk for weight gain over the course of a decade, the researchers found.

The research involved two groups of people: The first group, which consisted of 259 people, maintained a stable weight; the second group consisted of 237 people who were considered weight gainers. These participants gained about 17 pounds over 10 years.

Starting body-mass index -- a measurement of body fat based on a person's ratio of height to weight -- for the participants ranged from normal to obese. Participants were between 20 and 45 years old when the study began.

The research, led by Freek Bouwman, from Maastricht University, and Dr. Jolanda Boer, from the Netherlands' National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, focused on several different polymorphisms associated with weight gain in previous studies.

The genetic distribution of a particular FTO polymorphism in men was consistently different between the weight-stable group and the weigh-gainer group, the study revealed, according to a news release from the European Congress on Obesity.

Similarly, among the women, the genetic distribution of the MMP2 polymorphism varied between those considered weight stable and those in the weight-gainer group.

"We found that FTO in men and MMP2 in women are predictors for weight gain over a 10-year follow-up period," the study authors wrote.

They suggested that more research into these polymorphisms could help determine who is at greatest risk for weight gain and improve weight-control strategies. They said differences in male and female hormone levels also could play a role in weight regulation.

The study was presented Tuesday at the European Congress on Obesity in Liverpool, England. Findings presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

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Stress Disorder May Be Common Among ICU Patients on Ventilators

Title: Stress Disorder May Be Common Among ICU Patients on Ventilators
Category: Health News
Created: 3/1/2013 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/4/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Whooping Cough Vaccine for Pregnant Women Among New Recommendations

MONDAY, Jan. 28 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics have released new vaccine guidelines for 2013.

One change is a recommendation for women to receive a dose of the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine with each pregnancy. Another is the suggestion that mild egg allergy need no longer prevent people from getting the flu vaccine under certain circumstances.

The guidelines also clarify the use of the pneumococcal vaccine -- which protects against sometimes life-threatening meningitis, pneumonia and blood infections -- in certain vulnerable populations.

Current levels of vaccination in adults are low, according to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Because of this, the committee recommended that providers review patients' vaccination records and recommend needed vaccines.

"It's so important to adhere to these immunization schedules. People need to understand: These schedules are put together with great care and discussion and review of scientific data," said Dr. H. Cody Meissner, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics committee that makes vaccine recommendations.

Meissner said sometimes parents will ask to alter the way vaccines are given, requesting things like a half-dose now and the rest of the dose at a later time. "We just don't know if vaccines work at half-doses. It's critically important to adhere to the schedule," he said.

The latest vaccine recommendations can be found in the Feb. 5 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine and the February issue of the journal Pediatrics.

The most notable change is the new recommendation that pregnant women -- whether adolescent or adult -- receive a booster dose of the tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis (TDaP) vaccine during each pregnancy. Ideally, this booster will be given between 27 and 36 weeks of gestation.

"We're seeing more pertussis now than we have in earlier years. When the final numbers are in for 2012, the number of reported cases will probably be around 35,000," Meissner said. "But the actual number could be far more than that, because they don't all get documented. There were about 20 deaths last year, primarily children in the first two to three months of life."

Meissner, who also is chief of pediatric infectious disease at the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said that children in this age group don't yet have protection from vaccines. Since the vaccine crosses through the placenta, an immunization given later in the pregnancy should offer a high level of immunity to the baby.

He added that it's also a good idea for anyone who will be around the baby, including the father, siblings and grandparents, to be sure they're up to date on their vaccines.

Another expert said the resurgence of whooping cough is most likely due to a change in vaccine design that got rid of many side effects, but did so at the cost of long-term effectiveness.

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