Health Top Stories
One in 10 Adults Is Treated for Arthritis
AHRQ News and Numbers: One in 10 adults treated for arthritis Approximately 21 million Americans ? 9.5 percent of adults 18 and older ? either visited or called a doctor for a prescription to reduce arthritis pain in 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. It is usually associated with aging and most often causes pain and stiffness in the fingers, knees, and hips. A less common form of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis, occurring when the body?s own defense system doesn?t work properly, causing pain in the joints and bones. Rheumatoid arthritis may also affect internal organs and systems. AHRQ?s data found that in 2005: More »
More than 2 Million Children with Insured Parents Are Uninsured
Some 2.3 million children a year, mostly from low- to middle-income families, have no health care coverage to pay for preventive or other medical needs, even though at least one of their parents is insured, according to a new study supported by HHS? Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Center for Research Resources, part of HHS? National Institutes of Health. The new study, published in the Oct. 22/29, 2008, online issue of JAMA, is one of the first to examine the characteristics of uninsured children under age 19 whose parents were insured all year. These children account for a quarter of the estimated 9 million uninsured children in the United States. Researchers led by Jennifer DeVoe, M.D., of the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, studied 2002-2005 national data from AHRQ?s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and found that children from low-income families where at least one parent had health insurance were more than twice as likely to be uninsured at some point during the year as were similar children from high-income families. They were also 73 percent more likely to be uninsured for more than 6 months. In 2005, a typical, low-income family of four earned between roughly $24,000 and $39,000, whereas the typical high-income family of four earned more than $77,000 a year. More »
Many mothers share bed with baby, a SIDS risk
Nearly half of mothers participating in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program are following recommendations on sleeping arrangements for their babies. However, almost one third report sharing a bed with their infant, a known risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), new research published in the Journal of Pediatrics shows. Noting that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends having babies sleep in their own crib in the parents? room, Dr. Linda Y. Fu said, ?We would highly recommend that parents follow the recommendations and room share without bed sharing.? Dr. Fu, at the Children?s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, is one of the researchers on the study. Since 1992, when the AAP first stated that infants should be placed on their backs to sleep, the occurrence of SIDS has fallen by half, Fu and her colleagues note in their report. However, rates have plateaued over the past five years, raising concerns about other SIDS risk factors, including bed-sharing, the researchers add. More »
Newly-discovered mechanism can explain the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome
Researchers from Uppsala University have discovered a mechanism that silences several genes in a chromosome domain. The findings, published in today?s on-line issue of Molecular Cell, have implications in understanding the human disorder Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. In mammals the cells contain two copies of each chromosome, one inherited from the mother and one from the father. The genes on the chromosomes can either be active or inactive. If a gene is active on the maternal chromosome, the corresponding gene is usually active also on paternal chromosome. However, in some domains of the chromosome the activity is shut down on one of the chromosomes but not on the other. The genes in these domains cannot be activated the normal way but are completely silenced. The present study shows for the first time how this silencing of several genes on a chromosome is accomplished. The research group, led by Chandrasekhar Kanduri, has studied a domain with several silenced genes on chromosome 7 in the mouse. The corresponding domain with silenced genes is located on the human chromosome 11. When part of this domain is transcribed a long RNA molecule, Kcnq1ot1-RNA, is formed. This RNA does not give rise to any protein, instead it mediates the silencing of eight to ten genes in a much larger area on the chromosome. Based on their findings the researchers have suggested a model for how this is accomplished. More »
New Therapy May Fight Knee Osteoarthritis Pain
A clinical trial of a novel drug known as tanezumab has shown that treatment once every eight weeks significantly reduces pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease affecting middle-age and older people. It is characterized by progressive damage to the joint cartilage?the slippery material at the end of long bones?and causes changes in the structures around the joint. These changes can include fluid accumulation, bony overgrowth, and loosening and weakness of muscles and tendons, all of which may limit movement and cause pain and swelling. The weight-bearing joints including the knees, hips and spine are most often affected by osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis in the knee and hip areas can cause chronic pain or discomfort during standing or walking. More »
Rheumatoid Arthritis Can Affect Your Pearly Whites
People with rheumatoid arthritis may be at increased risk for periodontal disease, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and limitation in the motion and function of multiple joints. Though joints are the principal body parts affected by RA, inflammation can develop in other organs as well. An estimated 1.3 million Americans have RA, and the disease typically affects women twice as often as men. Some studies have shown links between RA and periodontal disease, a gum disease characterized by inflammation that leads to separation of the teeth from the gums, loss of bony support, and possible tooth loss; however, many of these studies have lacked RA-specific information. More »
Assessing Treatments for Lupus Nephritis in Children
The first study comparing two therapies, mycophenolate mofetil and intravenous cyclophosphamide, for the treatment of lupus nephritis in adolescents, shows that both appear safe and effective according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Lupus nephritis is an inflammation of the kidneys caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (also called SLE or lupus), which is a chronic inflammatory disease that can also affect the skin, joints, lungs, nervous system, and other organs of the body. The most commons symptoms are urinary frequency, weight gain, high blood pressure, and swelling around the eyes, legs, ankles, or fingers. Some studies have shown that pediatric lupus is more severe and causes more kidney damage than adult-onset lupus. This recently led researchers to compare the safety and effectiveness of two immunosuppressants, which are medications that can decrease the immune response. More »
Arthritis Therapy Keeps Children in School
Children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis may miss fewer days of school when treated with abatacept, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. There are several different types of juvenile arthritis. The most common form is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, also known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or JIA. There are several different types of JIA. All cause joint inflammation and begin before the age of 16 years, but otherwise are often associated with distinct symptoms and complications and may require different approaches to treatment. Chronic pain and physical disability from JIA limit children from participating in daily activities and often cause them to miss school. In addition to the struggle of a child missing several days of school each month due to JIA, parents often miss work and other important activities to care for their children when they are out of school. This can have a great impact on the overall well-being of a family. More »
Safety Data on Treatments for Juvenile Arthritis Released
Etanercept and methotrexate are shown to be safe and effective for long-term, continuous treatment of juvenile arthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. There are many terms used to describe a child with chronic arthritis. These include juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile chronic arthritis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. There are several types of JIA, all involving chronic (long-term) joint inflammation. This inflammation begins before patients reach the age of 16, may involve one or many joints, and can cause other symptoms such as fevers, rash and/or eye inflammation. Systemic onset JIA is a subset of JIA that affects about 10 percent of children with arthritis. It begins with recurrent fevers that can be 103° F or higher, often accompanied by a pink rash that comes and goes. Systemic onset JIA may cause inflammation of the internal organs as well as the joints, though joint swelling may not appear until months or even years after the symptoms begin. More »
Improving Outcomes for Gout Patients
Patients who have not had successful treatment for their gout may find new hope in pegloticase, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Gout is a painful and potentially disabling form of arthritis that has been recognized since ancient times. Initial symptoms usually consist of intense episodes of painful swelling in single joints, most often in the feet (especially the big toe). Treatments are available to control most cases of gout, but diagnosing this disorder can be difficult and treatment plans often have to be tailored for each person. Researchers recently studied 212 patients with gout who were either treated intravenously with pegloticase (Puricase®) or placebo in duplicate six-month, double-blind, randomized studies. Researchers recently studied 212 patients with gout who were either treated intravenously with pegloticase (Puricase®) or placebo in duplicate six-month, double-blind, randomized studies. Participants were eligible to participate if they had been unsuccessfully treated ? experiencing three or more gout arthritis flares in the previous 18 months, had one or more joints affected by chronic gout, or had tophi; a serum urate level greater than 8mg/dL; and either intolerance of allopurinol or no success taking the highest medically appropriate dose of allopurinol. More »