Epilepsy raises suicide risk, study finds
People newly diagnosed with epilepsy have an especially high risk of suicide and doctors should keep an eye on them, Danish researchers reported on Monday.
Patients with epilepsy had a three times higher risk of suicide, the researchers found, but the risk fell the longer someone had lived with the condition.
Healthy diet may decrease diabetes risk
Adopting a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables and fiber while cutting back on red meat and fats may reduce the risk of developing diabetes, results of a new study suggest.
“We now have some solid evidence to give dietary recommendations to help reduce risk of diabetes,” study co-author Dr. Teresa T. Fung, of Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, told Reuters Health.
Sex, age, location affect colonoscopy failures
If you’re not eager to undergo a repeat colonoscopy because the procedure could not be completed, choose a specialized medical center to have it done.
Unfortunately, other factors that make an incomplete colonoscopy more likely—being a woman and being elderly—can’t be changed so readily.
Gene linked with childhood asthma is identified, giving hope for new therapies
A gene that is strongly associated with a risk of developing childhood onset asthma is identified in new research published online today in Nature.
In a genetic study of more than 2,000 children, scientists established that genetic markers on chromosome 17 had a striking effect on the risk of asthma in children. They also found that these markers altered the levels of a new gene called ORMDL3, which was at a higher level in the blood cells of children with asthma than in those without.
Increase in Prescription Drug Cost Sharing Associated With Lower Rates of Drug Treatment, Adherence
A review of previous studies indicates that an increase in prescription drug cost sharing is associated with a decrease in drug spending and use of pharmacies; and for some chronic conditions, higher cost sharing is associated with greater use of expensive medical services, according to an article in the July 4 issue of JAMA.
“… with recent increases in pharmacy spending, pharmacy benefit managers and health plans have adopted benefit changes designed to reduce pharmaceutical use or steer patients to less-expensive alternatives. The rapid proliferation of mail-order pharmacies, mandatory generic substitution, coinsurance plans, and multitiered formularies has transformed the benefit landscape,” the authors write.
Dark chocolate may cut blood pressure
Enjoying small amounts of polyphenol-rich dark chocolate daily appears to lower blood pressure, according to a report in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
Previous reports have linked cocoa-containing foods with reduced blood pressure, but the effect of regular, low-level cocoa intake on blood pressure was not known, Dr. Dirk Taubert, from University Hospital of Cologne in Germany, and colleagues point out.
Genetic disease carries risk of sudden deafness
People diagnosed with a genetic disease called von Hippel-Lindau disease or VHL may suddenly experience hearing loss caused by a tumor, researchers advise in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
VHL disease is characterized by the development of tumors in blood vessels in the retina of the eye and in the brain. Lesions and cysts can also develop in other parts of the body.
High cola consumption linked to kidney disease
People who overindulge in cola may be putting their kidneys at risk, a new study suggests.
Drinking more than two servings of cola a day more than doubled the likelihood of having chronic kidney disease, Dr. Dale P. Sandler and colleagues from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina found. But no increased risk was seen with other carbonated beverages.
Mom’s meat-rich diet affects kids’ stress response
Adults whose mothers ate an unbalanced, meat-heavy diet during pregnancy may tend to have an exaggerated hormonal response to stress, a study suggests.
The findings are in line with previous research linking such prenatal diets to higher adulthood blood pressure.
Genetic screening fails women trying for IVF birth
Genetic screening, often seen as the best hope for older women undergoing IVF treatment to have a child, is ineffective and actually reduces rates of pregnancies, scientists said on Wednesday.
The surprise finding from a controlled clinical trial involving 408 women is a major setback for a technology that is used increasingly in fertility clinics worldwide.
Fewer kids on SSRI antidepressants
Within 2 years after the October 2003 FDA public health advisory about the risk of suicide in children taking a type of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), significant reductions in rates of diagnosis and antidepressant treatment of childhood depression occurred, researchers report.
“Antidepressant use was expected to decline, consistent with effects on other drugs after warnings are issued,” Dr. Anne M. Libby of University of Colorado Health Science Center at Denver told Reuters Health.
