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Personal Health: News and Notes
Study says a fan may prevent SIDS by improving air flow
Research suggests that a simple electric fan may help protect against sudden infant death syndrome - when a baby under 1 year dies for unexplained reasons. The rebreathing of exhaled carbon dioxide may play a role, especially when a baby's head is covered or surrounded by soft bedding and when he sleeps on his stomach or side, all known risk factors. It is less likely when using a pacifier; the handle keeps bedding away, allowing better air flow. To see whether fans might provide the same benefit, researchers led by Kaiser Permanente Northern California interviewed mothers of 185 babies with SIDS diagnoses and of 312 infants in a control group. A fan in the room, they report in the current Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, reduced SIDS risk by 72 percent - and 94 percent when room temperature was above 69 degrees. Fans had an even greater protective effect in the presence of other risk factors, such as the baby sleeping on his stomach or on soft bedding. The key, presumably, is ventilation. The researchers note that while SIDS deaths declined more than 50 percent since a national publicity campaign encouraged placing infants on their backs to sleep, one-quarter of child-care providers still don't do it. - Don SapatkinEnd-of-life discussions found to aid terminally ill
Studies suggest physicians and patients are hesitant to talk about death, and small wonder. But researchers at the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have found that terminally ill patients who discussed the end of life with their doctors had a better quality of life as they neared death. The researchers looked at 332 advanced cancer patients and their caregivers. Of those, 123 patients had end-of-life discussions, after which they were significantly more likely to accept the terminal nature of their illness and to prefer medical care that would relieve pain instead of marginally extending life. Compared to patients who did not have similar discussions, they had lower rates of admissions to an intensive care unit, associated with worse patient quality of life. "End-of-life discussion may have cascading benefits," the researchers wrote last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "By acknowledging that death is near, patients, caregivers and physicians can focus on clarifying patients' priorities and improving pain and symptom management." - Sandy BauersSerious side effects found with antipsychotics in youths
The use of powerful antipsychotics to treat children and adolescents for mental disorders can cause serious side effects, say researchers in Canada and South Carolina. The researchers compared 4,140 young people treated with antipsychotics to 4,500 children not treated with psychotropic drugs. Those taking drugs, such as Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquel, Geodon and Abilify were at higher risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and dizzy spells, a form of hypertension characterized by a sudden drop in blood pressure. Children treated with several different drugs were at significantly higher risk of weight gain, diabetes and cholesterol problems. Use of the drugs on young people has risen over the last decade despite a lack of good quality studies on risks. The goal of the analysis, funded by the federal government, was to tell doctors more about the benefits and risks of these drugs.- Josh Goldstein
