HIGH-DOSE VIOXX NOT RECOMMENDED
High-dose consumption of the arthritis pain reliever Vioxx can raise blood pressure yet a study says many U.S. patients still are prescribed high doses. Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center find of the 10,000 patients over age 49 who were prescribed Vioxx in Tennessee's Medicaid program, more than 1,000 were prescribed a 30-day supply of 50-milligram pills. Half that amount -- 25 milligrams a day -- is the recommended dose for long-term use, says study leader, says Dr. Marie R. Griffin. The researchers say the 50-milligram dose has not been shown to be more effective than lower doses in relieving chronic pain, and it has been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks. "Such use should be discouraged," the researchers write in the journal Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety.
PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN LACK VACCINATIONS
More than 20 percent of U.S. preschool children lack required immunizations, placing them and their classmates at risk for illness. A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, by Carol A. Stanwyck and two colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, based the findings on the federal National Immunization Survey. Ninety-five percent of school-age children are vaccinated thanks to laws requiring vaccination before entering school, but there are no similar laws for vaccination before entering day care. Seventy-six percent of preschool children, ages 19 months to 35 months, were vaccinated. The vaccination rate for children not attending day care was similar. Vaccines in the survey included: diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis, measles, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type B.
PEOPLE UNCERTAIN ABOUT CHOLESTEROL
A U.S. survey shows most respondents did not know high cholesterol comes from two sources: from food and it is produced naturally in the body. Eighty-five percent in the Harris Interactive survey say they were aware there are national cholesterol guidelines, but only 27 percent actually knew the optimal level for low density lipoprotein -- the LDL or "bad" cholesterol -- is less than 100mg/dL. "While diet can contribute significantly to elevated cholesterol, the body's natural chemistry can often produce dangerously high levels of LDL cholesterol," says Dr. David Cohen of Brigham and Women's Hospital. Over time, excess LDL cholesterol can build up on the inner walls of the arteries forming plaque, narrowing arteries, causing arteriosclerosis that restricts blood flow, which can cause a heart attack.
LIGHT DRINKING NO BREAST CANCER IMPACT
Light-to-moderate drinking appears to have little effect on the risk for breast cancer, says a study by National Institute of Public Health in Denmark. Researchers at the National Institute of Public Health's Center for Alcohol Research and the Boston University School of Medicine examined the influence of alcohol intake and type of beverage -- beer, wine or spirits -- on breast cancer in relation to menopausal status. The study, published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, finds heavy drinking -- more than 27 drinks a week -- increases risk for breast cancer, predominantly among premenopausal women; but light-to-moderate drinking appears to have little effect on breast cancer.
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(EDITORS: For more information on VIOXX, contact Clinton Colmenares at (615) 322-4747 or [email protected]. For VACCINATIONS, Carol Stanwyck at (404) 639-8308 or [email protected]. For CHOLESTEROL, call (214)706-1406. For BREAST CANCER, Morten Gronbæk at 45-39-20-77-77 or [email protected] or R. Curtis Ellison at (617) 638-8080 or [email protected])
