POOR TWICE AS LIKELY TO DIE FROM HEART DISEASE
Duke University Medical Center researchers say the poorest of poor Americans are more than twice as likely to die of severe heart disease than similar patients with higher incomes. The researchers studied 2,207 patients enrolled in a multicenter clinical trial in which they all received the same standardized treatments. The analysis revealed that patients with an annual household income of less than $10,000 had a 30-day mortality rate 2.6 times higher than those more well-off, and a six-month mortality rate 2.1 times higher. "In a clinical trial, patients are supposed to receive similar care, but actually did not," says lead investigator, Dr. Sunil Rao, who presented the findings at the 51st annual scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology. "After adjusting for these differences, poverty was still associated with a generally worse outcome," he says. "It may be that once out of the hospital, these patients return to risky habits such as smoking or bad diet, or more likely they cannot afford the medications prescribed for them to treat their heart disease."
ENDOMETRIOSIS LINKED TO CANCER
A commonly prescribed medication for treating endometriosis appears to elevate the risk of ovarian cancer, according to University of Pittsburgh researchers. In the study, women taking danazol, a synthetic version of the male hormone androgen, were nearly three times more likely to develop ovarian cancer than were women taking leuprolide, an anti-androgenic. Both drugs are used to treat endometriosis, a painful disease in which pieces of uterine tissue migrate to other parts of the body. "Our previous studies have found that women with endometriosis are already at a 50 percent increased risk for ovarian cancer, and treating them with danazol appears to further increase their risk," says Dr. Roberta B. Ness, director of the school's Epidemiology of Women's Health Program. Ness presented the findings at the 33rd annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists in Miami. "This new result, even though it is preliminary, may factor into the equation when clinicians and their patients with endometriosis are deciding on the best treatment," she says.
PINK EYE INFECTION INVESTIGATED
More than 1,000 college students at Dartmouth College and Princeton University have contracted pink eye and as the students go home and travel the infection may spread, according to public health officials. Pink eye or conjunctivitis is caused by a virus and often accompanied by a cold and it causes irritation, swelling, sticky eyelids, red discoloration and increased sensitivity to light. The infection lasts up to four days and is treated with antibiotic ointment. However, the Dartmouth outbreak, is a bacterial infection that spreads quickly and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta is investigating. The infection is spread through eye secretions, hands and breath. Students were warned to not share towels, clothing or drinking glasses and to wash their hands frequently.
DISASTER FALLOUT: MORE MARRIAGES, BIRTHS, DIVORCES
Being hit with a disaster increases the number of marriages, births and divorces in a given population in the year following the event, a Penn State-led study says. "We looked at marriage, birth and divorce records in South Carolina in the year following Hurricane Hugo in 1989," says Dr. Catherine L. Cohan, Penn State assistant professor of human development and family studies. "The results suggest that the disaster was the impetus for people to take stock of their life and future, re-evaluate their priorities and take actions that had profound consequences for their lives." According to Cohan, the suggests that assistance with family functioning, as well as individual mental health counseling, may be warranted as part of relief efforts. The study results are detailed in the March issue of the Journal of Family Psychology. "Disasters can draw people together for comfort and support and strengthen some relationships," Cohan says. "But, disasters can lead to mental health problems, which, in turn can cause marital conflict and feeling more negative about one's marriage -- lost jobs, lost homes and debt can directly lead to marital conflict."
(EDITOR: For more information, about POOR, call 919 684-4148; about ENDOMETRIOSIS, call 412 624-2607; about DISASTER, call 814 865-9481.)
