Asthma
A common stomach bacterium may reduce a child's risk of asthma by 50%
A study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases suggests that Helicobacter pylori, the stomach bacterium that contributes to peptic ulcer disease and stomach cancer in adults, may help prevent children from developing asthma.
The study looked at data collected on 7,412 children who participated in the 1999 to 2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. Researchers noticed that among children ages 3 to 13, those who carried the H. pylori bacterium were 59% less likely to develop asthma than children without H. pylori. Besides being less likely to develop asthma, they were also 40% less likely to suffer from childhood allergies such as hay fever, eczema, or rash. Older children (ages 13 to 19) who carried H. pylori reduced their risk of asthma by 25%.
H. pylori infects about half of the population of the United States. It's been on the decline throughout the past century, mainly as a result of the introduction of antibiotics and cleaner drinking water. This is good news for older adults, but may not be such good news for children because the decrease appears to be a contributing factor in the increase in childhood asthma over the same time period.
Geriatrics
Ritalin may decrease fall risk in older adults
A small study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that methylphenidate (Ritalin), a drug most often used to treat attention-deficit disorder in children, may help older adults decrease their risk of falls. Twenty-six healthy seniors were given Ritalin or a placebo and asked to perform a "Timed Get Up and Go" test in which they stand up from a seated position, walk ten feet, walk back, and sit down again. The longer the person takes to complete the test, the higher the fall risk.
Seniors who took Ritalin performed the test more quickly than those who took placebo, suggesting that it may be possible to reduce the risk of falls in the elderly by treating cognitive deficits associated with aging and disease. Because the test sample was so small, additional studies are needed before recommending Ritalin to reduce fall risk.
Hypertension
Rapid weight gain in infants linked to higher blood pressure as adults
According to a report published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association, the pace of weight gain in early childhood may be associated with increased blood pressure in adulthood. Researchers conducted a detailed study over the first 5 years of life to examine whether accelerated infant growth predicts adult systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
The researchers found that babies who are lighter at birth have higher systolic blood pressure as adults. Babies who gain weight more rapidly in the first 5 months after birth and from about ages 2 to 5 years have higher systolic blood pressure in young adulthood. Immediate weight gain after birth is associated with higher adult diastolic blood pressure.
Researchers evaluated 679 adults (approximate age 25) whose growth patterns were tracked as infants as part of the Barry Caerphilly Growth Study. They found that weight gain occurring between 0 and 5 months and 1 year, 9 months to 5 years made the most difference.
The study may help researchers understand what drives the increase in the average blood pressure that results in a greater risk of high blood pressure or hypertension as we age. LPN
Did you know?
Grapefruit juice isn't the only juice that doesn't mix well with medication. Previous studies warned against drinking grapefruit juice when taking medications for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart rhythm problems because the juice boosts the amount of drug that gets into the bloodstream. A new study, however, finds that grapefruit juice, apple juice, and orange juice can actually lower the body's absorption of some medications, including the anticancer drug etoposide; beta blockers such as tenormin and talinolol; cyclosporine; and certain antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and itraconazole. The study also found that people taking the allergy drug fexofenadine (Allegra) with grapefruit juice absorbed only half the drug dose.
Because the researchers haven't identified all drugs that are affected by taking them with grapefruit, apple, or orange juice, they recommend that all medications be taken with a glass of water to ensure that the dose prescribed is fully absorbed.