Half a million U.S. children each year have bad reactions to medicines, researchers said this week. In other drug-related news, U.S. health officials said drug-abuse deaths now exceed traffic deaths in 16 states. About 4 million people in the world now get drug treatment for HIV, the United Nations said. Researchers said that weight gain reduces women's chance of a healthy old age. Another study found that even mild gestational diabetes should be treated. Finally, new rules let women buy a wider selection of foods through a U.S. government program.
Stay well.

This Issue:

In the News:

Half a Million Kids Yearly Have Bad Drug Reaction
More than half a million U.S. children each year are treated for bad reactions or side effects to medicines. So says new research published in the journal Pediatrics. The Associated Press wrote about the study this week. The study was based on national data about visits to clinics and emergency rooms. It focused on reactions to both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The years covered were 1995 through 2005. The numbers remained steady through those years. Nearly half of the children who had problems were under 5. Many of these were cases of accidental overdose. A frequent cause was that parents did not understand dosing instructions. About 1 out of 20 treated children was sick enough to require a hospital stay.

Midlife Weight Gain Harms Elder Health
Being fat in middle age can reduce women's chances of being healthy at age 70, says a study released this week. The study included 17,000 female nurses. Researchers kept track of their weight and health from 1976 to 2000. A body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more is considered overweight. Researchers tracked women's BMI increase after age 18. For every 1-point increase, they had a 12% lower chance of being healthy at age 70. Good health included being free of major disease and being able to perform daily tasks. Risk was highest for women who were overweight at age 18 and later gained more than 20 pounds. Their chance of good health at age 70 was 80% lower than for normal-weight women. The Associated Press wrote about the study, which appeared in the journal BMJ.

Drug Deaths Exceed Road Deaths in More States
In 16 states, drug-related deaths outnumber deaths from motor vehicle accidents, researchers said this week. The figures are from 2006. The number of states with more drug deaths doubled from 8 states in 2003. About 9 out of 10 deaths were overdoses. They included a sharp jump in deaths related to cocaine and painkillers such as methadone, fentanyl and OxyContin. Deaths from methadone alone were seven times as high in 2006 as in 1999. The study came from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was based on death certificates. Nationwide, there were still more deaths from road accidents. They totaled 45,000. There were 39,000 deaths from drugs.

Report: More People Getting Treated for HIV
About 4 million people are receiving treatment for HIV infection around the world, health officials said this week. The number being treated has jumped 10-fold in the last 5 years. But another 5 million who need the drugs are still not getting them. The numbers are in a report from United Nations health agencies. The Associated Press wrote about the report. About 3 million of those getting HIV drugs are in sub-Saharan Africa, the report said. That's nearly half of those in the region who need the drugs.

Study Favors Treating Gestational Diabetes
Treating even mild gestational diabetes can help the mother and baby, a study released this week concludes. This form of diabetes occurs during pregnancy. Usually it goes away afterward. The Associated Press wrote about the study. It included 958 women with mild cases of the condition. They were randomly assigned to receive treatment or not. Treatment included advice on diet to help control blood sugar. A small number of women needed insulin, too. The treated women gained an average of 5 pounds less than the others. They were only half as likely to have babies larger than 9 pounds. Fewer of them needed a cesarean section. They also were less likely to develop pre-eclampsia, a dangerous condition. The study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.

WIC Vouchers Can Buy Produce Now, Too
Beginning this week, vouchers from a U.S. food program are good for a wider variety of foods. The program is known as Women, Infants and Children (WIC). It provides food for low-income pregnant women and children under 5. Past purchases had been limited to milk, cheese, eggs, juice, cereals, dried beans and peanut butter. Now women will be able to buy fruits, vegetables, whole grains and canned beans, too. It's the program's first major change in nearly 30 years, McClatchy-Tribune news service said. The changes were made to reflect new U.S. food guidelines. The amount of dairy products women can buy with the vouchers was reduced. They also can buy only 1% or skim milk for themselves and for kids age 2 and older.

Used with the permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. The above summaries are not intended to provide advice on personal medical matters, nor are they intended to be a substitute for consultation with a physician.