Our weekly round up of the latest news in the world of health. This week we look at new findings about a genetic link to schizophrenia, at how exercise could help Alzheimer's patients ward off brain atrophy, and at how a mother's diabetes affects her baby's risk of birth defects. We also look at a promising experimental Alzheimer's drug and at why some doctors say kids don't need a heart test before starting ADHD medications.
Stay well.
This Issue:
DNA and Schizophrenia Exercise and Alzheimer's Diabetes and Birth Defects Alzheimer's Drug EKG Not Always Needed for ADHD Kids In the News:
DNA and Schizophrenia People with certain DNA abnormalities have a higher risk of developing schizophrenia. Two large, separate international studies published in the journal Nature found that specific DNA deletions increased a person's risk of the disease 12- to 15-fold. One study looked at findings from DNA tests of about 4,700 people with schizophrenia and more than 40,000 people without the disease, while the second study was based on data from 3,400 people with schizophrenia and 3,200 people who didn't it. The DNA deletions were found in only 1% of the schizophrenics, but the link to the mental illness is so strong that researchers say studying the abnormalities could help them understand the cause of schizophrenia and even develop new medications to treat it, the Associated Press reports.
Exercise and Alzheimer's
Exercise appears to be linked to slower progress of Alzheimer's disease. A study presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Chicago this week found that early-stage Alzheimer's patients who were physically fit -- as measured by their performance on a treadmill test -- had less atrophy in the part of their brain that controls memory -- as measured by MRI -- than those who were not as fit. The study involved more than 100 people over 60, half of whom had early-stage Alzheimer's, while the rest were healthy. However, the researchers say it is not clear whether exercise prevented brain damage or whether people with more significant damage were less able to exercise, the Associated Press reports.
Diabetes and Birth Defects
There may be another serious side effect to diabetes -- a greater risk for women of having a child with birth defects. A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that diabetic women are three or four times more likely to have a child with birth defects compared to non-diabetic women. The risk encompassed some 40 different types of birth defects. Researchers looked at birth records from 1997-2003 at hospitals in 10 states — Arkansas, California, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas and Utah. They compared 13,000 births involving a major birth defect and 5,000 healthy births. About 2% of the children with single birth defects were born to mothers who had been diagnosed with diabetes before they became pregnant, as were 5% of the infants with multiple defects. Among the healthy babies, the percentage of women who were diabetic before pregnancy was much lower, the Associated Press reports.
Alzheimer's Drug
Experimental new Alzheimer's drugs are showing some success by targeting the "tau tangles" that cause brain damage associated with the disease. Results of a study of the drug Rember were presented this week at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Chicago. In the study, 321 Alzheimer's patients were given one of three doses of Rember or a placebo three times a day. The patients receiving the middle dose of Rember had no decline in mental function after 19 months, while those taking a placebo lost 7% of their brain function in the first six months and continued to decline. Another drug that targets tau tangles showed promise when tested in people with mild cognitive impairment, the Associated Press reports.
EKG Not Always Needed for ADHD Kids
Most children who take drugs for attention-deficit disorder do not need to have an electrocardiogram (EKG) screening test first. That's the new recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which goes against the advice of the American Heart Association, which had recommended the test. The pediatricians' group says the risk of deaths from heart problems is extremely low in all children, whether or not they take a stimulant drug for ADHD; they say it is therefore not necessary to make the tests routine. The groups says children starting on stimulants should have a thorough exam and be checked for family history of heart problems, the Associated Press reports.
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.
