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This Week in Health |
Our weekly roundup of the latest developments in the world of health. This week we look at why too many vitamins could increase the risk of dying from prostate cancer, at a new flu vaccine option for kids as young as 2, and at an experimental new smallpox vaccine. We also look at the growing number of prescriptions for diabetes drugs, antipsychotic medications and sleep aids in kids. Vitamins and Prostate Cancer FluMist for Toddlers New Smallpox Vaccine as Good as Old Rx Rates for U.S. Kids In The News: Vitamins and Prostate Cancer Taking high doses of vitamins could increase a man's risk of dying from prostate cancer. That's the finding of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The National Cancer Institute study looked at nearly 300,000 men. About a third of the men reported taking a daily multivitamin and about 5% -- considered heavy users -- took more than seven vitamin pills a week. After five years, over 10,000 of the men had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The researchers found no effect on early-stage prostate cancer from vitamin use. But they found that heavy vitamin users were twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as those who never took vitamins. The researchers theorized that vitamins might not have an effect on prostate cancer until a tumor developed, and then could fuel its growth, The Associated Press reports. The researchers said more study is needed to determine the nature of the link between fatal prostate cancer and vitamin supplements. Young children could soon have a new option to protect them from the flu. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel this week recommended that the FluMist nasal flu vaccine be approved for use in healthy children as young as 2 years old. And the panel voted by a narrow margin that the nasal spray could be used for 1-year-olds provided they had no history of wheezing, The Associated Press reports. Previously, the vaccine was recommended only for healthy people between the ages of 5 and 49. New Smallpox Vaccine as Good as Old An experimental new smallpox vaccine may be almost as effective as an older vaccine that is no longer made. A review of studies released this week by the Food and Drug Administration showed that the ACAM2000 vaccine was almost as effective as the discontinued Dryvax vaccine from which it is derived. Both vaccines are made from the vaccinia or cowpox virus, and both vaccines carry a risk of side effects including itching, rash and pain and, in rare cases, inflammation of the heart and surrounding sac, The Associated Press reports. ACAM2000 manufacturer Acambis Plc. said the United States has already stockpiled 192.5 million doses of the vaccine, the AP says. Although smallpox was officially declared to be eradicated in 1980, the government is concerned that the disease could re-emerge as a terrorist weapon. FDA advisers have recommended approval of the vaccine in cases where people are deemed to be at high risk of smallpox exposure. Prescriptions for type 2 diabetes medications for adolescent girls rose 167% between 2001 and 2006. Use of diabetes meds for boys also rose by 33% during that time, The Associated Press reported. The statistics come from an analysis of prescription drug among 370,000 insured children aged 10 to 19, conducted by prescription benefit manager Medco Health Inc. The AP quotes other experts who say the increase in type 2 diabetes drugs prescribed to girls could be due not only to rising rates of obesity in U.S., but to the fact that the drug is prescribed for other hormonal conditions that affect girls. The Medco analysis also found that more adolescents were being prescribed medications for psychosis and insomnia. The prevalence of adolescents taking antipsychotic drugs doubled during the study period, as did the number of kids prescribed sleeping pills. Experts wondered whether the increase in the number of prescriptions meant more kids were getting treatment, or whether children were being overmedicated when other strategies could have been tried, according to the AP. The number of boys and girls taking antidepressants and medications for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder fell between 2001 and 2006 after the drugs got new warning labels about the risk of suicidal behavior. Used with the permission of the copyright owner. All rights on personal medical matters, nor are they intended to be a substitute for consultation with a physician. |
