Marion County Medical Center

Health Shorts

June 2007

Parents Say Yes to Immunization
More than 75 percent of American parents see that their children get basic immunizations, and participation rates are high for all racial and ethnic groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Coverage in 2005 for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, Hib, hepatitis B and varicella was 77.1 percent for Asian children, 76.3 percent for blacks, 76 percent for whites and 75.6 for Hispanics.

The results were attributed in part to the Vaccines for Children Program through which free vaccines are offered to uninsured and under-insured children.
[SOURCE: Donya C. Arias, “Immunization Rates for Kids at Record High,” The Nation’s Health, November, 2006]

No Increased Mortality Risk Found
No increased risk of death was found in patients with ulcerative colitis, according to a meta-analysis of population-based studies conducted by Danish researchers. Certain sub-groups of patients did have increased rates of dying.

Another study published in the same issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology found no increased risk of cardiovascular-related deaths associated with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
[SOURCE: Tine Jess, Michael Gamborg, Pia Munkholm and Thorkild I.A. Sorensen, “Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality in Ulcerative Colitis: Meta-Analysis of Population-Based Inception Cohort Studies,” American Journal of Gastroenterology, March, 2007; Spencer D. Dorn and Robert S. Sandler, “Inflammatory Bowel disease Is Not a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease Mortality,” American Journal of Gastroenterology, March, 2007]

Ulcerative Colitis Incidence Higher in Industrialized Countries
Ulcerative colitis, the most common form of inflammatory bowel disease, affects persons in every country of the world. The highest incidence, however, is in industrialized countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. Whites and persons of Jewish descent have a higher than usual risk.
[SOURCE: National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, “Ulcerative Colitis,” NIH Publication No. 06-1597, February, 2006]

What Causes Ulcerative Colitis?
Symptoms of ulcerative colitis may get worse during periods of emotional stress, but doctors now know that stress does not cause the inflammation in the bowels that characterizes the disease.

Current knowledge indicates that ulcerative colitis is caused by a complex interaction of heredity and actions of the immune system, which may be either over-reacting or unable to stop an invading organism. According to another theory, the use of antibiotics may disrupt the normal balance of bacteria in the intestinal tract.
[SOURCE: L. Jodell McLemore, “Inflammatory Bowel Disease,” Radiologic Technology, March-April, 2007]

For Kids, Early Diagnosis Important
Inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease frequently occur in children as well as young adults. About 20 percent of cases involve children, and an early diagnosis is crucial to avoid delays in growth and sexual maturation as well as other long-term complications.

Symptoms are similar to those in adults–abdominal cramping and pain, bloody diarrhea, weight loss and fatigue. Diagnosis is difficult because endoscopic equipment may be too large for a child’s body. A correct diagnosis is important, however, to avoid unnecessary surgical procedures for a less serious problem such as irritable bowel syndrome, which has similar symptoms.
[SOURCE: L. Jodell McLemore, “Inflammatory Bowel Disease,” Radiologic Technology, March-April, 2007]

Helping Children Deal with Shots
To keep current on their immunizations, infants and children may have to get five or more shots in one visit. Parents should realize that children can tolerate multiple injections well as long as they get proper comfort and support before and during injections.

To maintain trust, parents should be straightforward and truthful about the injections and never use them as threats to improve behavior. Fear of pain is usually worse than the pain itself. A pacifier, story telling or music may take the child’s attention away from the injection.
[SOURCE: Donald B. Middleton, Richard Kent Zimmerman and Karen B. Mitchell, “Vaccine Schedules and Procedures, 2007,” Journal of Family Practice, February, 2007]

The Shot Won’t Give You the Disease
Most immunizations recommended for children are made from dead (killed) bacteria or viruses; as a result, it’s impossible for a child to get the disease from being vaccinated.

Vaccines made from live attenuated (weakened) viruses could possibly cause the disease but only a very mild form of it. Live attenuated viruses commonly used included varicella (chicken pox) and measles-mumps-rubella. The live attenuated vaccine once used against polio has been replaced by a killed virus form now that the disease has been eliminated in this country.
[SOURCE: American Academy of Family Physicians, “Frequently Asked Questions about Immunizations,” kidshealth.org, updated and reviewed by Larissa Hirsch, M.D., August, 2006]

Concerns about Vaccines Unfounded
Concerns about the safety of commonly used vaccines spread rapidly among parents. Well controlled studies, however, have found these concerns to be unfounded.

No causal association between MMR vaccine and autism was found in large studies in England, Finland and Denmark. A 1998 study alleging a link has been rejected by all major health organizations and was retracted by its authors in 2004.

Contrary to allegations, data from 200,000 subjects in the Nurses’ Health Study found no link between hepatitis B vaccine and chronic fatigue syndrome or MS.

Tetanus, hepatitis B and influenza vaccines did not increase the risk of relapse in MS patients, according to a European study.

Several studies have found no increased risk of type 1 diabetes associated with any of the routinely recommended childhood vaccines.

Based on multiple large epidemiological studies, the Institute of Medicine concluded that “the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism.” Because of concerns about the mercury in thimerosal (a preservative), all common childhood vaccines now contain either no thimerosal or only trace amounts of it.

[SOURCE: Sanford R. Kimmel, et al, “Addressing Immunization Barriers, Benefits, and Risks,” Journal of Family Practice, February, 2007]

Cell Phones Don’t Cause Brain Tumors
Persons using cell phones for 10 years or less had no increased risk of the most common brain tumors, according to a large study based on a representative sample of the United Kingdom population. A previous study indicated a predominance for the right side for both phone use and tumors; the UK study attributed this to reporting bias.
[SOURCE: S.J. Hepworth and Patricia McKinney, British Medical Journal, January 21, 2006]

Brain Tumors Up among Seniors
The number of primary brain tumors diagnosed among persons age 70 and over has increased dramatically over the past three decades in the United State and in industrialized Europe. Incidence in this age group has increased sevenfold since 1970. There are no established environmental causes such as pesticides, electromagnetic fields or radiation exposure except for patients who previously received radiation therapy to the head.

Signs of a brain tumor in an older person include intellectual decline over a short period, gait disturbances and short-term memory deficits–all of which can occur with other problems commonly associated with aging.
[SOURCE: Alexandra Flowers, M.D., “Brain Tumors in the Older Person,” Cancer Control 7(6):523-538, 2000]

Are You Taller in the Morning?
You may not realize it, but you are probably taller in the morning than in the evening. And your back also offers better shock absorption.
The fibrocartilaginous discs that provide shock absorption in the spine have a high water content that tends to become compressed through the day.
[SOURCE: Susan Bajnoczy, “Artificial Disc Replacement–Evolutionary Treatment for Degenerative Disc Disease,” AORN Journal, August, 2005]

New Disc Better than Fusion in Study
Back pain patients who had total disc replacement did better than those undergoing spinal fusion, according to a study presented at a meeting of the North American Spine Society.

Subjects receiving a metal and plastic disc had shorter hospital stays, more natural spine movement and could perform daily activities better than those who had spinal fusion, a surgical procedure in which bone is grafted across a section of the spine.
[SOURCE: “New Disc Bests Fusion,” Health News, January, 2007]

Lower Back Carries Heavy Load
Whenever you lift or carry, you are likely putting a heavy load on the five vertebrae in the lowest part of the back, known as the lumbar spine. Depending on the anatomy of your spine and the way you lift and carry, the cartilaginous discs in the back are subject to movement and herniation or rupture, resulting in lower back pain.

Lower back pain does not necessarily mean a herniated disc, and a herniated disc does not always mean long-term problems. For at least six months, conservative treatment for lower back pain usually includes rest (but not total bed rest), antiinflammatory medication and physical therapy, including training in how to lift without putting undue pressure on the lumbar spine.
[SOURCE: Sharon Brady and Sarah jackson, “Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion–Advances in Spinal Fusion Technology,” AORN Journal, November, 2005]

Health Shorts

June 2007

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