Smoke-exposed children with flu more likely to need ICU care
Exposed children with flu also stay in the hospital longer
2011-05-02
(Press-News.org) Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to need intensive care and intubation when hospitalized with influenza, according to new research by the University of Rochester Medical Center presented today at the Pediatric Academic Society meeting in Denver. The children also had longer hospital stays.
"We know secondhand smoke contributes to chronic illnesses like asthma, but we haven't quantified the extent of what it can do to children with the flu," said Karen Wilson, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of Pediatrics at URMC and author of the abstract, which was funded by the Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence. "This study indicatesthat secondhand smoke makes the condition much more severe in children hospitalized with the flu."
Researchers analyzed the medical charts for 91 children hospitalized for flu at Golisano Children's Hospital at URMC between 2002 and 2009. More than a third of the children were exposed to secondhand smoke. Researchers found that exposed children were more likely to need intensive care (31 percent versus 9 percent) and intubation to help with breathing (19 percent versus 2 percent). After controlling for underlying conditions, including asthma, researchers found that exposed children were almost five times more likely to need intensive care and more than 11 times more likely to need intubation.
The children's length of stay in the hospital was significantly associated with smoke exposure and chronic conditions. For children with no chronic conditions, exposure lengthened their stay from two to three days. For children with chronic conditions, exposure lengthened their stay from four days to more than 10. Wilson said these results indicate a larger burden on hospitals – and on the families of these children.
"Parents need to be supported in their efforts to protect their children from tobacco smoke. The only way to protect them completely is for parents and close contacts to quit smoking completely," Wilson said and suggested that New York residents interested in quitting can call the New York State Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS, or go to www.nysmokefree.com for help. "The next best thing is to have a no no-smoking rule in homes and cars. Finally, while we recommend flu shots for all children now, it's especially important for children exposed to smoke to get their flu vaccine every year."
INFORMATION:
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-05-02
DALLAS – May 2, 2011 – Taking two medications for depression does not hasten recovery from the condition that affects 19 million Americans each year, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a national study.
"Clinicians should not rush to prescribe combinations of antidepressant medications as first-line treatment for patients with major depressive disorder," said Dr. Madhukar H. Trivedi, professor of psychiatry and chief of the division of mood disorders at UT Southwestern and principal investigator of the study, which is available online today and ...
2011-05-02
Bar Harbor, Maine -- Jackson Laboratory researchers and their collaborators have reported their discovery of a gene implicated in an acute and severe form of glaucoma known as angle-closure glaucoma (ACG). The gene's activity points to previously unsuspected mechanisms involved in both ACG and infant eye development.
Glaucoma is one of the most common eye diseases and a leading cause of blindness. An increase in fluid pressure in the eye (intraocular pressure or IOP) leads to damage to the optic nerve, causing loss of vision. Most people with the more familiar chronic ...
2011-05-02
Sheraton Atlanta Perimeter Hotel North, located near Dunwoody, GA, offers convenient accommodations to parents and guests attending Oglethorpe University's spring 2011 Commencement Ceremony. The event will be held at 9:00am on Saturday, May 7 in the Academic Quadrangle.
Oglethorpe University is a private liberal arts institution located in the Brookhaven area of northeast Atlanta and enrolls just over 1,100 students. The university confers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in Teaching- Early Childhood Education. Their ...
2011-05-02
Alexandria, VA —Though there have been significant improvements in the treatment of head and neck cancer, there is still a lack of data on the experience of end of life care for head and neck cancer patients, according to a new study published in the May 2011 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
As discussed in this study, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs group has developed the Family Assessment of Treatment at the End of life (FATE) survey, which is administered to families of deceased veterans. The purpose of the survey is to assess the quality ...
2011-05-02
The results are part of a survey of 1,248 Americans ages 18-44 on their attitudes about health, including influences of and beliefs about health behaviors and their risks for stroke.
Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in America.
Eight in 10 people between ages 25-44 years old believe they're living healthy lifestyles and are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors than 18-24 year olds participating in the survey.
"This survey shows the dangerous disconnect that many young Americans have about how their behaviors affect their risks for stroke and ...
2011-05-02
With the high prevalence of drug abuse and trafficking in major cities throughout the world, one new study shows how advanced CT with 3D scanning can help radiologists better identify ingested or hidden contraband items more effectively.
These advanced imaging techniques can help law enforcement officers fight international drug trafficking, identify medical complications caused by ingested drug packets, and reduce contraband smuggling within the penal system, said Dr. Barry Daly, lead researcher for the study. "Newer techniques for wrapping drug packets make them harder ...
2011-05-02
The Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Airport Hotel (North, I-85) offers nearby lodging to parents and guests attending Georgia State University's Spring 2011 Commencement Ceremonies. The Ph.D. Commencement and Hooding Ceremony will take place at 9:00am on Saturday, May 7 in The Rialto Center for the Arts. The Bachelor, Master and Specialist Commencement Ceremony is scheduled for 2:00pm at The Georgia Dome.
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, will serve as Georgia State University's spring commencement speaker for the 2:00pm ceremony. Carter served ...
2011-05-02
A recent study revealed that the "cognitive reserve" in early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) and PET-CT examinations can be used to effectively to identify early-onset AD patients.
"Although early-onset Alzheimer's dementia is quite rare, it can be devastating to the patients that carry the diagnosis," said Dr. Jacob Richard Hodge, lead researcher for this study at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "Symptoms are often unexpected and support networks are generally directed towards an older population."
In patients presenting with similar clinical severities of the ...
2011-05-02
Two new studies reveal that the United States Preventative Services Task Force's (USPSTF) recommendation to no longer screen women ages 40-49 for breast cancer using mammograms has begun to negatively affect the number of yearly mammograms performed in this age group and thus decrease the benefits of early detection.
After the USPSTF delivered their recommendations in November 2009, researchers at the University of Colorado saw a significant drop in mammograms in women in the 40-49 age range. "In the nine months after the guidelines, we saw 205 fewer women in the 40-49 ...
2011-05-02
DENVER – New research is shedding light on why young black males who have sex with males have among the highest rates of HIV infection in the United States, even though their reported use of condoms is similar to males of other racial and ethnic backgrounds.
A key factor may be black men's cultural beliefs about masculinity, which may influence how they choose their sex partners, make judgments about HIV risk and make decisions about condom use, according to a study to be presented Monday, May 2, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
Young ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Smoke-exposed children with flu more likely to need ICU care
Exposed children with flu also stay in the hospital longer