Diabetes, ADHD, Diarrhoea, Eczema, Swimming Pools, Painkillers & Bone Fractures, TV & Toddlers, Pre-eclampsia, Sex Education, Teen Pregnancy, Carcinogenic Fish, SANDS Awareness Week

NATIONAL DIABETES WEEK

Treatment Breakthrough and Insulin Warning

It is National Diabetes Week and a number of events are being planned across the UK to educate people about diabetes and to help raise money for research. New treatments in development offer a real hope of a cure for children with diabetes. The Daily Express on June 10^th reports on a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International analysis of people who have had islet cell transplants (to replace their own insulin producing cells) and despite being on immunosuppressive therapy appear to be doing well. Read A New Reality: 8 Successful Transplant Patients.

Diabetes type 1, which is the commonest type in childhood, has been cured in mice in a laboratory using genetic manipulation – this may also lead to a way of curing children one day – you can read about it at Diabetes results raise cure hopes. The BBC also carries a warning this week about the HumaPen Ergo insulin injecting pen with blue insulin cartridges that may not give accurate amounts of insulin – see Diabetes pen warning. And Alert over diabetes pen insulin dose.

Many older people are unaware that they have diabetes and run the risk of heart disease circulation problems and blindness if it is left undiagnosed and untreated.

Diabetes UK is arranging a number of walks and fundraising events – read about National Diabetes Week 9-15 June 2002.

For general information on symptoms diagnosis and treatment read our section on diabetes.

ADHD EPIDEMIC

A report this week from the Centres for Disease Control estimates that 1.6 million American school children have ADHD – i.e. 7% of children in the 6 to 11 year old age group are affected. The diagnosis is commoner in white single parent families with low incomes. You can read the report at ADHD - CDC health topics. Also read our report on ADHD.

DIARRHOEA AND NATURAL YOGHURT

At last there has been some research published about the use of lactobacilli (the natural bacteria in the gut) to treat diarrhoea associated with antibiotic use and to restore the ‘balance’ of bacteria in the gut. Advertisers of natural yoghurt are always telling us how good for us it is and for many years doctors have been giving the bacilli to children with diarrhoea after taking antibiotics. The lactobacilli can be taken in a medical powder (probiotics) or by eating natural yogurts. The paper concludes that probiotics can be used to ‘prevent antibiotic associated diarrhoea’ but that their use in treating the diarrhoea once it has started has not been proven yet. Read probiotics and diarrhoea.

ECZEMA

Childhood eczema is also in the news this week – one in ten children in developed countries are affected by atopic (allergic) eczema, and four in five of these children can be shown to be allergic to pollens, other inhaled allergens or foods, with the commonest allergen being house dust mite. Food allergy affected only one in ten of children with eczema. You can read how to control house dust mite in the home in our section on eczema. Also read the full research report in this week’s British Medical Journal.

Professor Anthony Seaton from the University of Aberdeen suggested this week that the increase in asthma and eczema could be caused by poor diet – low in vegetables and high in processed food fat and salt. He was speaking at the Royal Society’s conference in Edinburgh and also suggested that vitamin E in nuts and fish could strengthen the resistance to allergies.

SWIMMING POOLS MAY HARM YOUR HEALTH

A report published this week by Which magazine found a ‘health risk’ in nine out of 61 pools sampled. Problems included high levels of bacteria – there has also been research linking swimming pools to miscarriage – read Swimming pools may pose health hazard.

PAINKILLERS MAY SLOW HEALING OF BONE FRACTURES

Research published this week suggested that fractured bones healed more slowly if anti-inflammatory painkillers such as indomethacin and ibuprofen were taken. Read Warning on painkillers.

TELEVISION IN TODDLERS BEDROOMS MAKES THEM FAT

Research published this week showed that children under 5 years who had televisions in their bedrooms were more likely to become obese adults. Read more about the study.

MAGNESIUM SULPHATE CAN PREVENT PRE-ECLAMPSIA

Pre-eclampsia is a condition in pregnancy where the expectant mother gets high blood pressure, protein in her urine, and fluid in her legs (swollen legs) and it can progress to brain swelling with visual disturbances and fits and rarely death – currently the treatment is drugs to lower the blood pressure, bed rest and urgent delivery of the baby if all else fails. New research published this week suggests that injections of magnesium sulphate may halve the risk of the most severe symptoms developing – it is a cheap treatment (its common name is Epsom salts) – read about it at Magnesium could save hundreds of women’s' lives worldwide.

SEX EDUCATION

With an increasing number of girls reaching puberty while still at primary school and a soaring teenage pregnancy rate it is imperative that parents lose their inhibitions about sex and give youngsters the information they need to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases – this article suggests that many children still believe myths about pregnancy, such as the pill prevents sexually transmitted diseases.

US, UK ARE TOP IN TEENAGE PREGNANCY RATES

A report by UNICEF says that the USA and the UK have the highest teenage pregnancy rates anywhere in the developed world. The UK has 30 births per 1000 teenagers – this leads to a risk of living in poverty. Read more from the BMJ and the Independent.

FISH CAUGHT IN THE SEVERN HIGH IN CANCER CAUSING CHEMICAL

This report was in the New Scientist. The National Radiological Protection Board has found that levels of tritrium found in fish in the Severn estuary were very high, and this is thought to pose a cancer risk.

SANDS AWARENESS WEEK

The Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS) is a charity that helps people who have lost a baby soon after birth or when the baby was stillborn. It is also their awareness week – you can read about their work at the SANDS website.