Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
China Orders Tighter Controls on Heparin Production
China's drug agency has ordered local authorities to tighten control on the production of the blood thinner heparin. The move is a reversal of the agency's previous position that ensuring the quality of Chinese-made compounds was the responsibility of importers and importing countries, the Associated Press reported.
Tainted heparin has been linked to 19 deaths in the United States and hundreds of allergic reactions. Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it had found a contaminant called oversulfated chondroitin sulfate in batches of Chinese-made heparin distributed by U.S. pharmaceuticals company Baxter International Inc.
In an order posted Friday on its Web site, China's State Food and Drug Administration said heparin producers must obtain the raw chemicals used to make heparin from registered suppliers, who must improve their product management and testing, the AP reported.
Both U.S. and Chinese authorities are continuing their investigations into how the heparin batches became contaminated with oversulfated chondroitin sulftate, which is not a naturally occurring substance. Officials haven't confirmed if the contaminant actually caused the dangerous allergic reactions.
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Diabetes-Related Amputations Increase Among U.S. Hispanics
Between 2001 and 2004, hospitalizations of adult Hispanics for diabetes-related foot or leg amputations increased from 63 per 100,000 people to nearly 80 per 100,000, says the latest News and Numbers summary from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
During that same period, the hospitalization rate for diabetes-related amputations among whites remained at about 28 to 31 per 100,000. Among blacks, the rate decreased from 113 per 100,000 to 104 per 100,000, which is still more than three times higher than the rate for whites.
Diabetes-related leg or foot amputations typically occur because the disease reduces blood circulation. In addition, diabetes-related nerve damage can impair a person's ability to feel a blister or other sore, which increases the risk of infection.
Diabetes is the leading cause of leg or foot amputations in the United States. About 86,000 Americans had diabetes-related amputations in 2004. Proper care by doctors and diabetes patients can reduce or eliminate the risk of amputation.
But the AHRQ summary noted that only 38 percent of Hispanic diabetes patients age 40 and over had three recommended annual screenings -- foot exams, eye exams and blood sugar level checks -- in 2004, compared to 47 percent for both whites and blacks.
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Health Canada Issues Advisory About Carbamazepine
Reports of serious skin reactions in people of Asian ancestry have prompted Health Canada to issue an advisory about the drug carbamazepine, commonly used to treat epilepsy, mania, bipolar disorder and the facial disorder trigeminal neuralgia, CBC News reported.
"Serious and sometimes fatal skin reactions known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis have been known to occur very rarely with carbamazepine," the health advisory says. "While all patients treated with carbamazepine are at risk of these skin reactions, the risk is approximately 10 times higher in Asian countries than in Western countries."
Health Canada said a genetic test can identify people of Asian ancestry who may be at increased risk of developing serious skin reactions when taking the drug, CBC News reported. Anyone considering taking carbamazepine should talk to their doctor about this genetic test, the health agency advised.
Any patients who aren't experiencing any skin reactions should not stop treatment before they discuss the matter with their doctor. Any patients taking the drug should immediately consult a doctor if they have any symptoms of serious skin reactions, such as rash, red skin, blistering of the lips, eyes or mouth, or peeling skin accompanied by fever, Health Canada warned. Patients who've experienced skin reactions while taking the drug should not take it again.
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Tap Water Suspected in Colorado Salmonella Outbreak
Tap water is being investigated as the possible cause of 47 confirmed and 76 suspected cases of salmonella among residents of the southern Colorado community of Alamosa, about 160 miles south of Denver.
Health officials said Alamosa's tap water tested positive for bacteria believed to be salmonella, but they're still waiting for final test results to confirm that, the Associated Press reported. Investigators are still looking into the cause of the contamination.
Residents of the community of about 8,500 people have been told to boil tap water for 15 seconds to kill the bacteria, or to use bottled water instead of tap water for brushing teeth, cooking, drinking, washing dishes and making baby formula.
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Many Americans Self-Medicate
According to a new survey, 76 percent of American adults use non-prescription drugs for themselves and their children to treat a variety of common illnesses, and many of them don't consult a health-care provider about the use of these medicines.
Many people self-medicate because it's more convenient (86 percent) or they don't believe their illness is serious enough to see a doctor (78 percent), according to the survey of 1,005 adults, which was conducted for the National Council on Patient Information and Education and released Wednesday. The survey received funding from drug maker Sanofi-Aventis.
Respondents who self-medicate were most likely to do so for colds (56 percent), coughs (37 percent), and seasonal allergies (29 percent), and year-round allergies (14 percent).
Of the nine of 10 adults who self-medicate a number of common conditions, many said they did so because they were familiar with how to treat their own (90 percent) or their child's illness (93 percent) due to past experience with the illnesses.
However, 76 percent said they recognized that self-medication can pose possible risks. About one in five adults who typically self-medicates said they have not used non-prescription drugs as directed, either by taking more than the recommended dose (20 percent) or be taking them more frequently than indicated (17 percent).
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Some Americans Question Private Health System
Many Americans aren't certain the country's private health-care system is better than public health care in Canada, France, and Great Britain, suggests a Harvard School of Public Health survey released Thursday, Bloomberg News reported.
The telephone survey of 1,026 people found that 45 percent believed the U.S. health system was generally the best, while 54 percent said they didn't know or thought the other countries' health systems were better.
"Most Americans still think that the quality here is relatively good, but they are concerned about cost and affordability. They don't have strong views on where it is better, however," Robert Blendon, a professor of health policy and political analysis, told Bloomberg.
The survey found that 68 percent of people who identified themselves as Republicans, 32 percent as Democrats, and 40 percent as independents believed the U.S. system was superior. In terms of quality of care, 72 percent of Republicans, 49 percent of Democrats, and 48 percent of independents believed the U.S. system was best.
But only 40 percent of Republicans, 19 percent of Democrats and 22 percent of independents said the U.S. system was best in terms of affordable health care, Bloomberg reported.
