YANGON (Reuters) - The mother and child who touch hands in an overcrowded Yangon hospice are not family, but their tragic history begins in the blood.
Jam, 42, a mother of six, and Kanama, aged 2, are both HIV positive. Abandoned by their families, they must now find comfort in each other, although Jam still yearns for her husband to return to the private HIV hospice in the suburbs of Myanmar's biggest city.
'He promised to come back but I'm afraid he never will,' said the woman as she burst into tears. She is known in the hospice by her nickname, Jam.
The hospice is home to 182 HIV patients, whose plight demonstrates the painful limits of Myanmar's new democracy. A reform-minded government has vowed to overhaul a decrepit health system, but little change is likely for HIV/AIDS sufferers, who thanks to social stigma and medical neglect, are shut off in hospices that bring to mind leper colonies.
In 2009, the United Nations estimated 240,000 of Myanmar's 60 million people were infected with HIV and about 18,000 were dying a year. Neighboring Thailand, with a slightly bigger population, has more than twice the number of people with HIV but access to drugs and greater public acceptance mean that many can lead normal lives.
Jam once lived in Kadon, a fishing village in the impoverished Irrawaddy Delta, with her farmer husband and their six children. In 2008, feeling unwell, she was treated by a self-styled medic, who injected her with a drug.
The needle was dirty and had been used repeatedly. She was probably now HIV positive, although she didn't suspect it, and her personal tragedy was soon subsumed by a national one: Cyclone Nargis.
The typhoon slammed into the delta in May that year, killing at least 138,000 people, including Jam's sons, aged 17 and 18. She narrowly escaped, clutching her youngest child, who is six. Nargis wiped her village off the map.
Jam and thousands of other survivors struggled to rebuild their lives. Another four years passed before she fell ill again, this time more gravely, and a hospital referred her to the Yangon hospice. Tests confirmed she had AIDS.
That was two months ago. Jam is mostly alone now. Apart from her six-year-old, her children shun her. Her husband, who is not HIV positive, returned to the farm.
Five or six people from her village were also treated by the same medic and exhibit the same symptoms and weakness, says Jam, but they refuse to be tested for HIV.
Her neighbors would allow her to return to the village, she says. 'But they will not talk to me, because they know my illness is dangerous.'
Not that Jam is going anywhere. Weak and skeletal, she can barely walk or talk. She doesn't eat and is responding poorly to the drugs the hospice gives her.
Her only solace is Kanama, who was brought to the hospice by her father in 2011. He and Kanama's mother have both since died of AIDS. While her siblings, who are not HIV positive, stay with their grandparents, Kanama is mostly looked after by Thein Htay, 73, who has been a volunteer at the shelter for three years.
The children get better care and more sympathy here, he says, although not always from the shelter's neighbors.
'They were scared at the beginning and were avoiding people from the centre,' says Thein Htay. 'But we explained them what is HIV and how it works. Now, most are much more relaxed - but not all.'
DRUGS AND EDUCATION
The hospice is basic, its bamboo walls decorated with pictures of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Doctors pays visits, but patients cook and clean for themselves, helped by volunteers.
Volunteer Thein Htay expects little help from the government, even that of a reforming President Thein Sein.
'It does not matter what I expect, they will do nothing. So, I don't expect anything. Just to let us alone, not to disturb us. Things will change only when NLD becomes the government.'
The NLD, or National League for Democracy, won historic by-elections in April by a landslide, sweeping its leader, Suu Kyi, and 42 other members into parliament.
One of the new MPs is Phyu Phyu Thin, the HIV activist who founded the hospice in 2002.
The government threatened to close the centre in 2010 after Health Ministry officials warned of 'the possible spread of infectious disease from the patients', reported the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper.
But the centre, which Suu Kyi visited after her release from house arrest in 2010, remains open. A sister hospice nearby is home to another 82 HIV patients.
Phyu Phyu Thin called for the government to increase its health and education budgets to buy more HIV drugs and fight the stigma attached to the disease. 'The two most important things are sufficient drugs and health education,' she told Reuters.
Jam's story of rejection is shockingly common, she says, recalling an HIV sufferer who was left to starve by villagers, then possibly cremated while in a coma. 'HIV patients are often left alone and abandoned by the family,' she says.
Doctors Without Borders, a medical aid group, says some 85,000 HIV-infected people in Myanmar are not getting treatment because of a lack of funding, despite an increase in international engagement with the government.
Health workers accused Myanmar's former military rulers of largely ignoring the disease when it began to spread in the 1990s, particularly among sex workers and drug users.
Some groups predict the situation will only worsen despite more attention on AIDS and the country's nascent democracy.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, is cutting funding worldwide because of a lack of donations, jeopardizing a plan to provide HIV drugs to 46,500 people in Myanmar.
The new government has brought little hope, said Phyu Phyu Thin.
'Actually, nothing has changed. The situation has even declined,' she said, adding that the number of patients in the hospice doubled between 2010 and 2011.
(Writing By Andrew R.C. Marshall; Editing by Robert Birsel)
This news article is brought to you by COOKING MAIN-COURSE - where latest news are our top priority.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Sex Ed For Teens With Intellectual Disabilities
The page cannot be foundThe page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.Please try the following:
HTTP Error 404 - File or directory not found. |
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Taking Anti-HIV Meds Prior to Exposure May Help Prevent Infection
TUESDAY, May 29 (HealthDay News) -- Preventive antiretroviral treatment appears to be an effective way to help protect high-risk people against HIV infection, a new study suggests.
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can be transmitted through unprotected sex and contaminated needles.
Immediate treatment after HIV exposure can be successful in preventing HIV infection, previous research has found. More recently, several large randomized, controlled trials -- the gold standard of medical research, in which people are randomly assigned to treatment or no treatment -- have shown that giving antiretroviral drugs before people are exposed may also prevent infection.
For the new report, published May 28 in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), researchers reviewed studies published between January 1990 and April 2012 and found that preventive antiretroviral treatment could reduce the risk of HIV infection in high-risk groups such as gay men, intravenous drug users, and women in areas with high rates of HIV.
For example, one recent study that included 900 women from a region with a high rate of HIV found that applying a topical vaginal microbicide 12 hours before and after sex led to a 39 percent reduction in HIV infection rates.
'All pre-exposure prophylaxis [prevention] interventions should be considered one part of a more comprehensive plan for preventing the spread of HIV infection, including standard counseling on safer sexual practices and condom use, testing for and treating other sexually transmitted infections and, in select circumstances, male circumcision and needle exchange programs,' Dr. Isaac Bogoch of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues wrote.
While pre-exposure treatment is promising, there are a number of unanswered questions, such as which groups would benefit most, and the possibility of the development of drug resistance, the researchers noted.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about HIV transmission.
This news article is brought to you by ARCHERY - where latest news are our top priority.
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can be transmitted through unprotected sex and contaminated needles.
Immediate treatment after HIV exposure can be successful in preventing HIV infection, previous research has found. More recently, several large randomized, controlled trials -- the gold standard of medical research, in which people are randomly assigned to treatment or no treatment -- have shown that giving antiretroviral drugs before people are exposed may also prevent infection.
For the new report, published May 28 in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), researchers reviewed studies published between January 1990 and April 2012 and found that preventive antiretroviral treatment could reduce the risk of HIV infection in high-risk groups such as gay men, intravenous drug users, and women in areas with high rates of HIV.
For example, one recent study that included 900 women from a region with a high rate of HIV found that applying a topical vaginal microbicide 12 hours before and after sex led to a 39 percent reduction in HIV infection rates.
'All pre-exposure prophylaxis [prevention] interventions should be considered one part of a more comprehensive plan for preventing the spread of HIV infection, including standard counseling on safer sexual practices and condom use, testing for and treating other sexually transmitted infections and, in select circumstances, male circumcision and needle exchange programs,' Dr. Isaac Bogoch of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues wrote.
While pre-exposure treatment is promising, there are a number of unanswered questions, such as which groups would benefit most, and the possibility of the development of drug resistance, the researchers noted.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about HIV transmission.
This news article is brought to you by ARCHERY - where latest news are our top priority.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Discovery of Gene May Lead to New Male Contraceptive
THURSDAY, May 24 (HealthDay News) -- The discovery of a key gene involved in sperm development could eventually lead to the creation of a new type of non-hormonal birth control for men, a study involving mice suggests.
Researchers found that a gene called Katnal1 is critical to enable sperm to mature in the testes. Finding a way to regulate this gene could prevent sperm from maturing, making them incapable of fertilizing eggs.
This finding also could lead to new treatments for cases of male infertility in which the Katnal1 gene malfunctions and hampers sperm development, according to the study, from researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
The researchers found that male mice modified to lack the Katnal1 gene were infertile. Further investigation revealed that the gene was essential for sperm development and maturation.
Successful trials in mice do not necessarily mean the success will translate to humans, however.
The study was published in the journal PLoS Genetics.
'If we can find a way to target this gene in the testes, we could potentially develop a non-hormonal contraceptive,' study author Lee Smith, of the University of Edinburgh's Center for Reproductive Health, said in a journal news release.
'The important thing is that the effects of such a drug would be reversible because Katnal1 only affects sperm cells in the later stages of development, so it would not hinder the early stages of sperm production and the overall ability to produce sperm,' Smith said.
'Although other research is being carried out into non-hormonal male contraceptives, identification of a gene that controls sperm production in the way Katnal1 does is a unique and significant step forward in our understanding of testis biology,' Smith concluded.
More information
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health has more about birth control methods.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.
Researchers found that a gene called Katnal1 is critical to enable sperm to mature in the testes. Finding a way to regulate this gene could prevent sperm from maturing, making them incapable of fertilizing eggs.
This finding also could lead to new treatments for cases of male infertility in which the Katnal1 gene malfunctions and hampers sperm development, according to the study, from researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
The researchers found that male mice modified to lack the Katnal1 gene were infertile. Further investigation revealed that the gene was essential for sperm development and maturation.
Successful trials in mice do not necessarily mean the success will translate to humans, however.
The study was published in the journal PLoS Genetics.
'If we can find a way to target this gene in the testes, we could potentially develop a non-hormonal contraceptive,' study author Lee Smith, of the University of Edinburgh's Center for Reproductive Health, said in a journal news release.
'The important thing is that the effects of such a drug would be reversible because Katnal1 only affects sperm cells in the later stages of development, so it would not hinder the early stages of sperm production and the overall ability to produce sperm,' Smith said.
'Although other research is being carried out into non-hormonal male contraceptives, identification of a gene that controls sperm production in the way Katnal1 does is a unique and significant step forward in our understanding of testis biology,' Smith concluded.
More information
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health has more about birth control methods.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Long-term contraception more effective: study
Women who choose birth control pills, the patch or vaginal ring are 20 times more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy than those using long-term methods such as IUDs and implants, a study found.
Among young women under 21 who chose the pill, the patch or vaginal ring, the risk of unintended pregnancy is almost twice as high as that for older women, according to researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
The study, carried out on 7,500 participants between the ages of 14 and 45, appears in the May 24 New England Journal of Medicine.
'This study is the best evidence we have that long-acting reversible methods are far superior to the birth control pill, patch and ring,' says senior author and OBGYN Jeffrey Peipert.
Intrauterine devices 'and implants are more effective because women can forget about them after clinicians put the devices in place.'
Unplanned pregnancies remain a major health problem in the United States. About three million pregnancies per year -- half of all pregnancies -- are unplanned, very high for a developed nation.
'We know that IUDs and implants have very low failure rates of less than one percent,' said lead author Brooke Winner. 'But although IUDs are very effective and have been proven safe in women and adolescents, they only are chosen by 5.5 percent of women in the United States who use contraception.'
IUDs are inserted by a nurse or doctor, but few women can easily afford them as the cost can reach around $500.
However 'when IUDs and implants are provided at no cost, about 75 percent of women chose these methods for birth control,' Winner added.
That means that greater use of longer acting contraceptive methods by teens and young women could prevent substantially more unplanned pregnancies.
This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.
Among young women under 21 who chose the pill, the patch or vaginal ring, the risk of unintended pregnancy is almost twice as high as that for older women, according to researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
The study, carried out on 7,500 participants between the ages of 14 and 45, appears in the May 24 New England Journal of Medicine.
'This study is the best evidence we have that long-acting reversible methods are far superior to the birth control pill, patch and ring,' says senior author and OBGYN Jeffrey Peipert.
Intrauterine devices 'and implants are more effective because women can forget about them after clinicians put the devices in place.'
Unplanned pregnancies remain a major health problem in the United States. About three million pregnancies per year -- half of all pregnancies -- are unplanned, very high for a developed nation.
'We know that IUDs and implants have very low failure rates of less than one percent,' said lead author Brooke Winner. 'But although IUDs are very effective and have been proven safe in women and adolescents, they only are chosen by 5.5 percent of women in the United States who use contraception.'
IUDs are inserted by a nurse or doctor, but few women can easily afford them as the cost can reach around $500.
However 'when IUDs and implants are provided at no cost, about 75 percent of women chose these methods for birth control,' Winner added.
That means that greater use of longer acting contraceptive methods by teens and young women could prevent substantially more unplanned pregnancies.
This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.
IUDs, Implants Best for Long-Term Birth Control: Study
WEDNESDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that long-term birth control options, such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and under-the-skin implants, are 20 times more effective for preventing pregnancy than short-term contraceptives, such as birth control pills, patches and rings.
'IUDs and implants are very effective; they rival tubal ligation in terms of preventing pregnancy,' said study co-author Dr. Jeffrey Peipert, vice chair of clinical research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
'Birth control pills work about 90 percent of the time,' Peipert added. 'When you think about the millions of women taking them, that's a lot of unintended pregnancies.'
Results of the study are published in the May 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
In the United States, about half of all pregnancies are unplanned, according to the researchers. That rate is significantly higher than the rate in other developed nations, and it results in more than 1 million abortions each year. About half the unintended pregnancies occur because of contraceptive failure, often because of inconsistent or improper use, the study said.
The birth control pill, the most commonly used form of contraception in the United States, should be taken at the same time every day for best results. However, not everyone remembers to do that. 'We're human, and we all make mistakes,' said Peipert.
Those mistakes reduce the pill's effectiveness by about 9 percent, on average. In teenagers, failure rates are about 13 percent for the pill, according to the study. Other short-term birth control options include the birth control patch, the vaginal ring and a hormone shot that works for about three months.
Long-term, reversible birth control options include IUDs and implants. An IUD is a small, T-shaped device inserted into your uterus. 'It's a simple office procedure that you can have the same day you talk to your doctor about it. It's inserted through a small tube, and it takes about 30 seconds,' said Dr. Sarah J. Betstadt, an assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.
The risk of complications is low, she said, adding that there's a slight risk of infection for about three weeks after IUD insertion. When a woman decides she wants to become pregnant, the device is easily removable. Some women who can't use birth control pills or other hormonal options, perhaps because of high blood pressure or a history of blood clots, can often use an IUD, she said.
A significant drawback to an IUD is often the up-front cost -- $500 to $1,000, according to Planned Parenthood -- which some insurance companies may not cover. But Peipert said other methods of birth control often cost more than that over the course of a year, so an IUD may actually be more cost-effective.
The other long-term contraceptive is an implant placed under your skin that releases the hormone progestin, which changes the cervical mucus and helps prevents the sperm and egg from joining.
Peipert's study included almost 7,500 women with an average age of about 24, who were counseled about the use and reliability of various contraceptives. They were nearly evenly divided between black and white, with between 7 percent and 8 percent from other races. Around 40 percent had completed at least some college.
The contraceptive failure rate for pills, patches and rings was 4.55 per 100 participant years. For the hormone shot, the failure rate was 0.22 per 100 participant years, and for IUDs and subdural implants, it was 0.27.
The risk of accidental pregnancy was 21.8 times higher for those using short-term methods, the authors said.
Women under 21 had about twice the rate of unplanned pregnancy as did older women using the same methods, reported the study.
'I recommend long-term options to all women who want to avoid pregnancy first. They should be the first-line option,' said Peipert.
Peipert added it's extremely important for insurers to cover all contraceptive choices. 'Part of family planning is prevention,' he said. 'We're already paying for a very high rate of unintended pregnancy through abortions, pre-term birth and the higher risk of complications women face in pregnancy. And young women who get pregnant might not finish their education or achieve as much in their careers.'
Betstadt noted that many more contraceptive options are available now than in the past. 'All of these options are safer than pregnancy,' he said, 'especially if you have any medical conditions.'
IUDs fell out of favor in the 1970s, because of safety concerns linked to one model called the Dalkon Shield, which was withdrawn from the market. The IUDs on the market today are much improved, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other organizations consider them safe for most women.
More information
Learn more about available birth control options from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health.
This news article is brought to you by REMODELING - where latest news are our top priority.
'IUDs and implants are very effective; they rival tubal ligation in terms of preventing pregnancy,' said study co-author Dr. Jeffrey Peipert, vice chair of clinical research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
'Birth control pills work about 90 percent of the time,' Peipert added. 'When you think about the millions of women taking them, that's a lot of unintended pregnancies.'
Results of the study are published in the May 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
In the United States, about half of all pregnancies are unplanned, according to the researchers. That rate is significantly higher than the rate in other developed nations, and it results in more than 1 million abortions each year. About half the unintended pregnancies occur because of contraceptive failure, often because of inconsistent or improper use, the study said.
The birth control pill, the most commonly used form of contraception in the United States, should be taken at the same time every day for best results. However, not everyone remembers to do that. 'We're human, and we all make mistakes,' said Peipert.
Those mistakes reduce the pill's effectiveness by about 9 percent, on average. In teenagers, failure rates are about 13 percent for the pill, according to the study. Other short-term birth control options include the birth control patch, the vaginal ring and a hormone shot that works for about three months.
Long-term, reversible birth control options include IUDs and implants. An IUD is a small, T-shaped device inserted into your uterus. 'It's a simple office procedure that you can have the same day you talk to your doctor about it. It's inserted through a small tube, and it takes about 30 seconds,' said Dr. Sarah J. Betstadt, an assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.
The risk of complications is low, she said, adding that there's a slight risk of infection for about three weeks after IUD insertion. When a woman decides she wants to become pregnant, the device is easily removable. Some women who can't use birth control pills or other hormonal options, perhaps because of high blood pressure or a history of blood clots, can often use an IUD, she said.
A significant drawback to an IUD is often the up-front cost -- $500 to $1,000, according to Planned Parenthood -- which some insurance companies may not cover. But Peipert said other methods of birth control often cost more than that over the course of a year, so an IUD may actually be more cost-effective.
The other long-term contraceptive is an implant placed under your skin that releases the hormone progestin, which changes the cervical mucus and helps prevents the sperm and egg from joining.
Peipert's study included almost 7,500 women with an average age of about 24, who were counseled about the use and reliability of various contraceptives. They were nearly evenly divided between black and white, with between 7 percent and 8 percent from other races. Around 40 percent had completed at least some college.
The contraceptive failure rate for pills, patches and rings was 4.55 per 100 participant years. For the hormone shot, the failure rate was 0.22 per 100 participant years, and for IUDs and subdural implants, it was 0.27.
The risk of accidental pregnancy was 21.8 times higher for those using short-term methods, the authors said.
Women under 21 had about twice the rate of unplanned pregnancy as did older women using the same methods, reported the study.
'I recommend long-term options to all women who want to avoid pregnancy first. They should be the first-line option,' said Peipert.
Peipert added it's extremely important for insurers to cover all contraceptive choices. 'Part of family planning is prevention,' he said. 'We're already paying for a very high rate of unintended pregnancy through abortions, pre-term birth and the higher risk of complications women face in pregnancy. And young women who get pregnant might not finish their education or achieve as much in their careers.'
Betstadt noted that many more contraceptive options are available now than in the past. 'All of these options are safer than pregnancy,' he said, 'especially if you have any medical conditions.'
IUDs fell out of favor in the 1970s, because of safety concerns linked to one model called the Dalkon Shield, which was withdrawn from the market. The IUDs on the market today are much improved, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other organizations consider them safe for most women.
More information
Learn more about available birth control options from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health.
This news article is brought to you by REMODELING - where latest news are our top priority.
IUDs More Effective Than Pill: Study
The page cannot be foundThe page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.Please try the following:
HTTP Error 404 - File or directory not found. |
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
COPD Can Put a Damper on Sex Life
MONDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Shortness of breath during sexual activity is common for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a new, small study finds.
This breathlessness, also known as dyspnea, can inhibit healthy sex lives and is more common among COPD patients than even heart failure patients. COPD is a term used to describe certain lung conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
'We compared measures of well-being, depression and sexual function among older patients with severe COPD or heart failure, both of which are associated with dyspnea during exertion,' said Dr. Ejvind Frausing Hansen, chief physician at Hvidovre Hospital in Denmark. 'Dyspnea at exertion can also limit daily activities and increase the risk of poor well-being, social isolation, and depression,' he said in a news release from the American Thoracic Society.
In conducting the study, the researchers asked 39 patients with COPD and 22 patients with heart failure about their well-being, symptoms of depression and sexual function.
The average age of the COPD patients was 66 years and the average age of the heart failure patients was 64, the study authors noted.
Shortness of breath during sexual activity was reported by 44 percent of the COPD patients. In contrast, only 5 percent of the heart failure patients said they had this problem, the investigators found. And, 56 percent of COPD patients said shortness of breath limited their sexual activity, compared to just 27 percent of heart failure patients.
About one-third of COPD and heart failure patients reported problems with well-being. Signs of depression were reported by 34 percent of those with COPD and 37 percent of those with heart failure. An inadequate sex life was reported by 38 percent of those with COPD versus 32 percent of those with heart failure.
'Patients with COPD are known to have a high prevalence of sexual problems,' said Hansen. 'Our study shows that depression and poor well-being are also common in these patients. In our group of patients, dyspnea that limits sexual activity was more common among COPD patients than heart failure patients.'
The study's findings were scheduled for presentation Monday at an American Thoracic Society conference in San Francisco.
Data and conclusions of research presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
More information
The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about COPD.
This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.
This breathlessness, also known as dyspnea, can inhibit healthy sex lives and is more common among COPD patients than even heart failure patients. COPD is a term used to describe certain lung conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
'We compared measures of well-being, depression and sexual function among older patients with severe COPD or heart failure, both of which are associated with dyspnea during exertion,' said Dr. Ejvind Frausing Hansen, chief physician at Hvidovre Hospital in Denmark. 'Dyspnea at exertion can also limit daily activities and increase the risk of poor well-being, social isolation, and depression,' he said in a news release from the American Thoracic Society.
In conducting the study, the researchers asked 39 patients with COPD and 22 patients with heart failure about their well-being, symptoms of depression and sexual function.
The average age of the COPD patients was 66 years and the average age of the heart failure patients was 64, the study authors noted.
Shortness of breath during sexual activity was reported by 44 percent of the COPD patients. In contrast, only 5 percent of the heart failure patients said they had this problem, the investigators found. And, 56 percent of COPD patients said shortness of breath limited their sexual activity, compared to just 27 percent of heart failure patients.
About one-third of COPD and heart failure patients reported problems with well-being. Signs of depression were reported by 34 percent of those with COPD and 37 percent of those with heart failure. An inadequate sex life was reported by 38 percent of those with COPD versus 32 percent of those with heart failure.
'Patients with COPD are known to have a high prevalence of sexual problems,' said Hansen. 'Our study shows that depression and poor well-being are also common in these patients. In our group of patients, dyspnea that limits sexual activity was more common among COPD patients than heart failure patients.'
The study's findings were scheduled for presentation Monday at an American Thoracic Society conference in San Francisco.
Data and conclusions of research presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
More information
The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about COPD.
This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.
Health Tip: Comforting Baby's Pain
(HealthDay News) -- When your baby is in pain -- be it from things like a circumcision, vaccine or incoming tooth -- parents can take steps to soothe, comfort and ease the pain as much as possible.
The University of Michigan Health System offers these suggestions:
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE.
The University of Michigan Health System offers these suggestions:
- Cuddle your baby, and try to have skin-to-skin contact.
- Distract your baby by singing, cuddling, talking or moving.
- Nurse your baby if you are breast-feeding.
- If you aren't nursing, dip a pacifier in a sugar/water solution, but never honey.
- Ask your doctor about administering a pain-relieving medication designed for infants.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Fewer girls completing all three HPV shots: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Among girls and women who get their first human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine, the percent who complete all three doses is dropping, according to a new study.
One of the study's authors told Reuters Health she was aware the number of people completing the vaccine series was low to begin with, but she did not expect to see it getting even lower.
'We thought that that would be increasing over time as more people became aware of the vaccine and how it was to be administered,' said Dr. Abbey Berenson, a professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
The HPV vaccine, which goes by the brand names Gardasil and Cervarix, protects girls and women from the sexually-transmitted virus that's linked to cervical cancer.
Girls as young as age nine can start the vaccine series, and catch-up vaccination is recommended for women up to age 26 who have not yet gotten their shots. The vaccine is given in three doses over a six-month period.
One earlier study found that 48 percent of teenage girls had received at least one dose in the vaccine series (see Reuters Health report of October 18, 2011).
Berenson said she wanted to know how many of those who start the shot series end up completing it.
She and her colleagues looked at the health insurance records of more than 271,000 girls and women, age nine and up, who had gotten a first Gardasil vaccine.
They found just 38 out of every 100 of them received the second and third shots in the next year.
Berenson's group also found that since the vaccine became available in 2006, the number of people completing all three doses declined.
In pre-teens, for instance, 57 percent of girls in 2006 completed the vaccine series, compared to 21 percent in 2009.
The numbers were similar for teenagers.
Among women 19 to 26 years old who got their first Gardasil shot, the number of those completing the series dropped from 44 percent in 2006 to 23 percent in 2009.
Berenson pointed out that her study, published in the journal Cancer, included all shots given within a 12-month window, even though the recommendation is to complete the series in six months.
'We have a window beyond the current recommendations, which makes the data even more surprising,' she said.
As to why so few girls and women are completing the series of shots, 'the honest answer is, we don't know,' said Chun Chao, a researcher at Southern California Permanente Medical Group in Pasadena, who was not involved in this study.
Chao said even among patients in her health organization, who don't have to pay an extra cost to get the HPV vaccine, the rate of people who get all three shots is only about 40 percent.
'It's always more difficult to get a patient to come to the doctor for multiple appointments,' said Berenson. 'It requires quite an initiative from the patient's perspective.'
'The scheduling might not be that easy to remember, and physicians might not do a good job explaining' the need for three shots, Chao told Reuters Health.
It's unclear whether getting one or two shots offers women any immunity from HPV.
There is some evidence that two shots of Cervarix can be effective, but that doesn't necessarily hold true for the women in this study who received Gardasil.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least half of sexually-active people will get HPV at some point in their lives -- but most strains aren't cancer-causing and will be cleared on their own.
Still, of the 12,000 women in the U.S. who get cervical cancer each year, almost all cases are linked to HPV.
Berenson said if people have not completed the three vaccine doses, and are concerned that it's too late, 'just go ahead and complete it now. It's a much better insurance against contracting HPV than forgetting about the last two doses.'
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/KxkxF3 Cancer, online April 27, 2012.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.
One of the study's authors told Reuters Health she was aware the number of people completing the vaccine series was low to begin with, but she did not expect to see it getting even lower.
'We thought that that would be increasing over time as more people became aware of the vaccine and how it was to be administered,' said Dr. Abbey Berenson, a professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
The HPV vaccine, which goes by the brand names Gardasil and Cervarix, protects girls and women from the sexually-transmitted virus that's linked to cervical cancer.
Girls as young as age nine can start the vaccine series, and catch-up vaccination is recommended for women up to age 26 who have not yet gotten their shots. The vaccine is given in three doses over a six-month period.
One earlier study found that 48 percent of teenage girls had received at least one dose in the vaccine series (see Reuters Health report of October 18, 2011).
Berenson said she wanted to know how many of those who start the shot series end up completing it.
She and her colleagues looked at the health insurance records of more than 271,000 girls and women, age nine and up, who had gotten a first Gardasil vaccine.
They found just 38 out of every 100 of them received the second and third shots in the next year.
Berenson's group also found that since the vaccine became available in 2006, the number of people completing all three doses declined.
In pre-teens, for instance, 57 percent of girls in 2006 completed the vaccine series, compared to 21 percent in 2009.
The numbers were similar for teenagers.
Among women 19 to 26 years old who got their first Gardasil shot, the number of those completing the series dropped from 44 percent in 2006 to 23 percent in 2009.
Berenson pointed out that her study, published in the journal Cancer, included all shots given within a 12-month window, even though the recommendation is to complete the series in six months.
'We have a window beyond the current recommendations, which makes the data even more surprising,' she said.
As to why so few girls and women are completing the series of shots, 'the honest answer is, we don't know,' said Chun Chao, a researcher at Southern California Permanente Medical Group in Pasadena, who was not involved in this study.
Chao said even among patients in her health organization, who don't have to pay an extra cost to get the HPV vaccine, the rate of people who get all three shots is only about 40 percent.
'It's always more difficult to get a patient to come to the doctor for multiple appointments,' said Berenson. 'It requires quite an initiative from the patient's perspective.'
'The scheduling might not be that easy to remember, and physicians might not do a good job explaining' the need for three shots, Chao told Reuters Health.
It's unclear whether getting one or two shots offers women any immunity from HPV.
There is some evidence that two shots of Cervarix can be effective, but that doesn't necessarily hold true for the women in this study who received Gardasil.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least half of sexually-active people will get HPV at some point in their lives -- but most strains aren't cancer-causing and will be cleared on their own.
Still, of the 12,000 women in the U.S. who get cervical cancer each year, almost all cases are linked to HPV.
Berenson said if people have not completed the three vaccine doses, and are concerned that it's too late, 'just go ahead and complete it now. It's a much better insurance against contracting HPV than forgetting about the last two doses.'
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/KxkxF3 Cancer, online April 27, 2012.
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)