Categorizing, tracking birth abnormalities

Article Abstract:

In the US, up to three-quarters of birth defects occur for unknown reasons. The Center for Environmental Health and Injury Control, a branch of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), attempts to record the incidence of birth defects and mental retardation. The diagnoses are grouped into 150 categories. Although the rate of defects is higher among the poor, who also receive less adequate prenatal care, it is possible that other factors associated with socioeconomic background are influential. Exposure to environmental pollutants does not appear to be an important cause of major birth defects. Greater understanding of birth defects should come as the human genome project proceeds. For birth defects of known origin, such as fetal alcohol syndrome, the task of epidemiology is to assess the effectiveness of preventive measures, such as the warning labels on alcoholic beverages advising pregnant women not to drink. Births of infants with certain defects can be averted, such as phenylketonuria and Down syndrome. New insights that connect defects with potential causes can be made by observant physicians, and research is ongoing. A study is currently being carried out in China to test the relationship between vitamin deficiency before conception and spina bifida (a congenital defect that affects the spinal cord). Other federal agencies are perceived by members of the CDC as being far too tolerant of preventable risks and basing conclusions on animal and laboratory studies. The Food and Drug Administration is condemned for allowing one anti-acne agent (Accutane) to be prescribed for pregnant women, even though 25 percent of women who conceived while using the drug gave birth to deformed infants. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Reports, Prevention, Risk factors, Demographic aspects, Birth defects, United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Must older Americans save up to spend down?

Article Abstract:

The 'asset transfer' industry is growing as middle and upper income elderly people look for ways hide their wealth and qualify for Medicaid-funded nursing home care. They do this to avoid the spend-down trap, which forces people to pay for their long term care until their assets - homes, savings etc. - are exhausted and they really are poor. While some complain about the unfairness of spending down, others say that asset transfer steals resources from those who really do need it and costs the government an estimated $25 million a year. For now, asset transfer is legal, and there are books and lawyers who show the elderly how to hide money in exempt assets and how to transfer house titles while retaining the right to live in them. While organizations like the American Association of Homes for the Aged want the government to close the loopholes and implement recovery programs to stop asset transfer, the American Association of Retired Persons says the issue has been sensationalized and points out that Medicaid enrollment has barely increased in recent years.

Aged, Elderly, Economic aspects, Medicaid, Nursing home care, Long term care

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Gulf War symptoms remain puzzling

Article Abstract:

Some veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War have been experiencing unusual symptoms. These include bleeding gums, hair loss, rashes, muscle and joint pain, liver problems and activity-limiting fatigue. The government has assembled a panel of medical experts to investigate the cause of these symptoms. One possible cause is viscerotropic leishmaniasis, a parasitic infection caused by sand flea bites. The infection may remain dormant for an undetermined length of time, so Gulf War veterans are not allowed to donate blood until Jan 1993. Most veterans with the usual set of symptoms for this infection do not test positive, however, and one sergeant who tested positive did not respond to treatment. A registry similar to the one for Vietnam veterans has been established to monitor the health of the Gulf War veterans. The military wants to circumvent problems similar to those encountered by not following up Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange early enough.

Health aspects, Diseases, Persian Gulf War veterans, Persian Gulf syndrome, Persian Gulf War, 1991

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