Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health,americast.usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Wed, Nov 4 1992 Date: Wed, 4 Nov 92 05:08:35 EST Message-ID: 11-04 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update Nov. 4, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network SKIN CAN SHOW INTERNAL PROBLEMS: Health is more than skin deep. A skin problem can be the first clue that all is not right with the body, say doctors at an American Academy of Dermatology meeting in Washington, D.C. Wrinkles are known to be the cumulative result of a lifetime in the sun. And now, a growing body of research suggests that when the skin gets too much sun, the immune system can suffer. (For more, see special Skin package below.) EXERCISE HELPS BONES: A new study confirms women can increase bone mass and reduce their risk of osteoporosis later in life by exercising more. The study in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association reports birth control pills may also help increase bone mass. But experts say women shouldn't take the pill for only that reason. RECORD FIVE ORGANS TRANSPLANTED: Doctors in Pittsburgh have completed a rare five-organ transplant. A four-year-old boy was given a new liver, small intestine, large intestine, pancreas and stomach. The boy was born with short-gut syndrome, which made his small intestine unable to absorb nutrients from food. POOR GET SECOND-RATE CARE: Poor people with no medical insurance are more likely to suffer from inferior treatment than privately insured patients, a new study suggests. Most likely place uninsured and Medicaid patients get sub-par care: Emergency rooms. Many have thought the USA's subsidized avenues of attaining medical treatment would serve as "safety nets" for the poor and uninsured. UNINSURED FIND COMPLICATIONS: Dr. Helen R. Burstin and others at Harvard University analyzed 30,195 medical records for patients treated at 51 New York hospitals in 1984. They found 306 complications that patients suffered due to negligence and substandard medical care. Uninsured patients had more than twice the risk of substandard care than privately insured patients, Burstin says. EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS TRACKED: People over 35 who use drugs accounted for 50% of drug-related emergency room visits in the first three months of 1992, up from 41% in 1988, reports the Department of Health and Human Services. Heroin is a particular problem because the users may be unable to kick the habit they acquired as teens, say department officials, who are calling for more money to expand treatment facilities. DRUG PRICES RISE: Prescription drug prices rose 67% from 1985 to 1991, vs. a 26% rise in the inflation rate, says a recent study by the General Accounting Office. The 15 top-selling prescription drugs (by non-elderly users) rose 80% from 1985 through 1991, says a study by the Families USA Foundation. Most drug companies have vowed this year to hold price increases to the inflation rate. DOGS CAN MAKE PATIENTS HAPPY: Patients are happier when visited by family, friends - and dogs, say officials at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Calif. The hospital's five-year-old special therapy program has united clean, healthy dogs and frightened patients. The pets are regularly screened for illness and behavior problems and taught not to bark or lick. Dogs aren't banned from pediatrics or maternity wards. KEEP TRACK OF FAMILY HEALTH: Families can keep track of their health with a Home Health Packet, which includes a health report card, health passports, low-fat, high-fiber diet tips and a poster. Send $5 to Home Health Packet, American Health Foundation, 320 E. 43rd St., New York, N.Y. 10017. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON SKIN: SUN CAN AFFECT IMMUNE SYSTEM: At a recent American Academy of Dermatology meeting, Margaret Kripke, of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston talked about studies in which animals exposed to the same kind of light in sunlight can lose some of their ability to respond to infections and allergens. The effects on human immunity are unknown. But some studies suggest AIDS patients worsen when they get a lot of sun. SUNSCREENS NOT ALL EFFECTIVE: Studies done so far hint that dark skin color or sunscreens won't protect sun-worshipers from whatever dangers exist. "The implication is that you can perfectly well protect yourself against sunburn without protecting yourself against immune damage," Kripke says. Dermatologists also fear that the thinning ozone layer will worsen all of the health problems linked to sun expesure. BEWARE OF CHEMICALS, COSMETICS: Dermatologists want to educate the public about other, less-talked-about environmental skin hazards. They include: Chemicals, pesticides and other substances used in the workplace. Work-related skin damage - ranging from infections to rashes - account for a third of work-related illnesses; and 12% of men and women in a recent academy survey said they'd had reactions to cosmetics. (End of package.) Health Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. 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