(HealthDay News) -- While not as dangerous as talking on a cell phone while driving, passengers can cause distractions that boost crash risks, an Australian study finds.
And the more passengers in the car, the greater the likelihood of a crash, the researchers noted.
Study lead investigator Dr. Suzanne McEvoy, of the George Institute for International Health in Sydney, found that "carrying passengers in the car has a number of potentially distracting effects that also occur with mobile phone use while driving. Moreover, carrying passengers may have additional effects on the driver, including peer influence."
"Drivers with passengers were almost 60 percent more likely to have a motor vehicle crash resulting in hospital attendance, irrespective of their age group. The likelihood of a crash was more than doubled in the presence of two or more passengers," McEvoy said in a prepared statement.
Previous studies by researchers at the institute concluded that cell phone use while driving was associated with a fourfold increased risk of having a crash.
"In contrast to mobile phone use, passengers, with some exceptions, are generally aware of the road conditions and can moderate their conversation as needed," study co-author Mark Stevenson, a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, said in a prepared statement.
"However, although the risk associated with carrying passengers is lower than that associated with mobile phone use, it is likely to have a higher contribution to accidents because of higher incidence of taking passengers as opposed to using a mobile phone while driving," Stevenson said.
More information
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more about traffic safety.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Trial of Blood Pressure Drug Offers Hopeful Early Results
(HealthDay News) -- Researchers are reporting what they call promising early results from a major trial that they say may change the basic tactics for controlling high blood pressure in the most vulnerable people.
Over a six-month period, successful blood pressure control was achieved in 73 percent of the more than 11,500 participants in the ACCOMPLISH (Avoiding Cardiovascular Events Through Combination Therapy in Patients Living With Systolic Hypertension) trial, the researchers said.
That rate was achieved by use of Lotrel, the most prescribed combination brand for high blood pressure, which currently is not indicated for the initial treatment of high blood pressure. The hope of Novartis, the company that sells Lotrel and sponsored the trial, is that the medication will become an accepted first-line treatment.
There are major health implications linked to the study. Some 72 million Americans have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems. But blood pressure is not under control in 70 percent of those people, including the nearly 40 percent taking medication.
Early results of the ACCOMPLISH trial, led by Dr. Kenneth Jamerson of the University of Michigan Health System, were to be reported Monday at the American Society of Hypertension annual meeting, in Chicago.
"There are millions on millions of people whose blood pressure is not controlled," said Jamerson, who is professor of internal medicine at Michigan. "Using this strategy, we can expect to double the amount of cases under control. Since the estimated risk of getting high blood pressure at some time in life is 80 to 90 percent, we expect our society will embrace this strategy."
Traditionally, the approach to high blood pressure has been to start with one medication, increase the dose if necessary and then add a second drug, according to a statement issued by Novartis. "We now have significant data which demonstrate the value of treating high-risk hypertensive patients with a fixed-dose combination from the start," the statement said. "This data has the potential to change the current treatment guidelines."
Lotrel combines a calcium channel blocker, amlodipine besylate, with an ACE inhibitor, benazepril. In the trial, the drug was compared with a different combination medication that combined benazepril with a diuretic, which makes the body lose water. Various groups of patients were given different doses of the drugs.
The control rate achieved with Lotrel was lower for people with conditions that put them at higher risk of cardiovascular disease -- 43 percent for those with diabetes and 40 percent for those with kidney disease. But, the report noted, "Of the patients uncontrolled, 61 percent were not on maximum medications, suggesting potential increases in control rates."
Some skepticism has been expressed about the goals of the ACCOMPLISH trial. Those voicing concerns include Dr. Alan B. Weder, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan.
But, in a recent interview, Weder said his criticism, published two years ago in Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, wasn't directed so much at ACCOMPLISH as at clinical trials in general. "In the world of clinical trials, ACCOMPLISH is probably one of the better ones," he said.
Still, Weder said, "without doubt, these trials are done to further the interests of the pharmaceutical industry. But I don't see anything wrong with that."
More information
A complete guide to blood pressure and its control is offered by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Over a six-month period, successful blood pressure control was achieved in 73 percent of the more than 11,500 participants in the ACCOMPLISH (Avoiding Cardiovascular Events Through Combination Therapy in Patients Living With Systolic Hypertension) trial, the researchers said.
That rate was achieved by use of Lotrel, the most prescribed combination brand for high blood pressure, which currently is not indicated for the initial treatment of high blood pressure. The hope of Novartis, the company that sells Lotrel and sponsored the trial, is that the medication will become an accepted first-line treatment.
There are major health implications linked to the study. Some 72 million Americans have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems. But blood pressure is not under control in 70 percent of those people, including the nearly 40 percent taking medication.
Early results of the ACCOMPLISH trial, led by Dr. Kenneth Jamerson of the University of Michigan Health System, were to be reported Monday at the American Society of Hypertension annual meeting, in Chicago.
"There are millions on millions of people whose blood pressure is not controlled," said Jamerson, who is professor of internal medicine at Michigan. "Using this strategy, we can expect to double the amount of cases under control. Since the estimated risk of getting high blood pressure at some time in life is 80 to 90 percent, we expect our society will embrace this strategy."
Traditionally, the approach to high blood pressure has been to start with one medication, increase the dose if necessary and then add a second drug, according to a statement issued by Novartis. "We now have significant data which demonstrate the value of treating high-risk hypertensive patients with a fixed-dose combination from the start," the statement said. "This data has the potential to change the current treatment guidelines."
Lotrel combines a calcium channel blocker, amlodipine besylate, with an ACE inhibitor, benazepril. In the trial, the drug was compared with a different combination medication that combined benazepril with a diuretic, which makes the body lose water. Various groups of patients were given different doses of the drugs.
The control rate achieved with Lotrel was lower for people with conditions that put them at higher risk of cardiovascular disease -- 43 percent for those with diabetes and 40 percent for those with kidney disease. But, the report noted, "Of the patients uncontrolled, 61 percent were not on maximum medications, suggesting potential increases in control rates."
Some skepticism has been expressed about the goals of the ACCOMPLISH trial. Those voicing concerns include Dr. Alan B. Weder, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan.
But, in a recent interview, Weder said his criticism, published two years ago in Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, wasn't directed so much at ACCOMPLISH as at clinical trials in general. "In the world of clinical trials, ACCOMPLISH is probably one of the better ones," he said.
Still, Weder said, "without doubt, these trials are done to further the interests of the pharmaceutical industry. But I don't see anything wrong with that."
More information
A complete guide to blood pressure and its control is offered by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
U.S. Women Lagging Behind Men for Cholesterol Control
(HealthDay News) -- Women in the United States are much less likely than men to have their LDL ("bad") cholesterol controlled to recommended levels, a new study finds.
Elevated LDL cholesterol levels increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death for both women and men in the United States.
Researchers at the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) looked at 11 measures of cardiovascular disease and diabetes prevention, treatment and risk factors among patients in 46 commercial managed care plans and 148 Medicare plans.
On most of the measures, women had equal or better outcomes than men.
However, women were up to 10 percent less likely than men to have their cholesterol levels under control. The researchers said the findings suggest that women and their doctors may underestimate women's risk for high cholesterol and heart disease, resulting in poorer cholesterol control.
"These study findings show an opportunity to improve patient care for women and a reason to encourage women to consider seriously how to manage their risk factors, such as elevated cholesterol, especially the LDL portion of cholesterol," Dr. Ileana L. Pina, professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University, said in a prepared statement.
Pina is national spokesperson for Go Red for Women, an American Heart Association program designed to help women understand and manage their risk for cardiovascular disease.
The study also identified disparities associated with race and income level. For example, 55.4 percent of white men with recent cardiac events who were in commercial health plans met recommended lipid control levels, compared with 46.2 percent of white women, 44.8 percent of black men, and 34.2 percent of black women.
The study is published in the May/June issue of the journal Women's Health Issues.
More information
The American Heart Association has more about women and cardiovascular disease.
Elevated LDL cholesterol levels increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death for both women and men in the United States.
Researchers at the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) looked at 11 measures of cardiovascular disease and diabetes prevention, treatment and risk factors among patients in 46 commercial managed care plans and 148 Medicare plans.
On most of the measures, women had equal or better outcomes than men.
However, women were up to 10 percent less likely than men to have their cholesterol levels under control. The researchers said the findings suggest that women and their doctors may underestimate women's risk for high cholesterol and heart disease, resulting in poorer cholesterol control.
"These study findings show an opportunity to improve patient care for women and a reason to encourage women to consider seriously how to manage their risk factors, such as elevated cholesterol, especially the LDL portion of cholesterol," Dr. Ileana L. Pina, professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University, said in a prepared statement.
Pina is national spokesperson for Go Red for Women, an American Heart Association program designed to help women understand and manage their risk for cardiovascular disease.
The study also identified disparities associated with race and income level. For example, 55.4 percent of white men with recent cardiac events who were in commercial health plans met recommended lipid control levels, compared with 46.2 percent of white women, 44.8 percent of black men, and 34.2 percent of black women.
The study is published in the May/June issue of the journal Women's Health Issues.
More information
The American Heart Association has more about women and cardiovascular disease.
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