Strategies unveiled to manage teen diabetes
In response to the rising rate of type 2 diabetes among adolescents, the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) has introduced
resources to help them manage the disease. Approximately 154,000 youth under age 20 have type 2 diabetes.
A series of tips sheets and an interactive online quiz created for teens provides useful information about diabetes and encourages
teens to take action to manage their disease for a long and healthy life. Written in clear and concise language, the tip sheets
are helpful for anyone who has diabetes and their caregivers. Some of the topics addressed are:A0"What is diabetes?," "Be
active," "Stay at a healthy weight," "Make healthy food choices," and "Dealing with the ups and downs of diabetes." There's
also a tip sheet for teens at risk for type 2 diabetes.
All of NDEP's materials are free and can be found at www.YourDiabetesInfo.org, or by calling 888-693-6337. NDEP is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
A pediatric pandemic flu plan The time is now
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) unveiled a report stating that children
and adolescents from birth to 19 years of age account for almost half of all H5N1 flu deaths.
"Pandemic Influenza: Warning, Children At-Risk" raises concerns and identifies gaps in US preparedness for treating pediatric
patients in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak. Specifically, four crucial points were highlighted: the need for child-appropriate
doses of vaccine and medications, management and treatment of children who contract influenza, factoring children into community
strategies to slow the spread of infection, and caring for children in the event it becomes necessary to close schools and
childcare facilities.
Some of the initiatives endorsed by AAP and TFAH are:
- Pediatricians, as well as pediatric medical and surgical specialists, should be included in pandemic flu planning at all levels
of government
- The Department of Health and Human Services should immediately create an independent task force to study and make recommendations
regarding the use of surgical masks, N95 respirators, and other protective gear by children
- The federal government should ensure that there are sufficient pediatric doses of antiviral drugs to treat 25% (about 18.4
million) of the nation's pediatric population in the Strategic National Stockpile
The complete report is available at http://www.healthyamericans.org, or www.aap.org.
More "Zs" may prevent overweight
Researchers found an association between the amount of sleep a child gets and his/her weight. Parental reports of sleep habits
and the body mass index (BMI) of 785 third graders were recorded, and then repeated in sixth grade. Fifty-one percent of the
children were male, 18% were overweight in sixth grade, and most (81%) were white. Overweight was defined as a BMI of ≥95th
percentile for age and gender. Maternal education, race, type of home environment, and parenting skills were assessed.
Sixth graders who slept less than 8.5 hours a night had a 23% rate of obesity. Those who averaged more than 9.25 hours of
sleep had an obesity rate of 12%. Third graders who slept less had higher rates of overweight by grade 6, regardless of their
weight in grade 3 (Pediatrics 2007;120:1020).
Julie C. Lumeng, MD, the study's lead author, said there are three possibilities for the link between sleep and weight. First,
children who are grumpy may be more likely to ask for food. "Second, children who don't get enough sleep are more likely to
be tired the next day and less likely to exercise." And "a disrupted sleep cycle may interfere with how the body stores calories."
Editor's Note:
Look for Dr. Lumeng's article "Maternal feeding practices: An ingredient in childhood obesity," in the January issue of
CP.
FDA News
Lower-strength antiretroviral is sanctioned
Abbott Laboratories received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market a lower-strength version of its HIV protease
inhibitor lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra).
The tablet is smaller than the original tablet size and contains 100 mg of lopinavir and 25 mg of ritonavir. It can be prescribed
to children weighing 15 kg or more who can swallow the tablet whole. It does not require refrigeration, and can be taken with
or without food.
In a recent press release, Abbott said it is awaiting European Medicines Agency authorization to market the drug internationally.
The company intends to register the lower-dose version of lopinavir/ritonavir in over 150 countries.
Antipsychotic approved for teens
Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals announced the FDA's approval of aripiprazole (Abilify) to treat schizophrenia
in teens aged 13 to 17 years. Aripiprazole was first approved in 2002 for the treatment of bipolar disorder, bipolar mania,
and schizophrenia in adults.
The approval was granted based on results from a six-week, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
of 302 patients ages 13 to 17 years with schizophrenia. Otsuka sponsored the study, which was conducted at 101 centers in
13 countries. Patients had to have experienced acute schizophrenia episodes and required hospitalization at time of enrollment
in the trial.
The companies recently filed a supplemental new drug application to approve the drug for 10- to 17-year-old patients diagnosed
with bipolar disorder and bipolar mania.
Allergy med gets OTC nod
The FDA has approved Zyrtec-D (cetirizine 5 mg and pseudoephedrine 120 mg) for over-the-counter use in adults and children
ages 12 years and older.
The combination antihistamine and nasal decongestant relieves symptoms due to hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies.
It helps to reduce swelling of the nasal passages, relieves sinus congestion and pressure, and can improve breathing through
the nose.
Sales of the medication are subject to restrictions under the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, which restricts the sale
of products containing pseudoephedrine by limiting the amount a person can purchase and imposing record- keeping requirements
on retailers of the product.
GLOBAL News
WHO launches a new pediatric diagnostic tool
WHO (World Health Organization) has published the first internationally accepted classification code for assessing the health
of children and youth within the context of their stages of development and the environments in which they live.
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) uses classification
codes to describe bodily functions and structures, activities and participation, and environmental factors that impact how
children and youth function. Developmental delays are included. The new standardized coding system will enable clinicians,
educators, parents, policy makers, and others to document and measure milestones in pediatric growth, health, and developmental
characteristics.
The system provides a way to quantify the impacts of children's physical and social environment so that social policy, educational
systems, and health care can be changed to improve well-being. "For the first time, we now have a tool that enables us to
track and compare the health of children and youth between countries and over time," said Nenad Kostanjsek of WHO's Measurement
and Health Information team.
In the November issue, an Updates article on tuberculosis ran with an photograph of a tine test device. The Mantoux skin test technique is the current
standard of care for screening and diagnosing tuberculosis, not the tine test.
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