Concern that vaccines might cause harm was the most common reason given by parents who choose not to have their children vaccinated for preventable diseases, according to an article in the May issue of
Pediatricians can reliably identify children at risk for environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure (secondhand smoke) by asking parents just three questions, according to an article in the May issue of
The accelerated approval of the drug clofarabine to treat relapsed or refractory pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) demonstrates the importance of offering children rapid access to new treatments through clinical trials, according to investig
International health advocates and policymakers still have work to do to meet the nutrition goals set by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children in 2002, according to a survey of nutrition needs in developing regions published b
Alarms that buzz, ring or light up when a child wets the bed are more effective at stopping bedwetting than medications like the drug commonly used to prevent urination, according to a new review of recent studies.Among the 2,345 children enrol
The latest comeback in the health arena is whooping cough and experts are sufficiently concerned for the US government to approve the first whooping cough booster shot meant just for adolescents. The shot will be added to a booster shot against two oth
Bill Clinton has joined the obesity debate by launching a campaign to reduce obesity among American children, and warns that today's youth could be the first U.S. generation to die younger than
South Australian researchers have found that just 23 per cent of SA children are meeting the recommended daily activity requirements on any given day, as outlined in the Australian Government's new physical activity guidelines.And
In conjunction with National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month in May, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) is urging parents to ensure that their child's asthma is properly
A new study has found that the majority of parents who choose not to vaccinate their children do so out of fear that the vaccine will cause more harm than the disease it prevents.Dr. Daniel A. Salmon of the
Date: Monday, 22-Jan-2007
Two separate government reports highlight the economic costs of birth defects, focusing attention on the ongoing need for prevention.This week, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released reports detailing the expense and length of hospital stays for dozens of common birth defects.
Average hospital stays for birth defects were 6.3 days and average costs $18,600 compared to 4.9 days and $8,200 for all admissions, according to AHRQ, which looked at hospitalizations in 2004 for all age groups. The average age for a birth defect-related hospital stay was 17.6 years compared to 49.9 years for all other hospital stays.
"January is Birth Defects Prevention Month and these new data show the impact of birth defects on families and our nation," says Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "In addition, these data on hospitalization costs for spina bifida support our recent call to the Food and Drug Administration to consider an increase in the level of folic acid fortification, as a means of better preventing such neural tube defects."
The U.S. Public Health Service says that if all women of childbearing age consumed 400 micrograms of folic acid daily -- before and during pregnancy -- it could help prevent up to 70 percent of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects (NTDs), serious birth defects of the brain and spine such as spina bifida and anencephaly.
Hospitals spent $2.6 billion treating birth defects; half for heart and circulatory congenital problems, AHRQ found. Both the CDC and AHRQ reports indicate that among all birth defects, heart defects had the greatest economic impact.
The AHRQ data were published in "Hospitalizations for Birth Defects, 2004, HCUP Statistical Brief #23," and is available at http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs.jsp.
The CDC data were published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, Vol. 56, No. 2.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org.
http://www.marchofdimes.com