Greater Risk of Heart Attack for People with the Flu

With flu season quickly approaching, more people are being encouraged to receive both a seasonal flu shot and an H1N1 flu shot. British researchers have found that the risk of a heart attack may be higher for people suffering from the flu, especially those with a history of heart disease or diabetes. Getting vaccinated reduces the risk of contracting the flu and lowers a person’s risk of heart attack or other cardiovascular occurrence.

For the study, Andrew C. Hayward, a senior lecturer at the UCL Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology in London, and his colleagues, reviewed 39 studies that took place between 1932 and 2008. The research team found that during flu season, there is an increase in the number of heart attacks that occur, as well as in the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease. The study, which was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, found that in people who had heart disease, the number of deaths was 35 to 50 percent higher than others during flu season.

Both the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recommend annual flu shots for people with heart disease to reduce the risk of a heart attack or other cardiovascular event. If you or a loved one has been seriously hurt by a misdiagnosis or delay in treatment of a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular event, call or e-mail Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today for your free consultation. One of our medical malpractice attorneys will review your case for free and answer any legal questions you may have.

Call us toll-free, 1-877-ASK4SAM. Visit us on the web, www.ask4sam.net

Keeping Child Passengers Safe

Each day in the U.S., about 115 people die in automobile accidents. Last year, roughly 4 of those daily fatalities were children ages 14 or younger. To help lower this number, parents should make sure their children are as safe as possible when traveling, making certain that children under age 13 are properly buckled in the back seat.

The CDC recommends that children younger than 1 year be placed in a rear-facing safety seat that is properly secured in the back seat of the vehicle. Rear-facing seats should never be placed in the front seat of vehicles that have airbags. When a child exceeds the height or weight limit of a rear-facing seat, they should be placed in a forward-facing car seat in the back seat of the vehicle, according to the CDC’s guidelines. When this seat is outgrown, usually around age 4, a booster seat should be used in the back seat of the vehicle until around age 7. Until the child reaches age 13, they should remain in the back seat and use a safety belt that crosses both the lap and chest.

Child safety restraints saved the lives of nearly400 children 4 years old and under in 2007. For infants, car seats cut the risk of fatality by 71 percent in automobile accidents, and 54 percent for children ages 1 through 4. When a booster seat is used for children ages 4 through 7, the risk of injury is 59 percent lower than if only a safety belt was used.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an automobile collision, call or e-mail us today. One of our experienced auto collision attorneys will evaluate your case free of charge and help you get the compensation you deserve. Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. serves clients with Bronx auto accident, Brooklyn auto accident, Queens auto accident and Long Island auto accident cases.

Call us toll-free, 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net

Prediction Rules may Reduce CT Scans in Children with Head Injuries

Many children that suffer a head injury do not require computed tomography (CT) scans, which result in exposure to potentially harmful radiation. In a recent U.S. study, researchers used characteristics to predict which children had a significantly low risk of serious injury to the brain after injuring their heads. The research team, led by Dr. Nathan Kuppermann of the Davis Medical Center at the University of California in Sacramento, evaluated data from 42,000 children who had sustained a head injury. Thirty-five percent of those children received a CT scan. A mere 1 percent of those children had a clinically-important traumatic brain injury, with just 60 of those 376 children requiring brain surgery.

For children under age 2, the characteristics used to identify which children did not have a clinically-important traumatic brain injury were:

• normal mental status
• no scalp haematoma except frontal
• no loss of consciousness or loss of consciousness for less than 5 seconds
• non-severe injury mechanism
• no palpable skull fracture
• normal behavior according to the parents
  

For children ages 2 through 18, the characteristics were:

• normal mental status
• no loss of consciousness
• non-severe injury mechanism
• no signs of basilar skull fracture
• no severe headache
• no vomiting

The guidelines for children under age 2 led researchers to accurately identify all 1,176 patients who did not suffer from a clinically-important traumatic brain injury and did not require a CT scan. Of the 2 and above group, researchers were able to predict just about all of the children (3,800) who did not have a clinically-important traumatic brain injury, missing just two children who did. The findings of the study, which appear in The Lancet, a leading medical journal, may help avoid unnecessary CT scans for children not suffering from clinically-important traumatic brain injuries in the future.

If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury due to someone else’s negligence, you need the help of an experienced brain injury attorney who will guide you through this traumatic time, defend your rights and get the compensation you deserve. Call or e-mail the lawyers at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today for your free consultation. We serve clients with Brooklyn brain injury, Bronx brain injury, Queens brain injury, Nassau brain injury and Suffolk brain injury cases.

Call us toll-free, 1-877-ASK4SAM

New Pneumonia Vaccine May Help Prevent Infection

A study conducted published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has found that a new vaccine for pneumonia prevents infection in patients with COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, better than the vaccine currently being used. Researchers found that this newly developed vaccine is reasonably effective in people with COPD, a progressive lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. However, more research needs to be done before the effectiveness of the vaccine can be adequately proven on these patients.

For the study, 120 adults with were vaccinated with either the typically used vaccine, PPSV23, or the new vaccine, PCV7, for their moderate to severe COPD. The researchers found that according to several indicators, the patients who received the PCV7 vaccine had a better immune response than those who took the standard vaccine.

In addition, the researchers found that the blood of the patients who received the newly developed vaccine was better able to kill bacteria that cause pneumonia when tested one month after the immunization.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that adults with COPD receive a pneumonia vaccination to lower their risk of infection. The leading cause of COPD is smoking, so the best way to lower your risk is to quit smoking and avoid second-hand smoke. If you or a loved was seriously injured by a delay in diagnosis or treatment in lung disease or some other medical problem, contact Silberstein, Awad & Miklos’ medical malpractice lawyers for answers. We serve clients with Bronx medical malpractice, Brooklyn medical malpractice, Queens medical malpractice and Long Island medical malpractice cases.

1-877-ASK4SAM Free Medical Malpractice Consultations in New York City and Long Island

Birth Control Pill Warning: Yaz and Yasmin

Back in 2003, the FDA issued a warning to Berlex, the original developers of Yasmin, for deemphasizing the risks associated with the birth control pill in their advertisements. The makers of Yasmin, a pill approved in 2001 that contains both ethinyl estradiol (estrogen) and drospirenone (progestin), were also warned that their commercials implied that the pill was superior to other birth control pills.

In 2008, Bayer HealthCare, which acquired Berlex in 2006, was warned that advertisements for the birth control pill Yaz were making misleading claims. The commercials implied that Yaz treated all grades of acne, although the drug is only approved to treat moderate acne. In addition, the ads gave the impression that the pill could treat PMS symptoms, even though it is only approved for the treatment of PMDD, a condition with more severe symptoms than PMS. Bayer HealthCare was also warned that their commercials diminished the risk of potential side effects by explaining them over distracting visuals and music.

Following these FDA warnings, the makers of Yaz agreed to launch a new campaign to make clear the risks and benefits of the birth control pill. However, there is still concern about the safety of the drug. More than 50 deaths of women taking Yaz or Yasmin have been reported to the FDA, some of which were teenagers attempting to treat their acne. The progestin in these drugs may increase blood potassium levels and increase a woman’s risk of stroke, heart attack, clots, kidney disease or damage, cardiac arrhythmias, gallbladder problems and death.

Women who already have elevated levels of blood potassium are at greater risk, so it is important to talk to your doctor before starting a medication that may cause a problem. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured by a doctor who prescribed an inappropriate drug, call the pharmaceutical error attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today. We will evaluate your Bronx pharmaceutical error, Brooklyn pharmaceutical error, Queens pharmaceutical error or Long Island pharmaceutical error case for free.

Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net

Severe Injuries for Boys and Girls Playing High School Sports

A recent study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine looking at the severity of injuries in high school sports has found that some are more dangerous than others. Boys’ football had the highest rate of severe injuries, followed by boys’ wrestling, girls’ basketball and girls’ soccer. The study also found that in sports played by both boys and girls, such as soccer, basketball and baseball/softball, girls were more likely to sustain a serious injury than boys.

For the study, researchers led by Dawn Comstock, an assistant professor at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, looked at sports injuries at 100 high schools from 2005 to 2007. Researchers looked at nine sports, including boys’ wrestling, football and baseball, girls’ softball and volleyball, and boys’ and girls’ basketball and soccer.

They found that almost 15 percent of these sports injuries were severe enough to keep the student from playing for at least three weeks. Researchers also determine that 30 percent of severe high school sports injuries involved the knee, while 12.3 percent occurred to the ankle and 10.9 percent involved the shoulder. The study found that about 5 percent of severe injuries in high school sports were caused by illegal actions of another player, such as tripping.

According to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), a national organization of orthopaedic surgeons devoted to sports medicine, kids in the U.S. experience about 2 million injuries related to sports. These sports injuries could result in damage to the brain or other parts of the body, so it is important to be seen by a doctor immediately if an injury is incurred. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured, call or e-mail the attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today for your free case evaluation. We serve clients with Bronx personal injury, Brooklyn personal injury, Queens personal injury and Long Island personal injury cases.

Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net

Smoking During Pregnancy Changes Baby’s DNA

It is well known that women who are pregnant should not smoke cigarettes and should not expose themselves to second hand smoke. Organizations like the March of Dimes and the American Lung Association urge women to quit smoking before becoming pregnant to reduce the risk of health problems for themselves and their baby. However, according to the March of Dimes website, at least 10 percent of pregnant women in the U.S. continue to smoke during their pregnancy.

The U.S. Public Health Service estimates that if women stopped smoking while pregnant, the number of stillbirths would be reduced by 11 percent and the number of newborn deaths would be reduced by 5 percent. If a woman continues to smoke while pregnant, she increases the risk that her child will develop asthma, cardiovascular disease, lower pulmonary function and other long-term health problems.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California has found that this increased risk of health problems for children exposed to maternal smoking before birth is actually due to a change in DNA patterns.

For the study, researchers led by Carrie Brenton, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at the Keck School, looked at data from a survey on maternal smoking, as well as the USC Children’s Health Study. The study observed respiratory health among children in communities of southern California.

Smoking while pregnant does increase a child’s risk of health conditions, however, some conditions may be caused by a mistake by a doctor or hospital. If your child has suffered a birth injury that may have been preventable, call or e-mail us the attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today. We will evaluate your Bronx birth injury, Brooklyn birth injury, Queens birth injury, Nassau birth injury or Suffolk birth injury case free of charge.

Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net

More Risks than Benefits for Health People Taking Daily Aspirin

A recent study has found that for people without a history of vascular problems, daily aspirin may be causing more harm than good. For the Aspirin for Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis (AAA) study, led by Professor Gerry Fowkes at the Wolfson Unit for Prevention of Peripheral Vascular Diseases in Scotland, researchers followed 3,350 men and women ages 50 to 75 years of age who had no history of heart attack or symptoms of heart disease, but may have had issues with the arteries in their legs.

Each of the participants were given either a 100 mg dose of aspirin each day or a placebo, which is a fake pill that has no pharmacological effect. Researchers monitored the men and women for eight years and found that there was no significant difference in the number of heart attacks, strokes, or other heart-related problems between the two groups. However, 2 percent of the group taking daily aspirin experienced major bleeding, while only 1.2 percent of the placebo group had major bleeding.

The findings of the study, which was presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress last Sunday, support previous suggestions that a daily aspirin regimen for patients with no symptoms or history of heart or artery disease may be more risky and less beneficial. Still, for patients with a history of vascular problems, such as heart attack, stroke or angina, a daily dose of aspirin may help reduce the risk of clots and prevent future problems.

If you or a loved one has experienced a delay in diagnosis of a heart attack, stroke, or some other condition, call or e-mail the attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today. Our medical malpractice lawyers will review your case for FREE and answer any questions you may have. We serve clients with Bronx medical malpractice, Brooklyn medical malpractice, Queens medical malpractice and Long Island medical malpractice cases.

Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net