Almost one percent of American children had an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a large CDC surveillance study whose lead author called the condition a "significant public health issue."
Across 11 sites in the U.S., ASD prevalence in 2006 ranged from about one out of 80 children to one out of every 240 children, with an overall prevalence of one in 111 youngsters, according to a report by investigators from the CDC's Autism and Developmental Disorders Monitoring (ADDM) Network.
Among 10 ADDM sites that reported data in both 2002 and 2006, there was an average 57% increase in ASD prevalence. No single factor could explain the rise, researchers said. Overall ASD prevalence was 4.5 times higher in boys than in girls: about one in every 70 boys and one in every 315 girls.
From 2002 to 2006, prevalence increased 60% in boys and 48% in girls (P<0.001 for both).
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that all children be screened for autism when they are 18 and 24 months old which is especially important, as early recognition and treatment improves outcomes.
ASD diagnosis was made at a slightly younger age in 2006 than in 2002, but it was still delayed to an average age of 53 months. That was so despite the fact that anywhere from 70% to 95% of children had developmental concerns noted in their records before age 3.
Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice. For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.
Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com
For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Cluster Headaches
Concerned about recent overdoses of radiation in CT perfusion scans, an FDA official urged imaging practitioners to go "back to basics" when they're performing the scans.
The advice comes after more than 250 patients in two states were exposed to excess radiation during CT perfusion brain scans.
"Until we get through whether we're dealing with errors that people are making (or) whether these are problems with the CT scanners themselves, we're saying go back to basics," said Jeffrey Shuren, MD, acting director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
Shuren and colleagues released a set of interim recommendations while the agency continues to investigate cases of overexposure reported in California and Alabama.
They include:
• Imaging facilities should review their radiation dosing protocols for all CT perfusion studies to ensure that dosing is correct for each study.
• They should implement quality control procedures to ensure that protocols are followed and correct radiation is used.
• For each patient, technologists should check the CT scanner displays to make sure the radiation to be delivered is appropriate.
• If more than one study is performed during one session, practitioners should adjust the radiation dose so it is appropriate for each study.
The agency also urged imaging facilities to check whether any patients who underwent CT perfusion scans have received excess radiation.
"We're reminding (practitioners) of good practices that they should be employing routinely," said Charles Finder, MD, also of the agency's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
The issue arose when the FDA was told of more than 200 cases of excess radiation delivered during CT perfusion brain scans at Cedars-Sinai Medical center in Los Angeles. (See CT Safety Warnings Follow Radiation Overdose Accident)
Since then, the agency has received reports of 14 cases at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, also in Los Angeles, as well as an undetermined number of cases at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank, Calif., according to Simon Choi, PhD, also of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
Choi said the the agency is investigating reports in Alabama, too, but he did not give numbers or the name of the facility involved.
The agency said scanners made by two manufacturers, GE and Toshiba, are involved in the incidents.
Affected patients had redness of the skin and some hair loss, but potential long-term consequences include an increased risk of cancer and cataracts, Finder said.
The standard radiation dose for a CT perfusion scan is between 0.5 and 1.0 Gray, but it was reported that some patients at Cedars-Sinai got as much as 3.0 or 4.0 Gray.
According to a statement from the hospital, "there was a misunderstanding about an embedded default setting applied by the machine."
The recommendations apply to all CT perfusion imaging, since the methods involved are the same as for brain perfusion scans, the FDA said.
While the agency is probing cases in the two states, Shuren said, "we would not be surprised to find there are similar occurrences in other states."
Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice. For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.
Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com
For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com
The advice comes after more than 250 patients in two states were exposed to excess radiation during CT perfusion brain scans.
"Until we get through whether we're dealing with errors that people are making (or) whether these are problems with the CT scanners themselves, we're saying go back to basics," said Jeffrey Shuren, MD, acting director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
Shuren and colleagues released a set of interim recommendations while the agency continues to investigate cases of overexposure reported in California and Alabama.
They include:
• Imaging facilities should review their radiation dosing protocols for all CT perfusion studies to ensure that dosing is correct for each study.
• They should implement quality control procedures to ensure that protocols are followed and correct radiation is used.
• For each patient, technologists should check the CT scanner displays to make sure the radiation to be delivered is appropriate.
• If more than one study is performed during one session, practitioners should adjust the radiation dose so it is appropriate for each study.
The agency also urged imaging facilities to check whether any patients who underwent CT perfusion scans have received excess radiation.
"We're reminding (practitioners) of good practices that they should be employing routinely," said Charles Finder, MD, also of the agency's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
The issue arose when the FDA was told of more than 200 cases of excess radiation delivered during CT perfusion brain scans at Cedars-Sinai Medical center in Los Angeles. (See CT Safety Warnings Follow Radiation Overdose Accident)
Since then, the agency has received reports of 14 cases at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, also in Los Angeles, as well as an undetermined number of cases at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank, Calif., according to Simon Choi, PhD, also of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
Choi said the the agency is investigating reports in Alabama, too, but he did not give numbers or the name of the facility involved.
The agency said scanners made by two manufacturers, GE and Toshiba, are involved in the incidents.
Affected patients had redness of the skin and some hair loss, but potential long-term consequences include an increased risk of cancer and cataracts, Finder said.
The standard radiation dose for a CT perfusion scan is between 0.5 and 1.0 Gray, but it was reported that some patients at Cedars-Sinai got as much as 3.0 or 4.0 Gray.
According to a statement from the hospital, "there was a misunderstanding about an embedded default setting applied by the machine."
The recommendations apply to all CT perfusion imaging, since the methods involved are the same as for brain perfusion scans, the FDA said.
While the agency is probing cases in the two states, Shuren said, "we would not be surprised to find there are similar occurrences in other states."
Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice. For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.
Deepen your understanding of "medical malpractice"... www.MedMalBook.com
For more health info and links visit the author's web site www.hookman.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
