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PedMed: Drug numbers keep rising
http://www.upi.com/Consumer_Health_D...p_rising/4154/ PedMed: Drug numbers keep rising Numerous studies document the favoritism shown pharmaceuticals over non-chemical solutions. In many instances, medicines are the optimal option, but some worry parents, patients and practitioners are over-relying on drugs in certain cases at the cost of safer, less expensive and more effective alternatives. What no one questions is the growing popularity of drug treatments. In a survey of families with children with special healthcare needs, for example, an overwhelming 74.3 percent reported resorting to prescription medication, compared with only 28.7 percent that listed emotional/behavioral/developmental services and a mere 17.4 percent that cited specialized therapies. Or take the findings of a 2005 government report on health trends in America. The 550-page report bulges with evidence of the heavy dependence on drug treatments of the under-18 set. Among some notable statistics gathered for the years 2002 to 2003, the study reveals: -- 177.9 "doctor visits with at least one drug" per 100 population, meaning for every infant, toddler and adolescent, there were nearly two meetings with a physician during which a pharmaceutical -- prescription or not -- was ordered, continued, administered or otherwise provided. -- 334.8 drugs per 100 population, which translates to a typical youngster taking an average of more than three medicines. The most popular of these, in descending order, included: -- penicillins for bacterial infections; -- antiasthmatics/bronchodilators for asthma and breathing problems; -- antihistamines for allergies; -- erythromycins/lincosamides for infections; -- NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for pain relief; -- cephalosporins for bacterial infections; -- non-narcotic analgesics for pain; -- antitussives/expectorants for cough, cold, and congestion; -- nasal corticosteroid inhalants for asthma, allergies, and breathing difficulties; -- anorexiants/CNS stimulants for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; -- nasal decongestants for congestion, and -- antidepressants for depression and related disorders. The investigators also noted nearly a quarter of all children had used at least one prescription drug in the previous month. That figures out to close to 18 million tots and teens. In 2003, more than 9 million U.S. children were routinely taking a prescribed medication for at least three months, researchers from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Md., calculated. These included 1.5 million newborns to 4-year-olds, or 7.5 percent of that demographic; 3.6 million children 5 to 11, or 12.6 percent, and 4.2 million teens 12 to 17, or 17.1 percent. These rates stayed fairly fixed through 2004, according to a report published in Vital Health Statistics in February 2006. Where market analysts have noted a seismic shift is in an "unparalleled" jump in the number of adolescent girls using prescription drugs to treat diabetes, sleep disturbances and such psychological problems as ADHD. From 2001 to 2006, the rates for girls climbed a steep 167 percent, compared to a scant 33 percent for boys, in the use of medicines for type 2 diabetes; 117 percent, versus 71 percent, in the use of antipsychotics; 80 percent, versus 64 percent, in the use of sleep aids, and 74 percent, versus 37 percent, in the use of ADHD medications, according to the just-released 2007 Drug Trend Report. The analysis by pharmacy benefit manager Medco Health Solutions, Inc. -- which looked at prescription drug claims of some 370,000 children and adolescents ages 10 to 19 -- also found: -- Currently, three-and-a-half times as many girls as boys take drugs for type 2 diabetes; -- In 2006, 46 percent more girls than boys were prescribed sleep medicines. "This analysis raises concerns and questions about the health of adolescents in America, and particularly girls," Dr. Robert Epstein, Medco's chief medical officer, said in a statement that accompanied the report. "While this may be evidence that more girls are for the first time being appropriately diagnosed and treated, it also raises red flags about the physical and psychological problems afflicting this population." -- Note: This column is based on dozens of reports, conferences and more than 200 interviews with specialists in children's health issues. Wasowicz is the author of the new book, "Suffer the Child: How the Healthcare System Is Failing Our Future," published by Capital Books. |
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