Among US adolescents and young adults, HbA1c levels, central obesity, and smoking were associated with an increased risk of dying before 55 years of age.
Among US adolescents and young adults, hig h HbA1c levels, central obesity, and smoking were associated with an increased risk of dying before 55 years of age, according a study published recently in Pediatrics.
“We looked at risk factors for dying before the age of 55 years among adolescents and young adults in the United States,” lead author Sharon Saydah, PhD, CDR USPHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Diabetes Translation, told Formulary.
“We found that after adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity; smoking status, measure of obesity, and glucose levels were associated with increased risk of early deaths. We found no association with cholesterol measures and early deaths,” Saydah said.
The researchers used data from CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1988-1994, of participants aged 12 to 39 years with follow-up data on mortality status through 2006.
“We looked at the association of a number of risk factors included three measures of adiposity, glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c level, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, self-reported smoking status and cotinine level with death prior to age 55,” she said.
While previous studies have found risk factors such as obesity, cholesterol, glucose, smoking to increase the risk of disease among the younger adult population, few had looked at the association with early mortality, according to Saydah.
“These associations indicate a need for more effective community and clinical strategies for reducing the prevalence of these risk factors among US residents in these age groups,” she said. “The CDC has a number of resources and programs to address reducing these risk factors in the population including smoking cessation, type 2 diabetes prevention, and obesity reduction.” â
Coalition promotes important acetaminophen dosing reminders
November 18th 2014It may come as a surprise that each year Americans catch approximately 1 billion colds, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 20% get the flu. This cold and flu season, 7 in 10 patients will reach for an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine to treat their coughs, stuffy noses, and sniffles. It’s an important time of the year to remind patients to double check their medicine labels so they don’t double up on medicines containing acetaminophen.
Support consumer access to specialty medications through value-based insurance design
June 30th 2014The driving force behind consumer cost-sharing provisions for specialty medications is the acquisition cost and not clinical value. This appears to be true for almost all public and private health plans, says a new report from researchers at the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID Center) and the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC).
Management of antipsychotic medication polypharmacy
June 13th 2013Within our healthcare-driven society, the increase in the identification and diagnosis of mental illnesses has led to a proportional increase in the prescribing of psychotropic medications. The prevalence of mental illnesses and subsequent treatment approaches may employ monotherapy as first-line treatment, but in many cases the use of combination of therapy can occur, leading to polypharmacy.1 Polypharmacy can be defined in several ways but it generally recognized as the use of multiple medications by one patient and the most common definition is the concurrent use of five more medications. The presence of polyharmacy has the potential to contribute to non-compliance, drug-drug interactions, medication errors, adverse events, or poor quality of life.
Medical innovation improves outcomes
June 12th 2013I have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the pancreas, a disease that’s long been considered not just incurable, but almost impossible to treat-a recalcitrant disease that some practitioners feel has given oncology a bad name. I was told my life would be measured in weeks.