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FDA to study negative effects of Lasik surgery

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration announced plans Thursday to study the scope of problems connected with laser eye-correcting surgery, which include blurred vision and dry eyes.

The FDA says it will work with the National Eye Institute and the Department of Defense to determine the percentage of patients who experience negative side effects following surgery.

Soda Taxes Not Making a Dent in U.S. Waistlines

Current state taxes and levies on soft drinks are slowing consumption, but not enough to curb the obesity epidemic in the United States, researchers say.

In an analysis of 16 years of data (1990 to 2006) on how various forms of soft drink taxation affected body mass index, researchers found that taxation has only a minor effect on BMI, which is a measurement based on weight and height. For example, a 1 percent tax increase causes a BMI decrease of 0.003 points — less than a tenth of a pound for a man of average height.

Tylenol May Weaken Infant Vaccines

Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, weakens infants’ immune responses to vaccines, a compelling new study suggests.

Infants often get a mild fever after getting vaccines. Some pediatricians routinely use acetaminophen to prevent vaccine-related fever.

But that’s not a good idea, finds an international research team led by Roman Prymula, MD, of the University of Defense, Czech Republic.

In a study looking at whether acetaminophen really prevents vaccine-related fever, Prymula and colleagues found that the common over-the-counter pain remedy dampens vaccine-induced immune responses.

It’s not yet clear whether other fever-reducing drugs, such as ibuprofen, have the same effect. But the researchers warn doctors and parents to try to avoid using acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or other fever-reducing drugs to prevent vaccine-related fever. And of course, aspirin should never be given to a child with fever.

Asthma Most Common Condition In Hospitalized Swine Flu Patients

An analysis in 10 states of people hospitalized with the pandemic strain of H1N1 influenza shows that asthma is by far the most common underlying condition associated with severe cases of the disease.

In children, other, much rarer chronic conditions, such as sickle cell anemia, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, are also predisposing patients to life-threatening bouts of the virus, federal health officials said.

Tags: Asthma, FDA, Obesity, vaccine