Health Headlines - 2-20-19

In today's health headlines we talk about how a connection between a common antibiotic and birth defects.

Flu activity remains high but the flu vaccine is working.

A mother's weight before pregnancy can lead to a child's ADHD.

A NEW STUDY... MAKING A LINK...BETWEEN A COMMON ANTIBIOTIC..AND A HIGHER RISK OFBIRTH DEFECTS.MANDY GAITHER HAS THE DETAILS.THEY'RE USED TO TREAT INFECTIONSAND MOST OFTEN PRESCRIBED WHEN APATIENT IS ALLERGIC TOPENICILLIN --BUT A NEW STUDY PUBLISHED IN THEMEDICAL JOURNAL B-M-J SUGGESTSWOMEN WHO WEREPRESCRIBED MACROLIDES DURING THEFIRST THREE MONTHS OF PREGNANCYHAD AN INCREASED RISK OFOF BIRTH DEFECTS -- COMPARED TOTHOSE WHO WERE PRESCRIBEDPENICILLIN.THE STUDY ANALYZED DATA FROMMORE THAN 104-THOUSAND-SIX-HUNDRED CHILDRENBORN IN THE U-K BETWEEN 1990 AND2016 --THEIR MOTHERS WERE EITHERPRESCRIBED PENICILLIN ORMACROLIDES.THE STUDY FOUND THAT PRESCRIBINGMACROLIDES -- WHICH INCLUDEERYTHROMYCIN-- AND CLARITHROMYCIN-- AND AZITHROMYCIN--TO PREGNANT WOMEN DURING THEFIRST TRIMESTER INCREASED THERISK OF MAJORMALFORMATIONS TO 28 OFONE-THOUSAND BIRTHS --COMPARED 18 PER A THOUSANDBIRTHS WITH PENICILLIN.SPECIFICALLY -- THE RISK OFCARDIAC MALFORMATIONS WAS HIGHER-- THE STUDY DID NOT FIND ALINKBETWEEN MACROLIDES ANDNEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS --AND THERE WAS ALSO NO ASSOCIATEDRISK BETWEEN BIRTH DEFECTS ANDMACROLIDES PRESCRIBEDBEFORE CONCEPTION.AN AUTHOR OF THE STUDY SAYSBASED ON THE FINDINGS --PREGNANT WOMEN AND THEIR DOCTORSSHOULD FIND AN ALTERNATIVEANTIBIOTIC DEPENDING ON THE TYPEOF INFECTION.FOR TODAY'S HEALTH MINUTE, I'MMANDY GAITHER.STUDY AUTHORS ALSO WARN ABOUTTHE RISK OF AVOIDINGANTIBIOTICS -- SAYINGTHE INFECTION ITSELF CAN ALSO BEREALLY DAMAGING TO THE UNBORNBABY.FLU ACTIVITY ACROSS THE U-SREMAINS HIGH... BUT THERE ISSOME GOOD NEWS.

THE FLUVACCINE... IS WORKING.THE C-D-C SAYS..

THIS YEAR'SVACCINE HAS BEEN 45-PERCENTEFFECTIVE OVERALL...MEANING IT'S REDUCED FLU-RELATEDDOCTOR VISITS BY ALMOST HALF.ITS EFFECTIVENESS IS 55-PERCENTAMONG CHILDREN... WHO HAVE BEENHIT ESPECIALLY HARD THIS FLUSEASON.THERE HAVE BEEN ABOUT 26-MILLIONREPORTED CASES OF FLU IN THEU-S... WITHMORE THAN 14-THOUSAND DEATHS.A MOTHER'S WEIGHT BEFOREPREGNANCY... COULD AFFECT HERCHILD'S BEHAVIOR.RESEARCHERS FROM THE NATIONALINSTITUTES OF HEALTH... FOLLOWEDNEARLYTWO-THOUSAND CHILDREN FOR EIGHTYEARS... AND FOUND... THOSEWHOSEMOTHERS WERE OBESE BEFORE THEYBECAME PREGNANT... WERE TWICE ASLIKELY TO BEDIAGNOSED WITH A-D-H-D...COMPARED TO THOSE WHOSE MOTHERSWERE NOTOBESE.SCIENTISTS SAY... MORE RESEARCHIS NEEDED... BUT IF CONFIRMED..DOCTORS MAY WANT TOSCREEN CHILDREN OF OBESEWOMEN... FOR A-D-H-D..