New research published in this month's edition of Obstetrics & Gynecology (Vol. 113, Issue 4), by a team of investigators from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) shows better survival outcomes for women who have cancer of the ovaries and endometrial lining of the uterus at the same time (synchronous) than those who only have one tumor in the ovaries. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
The study, Synchronous Primary Ovarian and Endometrial Cancers: A Population-Based Assessment of Survival, utilized a massive data set from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, which collects and compiles information on cancer cases representing about one quarter of the U.S. population. Registries from New Jersey, Connecticut, Los Angeles and other large metropolitan areas were targeted, which yielded data on more than 85,000 women both those who were diagnosed with primary ovarian cancer and those with synchronous primary ovarian and endometrial cancers between 1973 and 2005.
While the definition for synchronous cancer can vary, the CINJ team utilized the SEER definition, which is one being diagnosed with endometrial or ovarian cancer within two months of the other. Researchers note this characterization should not be confused with the metastasis or spread of disease from one tumor site to another.
Once exclusion criteria were applied, results were based on 55,348 single ovarian cases and 1,355 synchronous ovarian and endometrial cancer cases. Among women with synchronous cancers, 70 percent had endometrial tumors diagnosed at a localized stage and 75 percent were in an earlier stage of disease. A previous study has shown that 75 percent of endometrial cancers are detected in earlier, treatable stages. Authors of this study conclude synchronous cases may have a lead-time advantage over single ovarian tumors due to the presence of irregular bleeding, which prompts earlier examination and treatment.
According to the American Cancer Society, 40,000 new cases of endometrial cancer were diagnosed in the United States last year, with 7,400 deaths, while there were more than 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer and more than 15,000 deaths. Having both cancers diagnosed within a short time of one another is relatively uncommon.
Melony G. Williams, MPH, who is a research training specialist and project coordinator at CINJ and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and a doctoral student at UMDNJ-School of Public Health, is the lead author on the paper. She notes, "While synchronous cancers are rare, their identification and optimal clinical management are key in the battle to reduce ovarian cancer deaths. The development of a national registry to document these cases and the means to collect and review such data would help to achieve this goal."
According to Williams, other factors that may affect survival such as family history, income, education, health insurance, recurrences and co-morbidities were not included, because they were not available in the SEER database, but that future studies should aim to address these issues.
Along with Williams, the author team consists of Elisa V. Bandera, MD, PhD, epidemiologist at CINJ and assistant professor of epidemiology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the UMDNJ-School of Public Health; Kitaw Demissie, MD, PhD, MPH, co-program leader of CINJ's Population Science Program and associate professor of epidemiology at UMDNJ-School of Public Health; and Lorna Rodriguez, MD, PhD, chief of gynecologic oncology at CINJ and professor of gynecologic oncology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
About The Cancer Institute of New Jersey
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (cinj) is the state's first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is dedicated to improving the prevention, detection, treatment and care of patients with cancer. CINJ's physician-scientists engage in translational research, transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice, quite literally bringing research to life. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is a center of excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Network is comprised of hospitals throughout the state and provides a mechanism to rapidly disseminate important discoveries into the community. Flagship Hospital: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Major Clinical Research Affiliate Hospitals: Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Hospital, and Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Affiliate Hospitals: Bayshore Community Hospital, CentraState Healthcare System, Cooper University Hospital, JFK Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton (CINJ at Hamilton), Saint Peter's University Hospital, Somerset Medical Center, Southern Ocean County Hospital, The University Hospital/UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, and University Medical Center at Princeton.
Cancer Institute of New Jersey
195 Little Albany St.
New Brunswick
NJ 08903-2681
United States
cinj
вторник, 3 апреля 2012 г.
вторник, 27 марта 2012 г.
NASA Funded Study Finds Exercise Could Help Women On Bed Rest
Short but intense
sessions of exercise may help women on bed rest stay strong and recuperate
more quickly, according to a NASA funded study by researchers at Ball State
University, Muncie, Ind. The findings of the first comprehensive bed rest
study focusing exclusively on women will help NASA develop more effective
countermeasures to mitigate strength and muscle loss in female astronauts
on long-duration missions to the International Space Station and, perhaps,
someday to Mars.
It also may have implications for women on Earth confined to bed rest
because of illness, injury or pregnancy.
"With NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson commanding the International Space
Station now and astronaut Pam Melroy commanding the last space shuttle
mission, we're reminded daily that women make up an important segment of
our astronaut corps and are taking on more and more leadership roles," said
Carl Walz, a former long-duration astronaut and head of NASA's advanced
capabilities division in the agency's Exploration Systems Mission
Directorate, Washington. "It's important that we look at how space travel
-- microgravity, radiation, and other factors -- affects women and men
differently."
Ball State's Human Performance Lab has been working with NASA for more
than a decade to examine the impact spaceflight has on humans, according to
Scott Trappe, the lab's director. He co-authored the study with fellow lab
researcher Todd Trappe, his brother.
"Until we completed this study, we had no solid research on how women
would adapt to long durations in space," Trappe said. "This information
should have a dramatic impact for NASA in the coming years."
Conducted in Toulouse, France, the study was sponsored jointly by the
European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, the French space agency
CNES, and NASA. Results were published recently in the Journal of Applied
Physiology and Acta Physiologica.
The study examined 24 female participants to determine whether specific
exercise regimens or nutritional supplements could prevent the loss of
lower body muscle mass and strength.
The women spent 60 days on bed rest. They lay with their heads pointing
downward at a 6-degree angle, which researchers believe most accurately
simulates the weightless conditions of space. One group was put on an
exercise regimen. A second group was put on a high-protein diet rich with
leucine, an amino acid. The control group did not take part in any exercise
or dietary protocols.
"When we looked at these women after two months, the difference in the
physical condition among the three groups was undeniable," Trappe said.
"The women who did not exercise lost nearly half their strength in some
cases. What's more, the group who ate a high-protein diet but did not
exercise lost even more muscle mass than the control group."
The exercise regimen included a 40 to 50 minute aerobic workout two or
three times a week and 20-minute strength training sessions two or three
days a week. While lying on their backs, the women did multiple sets of
thigh and calf exercises using a flywheel device similar to a typical leg
press machine at a gym. They also worked out on a vertical treadmill.
"The message for women and their doctors is that it really took very
little exercise to make an impact," said Trappe. "The total time spent
exercising was less than two percent of the time they spent in bed during
the entire 60-day period. In the end, a little bit of intense exercise goes
a long way."
Using a magnetic resonance imaging device, or MRI, researchers measured
muscle mass in all of the study subjects after the 60-day period. They
found that women in the control group lost 21 percent of the muscle mass in
their quadriceps, and the nutrition group lost more than 24 percent, but
the exercise group lost none. Results were similar for MRI scans of the
calf muscle.
The loss of muscle strength was even more significant. Researchers
tested strength using the flywheel device. Women who did not exercise
during the study lost as much as 33 percent of their strength in squat
exercises and 46 percent in calf press exercises. But the women who
exercised maintained their strength.
NASA's Human Research Program is working to understand the health
effects of spaceflight on astronauts in preparation for long-duration
missions. "It could take six months to reach the surface of Mars, and we
have to make sure our astronauts are healthy when they get there," Walz
said.
NASA
nasa
sessions of exercise may help women on bed rest stay strong and recuperate
more quickly, according to a NASA funded study by researchers at Ball State
University, Muncie, Ind. The findings of the first comprehensive bed rest
study focusing exclusively on women will help NASA develop more effective
countermeasures to mitigate strength and muscle loss in female astronauts
on long-duration missions to the International Space Station and, perhaps,
someday to Mars.
It also may have implications for women on Earth confined to bed rest
because of illness, injury or pregnancy.
"With NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson commanding the International Space
Station now and astronaut Pam Melroy commanding the last space shuttle
mission, we're reminded daily that women make up an important segment of
our astronaut corps and are taking on more and more leadership roles," said
Carl Walz, a former long-duration astronaut and head of NASA's advanced
capabilities division in the agency's Exploration Systems Mission
Directorate, Washington. "It's important that we look at how space travel
-- microgravity, radiation, and other factors -- affects women and men
differently."
Ball State's Human Performance Lab has been working with NASA for more
than a decade to examine the impact spaceflight has on humans, according to
Scott Trappe, the lab's director. He co-authored the study with fellow lab
researcher Todd Trappe, his brother.
"Until we completed this study, we had no solid research on how women
would adapt to long durations in space," Trappe said. "This information
should have a dramatic impact for NASA in the coming years."
Conducted in Toulouse, France, the study was sponsored jointly by the
European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, the French space agency
CNES, and NASA. Results were published recently in the Journal of Applied
Physiology and Acta Physiologica.
The study examined 24 female participants to determine whether specific
exercise regimens or nutritional supplements could prevent the loss of
lower body muscle mass and strength.
The women spent 60 days on bed rest. They lay with their heads pointing
downward at a 6-degree angle, which researchers believe most accurately
simulates the weightless conditions of space. One group was put on an
exercise regimen. A second group was put on a high-protein diet rich with
leucine, an amino acid. The control group did not take part in any exercise
or dietary protocols.
"When we looked at these women after two months, the difference in the
physical condition among the three groups was undeniable," Trappe said.
"The women who did not exercise lost nearly half their strength in some
cases. What's more, the group who ate a high-protein diet but did not
exercise lost even more muscle mass than the control group."
The exercise regimen included a 40 to 50 minute aerobic workout two or
three times a week and 20-minute strength training sessions two or three
days a week. While lying on their backs, the women did multiple sets of
thigh and calf exercises using a flywheel device similar to a typical leg
press machine at a gym. They also worked out on a vertical treadmill.
"The message for women and their doctors is that it really took very
little exercise to make an impact," said Trappe. "The total time spent
exercising was less than two percent of the time they spent in bed during
the entire 60-day period. In the end, a little bit of intense exercise goes
a long way."
Using a magnetic resonance imaging device, or MRI, researchers measured
muscle mass in all of the study subjects after the 60-day period. They
found that women in the control group lost 21 percent of the muscle mass in
their quadriceps, and the nutrition group lost more than 24 percent, but
the exercise group lost none. Results were similar for MRI scans of the
calf muscle.
The loss of muscle strength was even more significant. Researchers
tested strength using the flywheel device. Women who did not exercise
during the study lost as much as 33 percent of their strength in squat
exercises and 46 percent in calf press exercises. But the women who
exercised maintained their strength.
NASA's Human Research Program is working to understand the health
effects of spaceflight on astronauts in preparation for long-duration
missions. "It could take six months to reach the surface of Mars, and we
have to make sure our astronauts are healthy when they get there," Walz
said.
NASA
nasa
вторник, 20 марта 2012 г.
Obesity In Girls Triggered By Stress Hormone, Depression
Depression raises stress hormone levels in adolescent boys and girls but may lead to obesity only in girls, according to researchers. Early treatment of depression could help reduce stress and control obesity - a major health issue.
"This is the first time cortisol reactivity has been identified as a mediator between depressed mood and obesity in girls," said Elizabeth J. Susman, the Jean Phillips Shibley professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State. "We really haven't seen this connection in kids before, but it tells us that there are biological risk factors that are similar for obesity and depression."
Cortisol, a hormone, regulates various metabolic functions in the body and is released as a reaction to stress. Researchers have long known that depression and cortisol are related to obesity, but they had not figured out the exact biological mechanism.
Although it is not clear why high cortisol reactions translate into obesity only for girls, scientists believe it may be due to physiological and behavioral differences -- estrogen release and stress eating in girls -- in the way the two genders cope with anxiety.
"The implications are to start treating depression early because we know that depression, cortisol and obesity are related in adults," said Susman.
If depression were to be treated earlier, she noted, it could help reduce the level of cortisol, and thereby help reduce obesity.
"We know stress is a critical factor in many mental and physical health problems," said Susman. "We are putting together the biology of stress, emotions and a clinical disorder to better understand a major public health problem."
Susman and her colleagues Lorah D. Dorn, professor of pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and Samantha Dockray, postdoctoral fellow, University College London, used a child behavior checklist to assess 111 boys and girls ages 8 to 13 for symptoms of depression. Next they measured the children's obesity and the level of cortisol in their saliva before and after various stress tests.
"We had the children tell a story, make up a story, and do a mental arithmetic test," said Susman. "The children were also told that judges would evaluate the test results with those of other children."
Statistical analyses of the data suggest that depression is associated with spikes in cortisol levels for boys and girls after the stress tests, but higher cortisol reactions to stress are associated with obesity only in girls. The team reported its findings in a recent issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
"In these children, it was mainly the peak in cortisol that was related to obesity," Susman explained. "It was how they reacted to an immediate stress."
The National Institutes of Health supported this work.
Source:
Amitabh Avasthi
Penn State
"This is the first time cortisol reactivity has been identified as a mediator between depressed mood and obesity in girls," said Elizabeth J. Susman, the Jean Phillips Shibley professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State. "We really haven't seen this connection in kids before, but it tells us that there are biological risk factors that are similar for obesity and depression."
Cortisol, a hormone, regulates various metabolic functions in the body and is released as a reaction to stress. Researchers have long known that depression and cortisol are related to obesity, but they had not figured out the exact biological mechanism.
Although it is not clear why high cortisol reactions translate into obesity only for girls, scientists believe it may be due to physiological and behavioral differences -- estrogen release and stress eating in girls -- in the way the two genders cope with anxiety.
"The implications are to start treating depression early because we know that depression, cortisol and obesity are related in adults," said Susman.
If depression were to be treated earlier, she noted, it could help reduce the level of cortisol, and thereby help reduce obesity.
"We know stress is a critical factor in many mental and physical health problems," said Susman. "We are putting together the biology of stress, emotions and a clinical disorder to better understand a major public health problem."
Susman and her colleagues Lorah D. Dorn, professor of pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and Samantha Dockray, postdoctoral fellow, University College London, used a child behavior checklist to assess 111 boys and girls ages 8 to 13 for symptoms of depression. Next they measured the children's obesity and the level of cortisol in their saliva before and after various stress tests.
"We had the children tell a story, make up a story, and do a mental arithmetic test," said Susman. "The children were also told that judges would evaluate the test results with those of other children."
Statistical analyses of the data suggest that depression is associated with spikes in cortisol levels for boys and girls after the stress tests, but higher cortisol reactions to stress are associated with obesity only in girls. The team reported its findings in a recent issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
"In these children, it was mainly the peak in cortisol that was related to obesity," Susman explained. "It was how they reacted to an immediate stress."
The National Institutes of Health supported this work.
Source:
Amitabh Avasthi
Penn State
вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.
Managing Early-Onset Menopause
Menopause, which marks the end of a woman's reproductive years, usually occurs around age 50 or 51. But for various reasons, some women experience early menopause. Early menopause can be an emotional blow and can increase the risk of health problems, including osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
The February issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource describes types of early menopause.
Premature menopause: Though there is some debate over the age of onset that defines it, premature menopause is often defined as menopause before age 40. There are no more menstrual periods, no ovarian function, and pregnancy is no longer possible.
Premature ovarian failure: This is similar to premature menopause, but women can have intermittent, unpredictable ovarian function for years, may occasionally release an egg (ovulate) and, rarely, can become pregnant. About 1 percent of American women experience premature ovarian failure; the average age of onset is 27 years.
Treatment-induced menopause: Certain surgical or medical treatments can cause early-onset menopause, including ovary removal, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
The standard treatment for early-onset menopause is hormone therapy until you reach the average menopausal age. And that raises questions about the risks of hormone therapy. The results of the Women's Health Initiative trial, a study suggesting risks related to hormone therapy, don't apply in the same way to women with premature menopause or premature ovarian failure.
Early menopause, whatever the cause, is quite different from the average menopause experience. And each woman's experience differs. A knowledgeable, experienced doctor with expertise in reproductive hormone disorders is critical to helping you work out the best way to stay healthy during early-onset menopause.
Mayo Clinic
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55902
United States
mayoclinic/
The February issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource describes types of early menopause.
Premature menopause: Though there is some debate over the age of onset that defines it, premature menopause is often defined as menopause before age 40. There are no more menstrual periods, no ovarian function, and pregnancy is no longer possible.
Premature ovarian failure: This is similar to premature menopause, but women can have intermittent, unpredictable ovarian function for years, may occasionally release an egg (ovulate) and, rarely, can become pregnant. About 1 percent of American women experience premature ovarian failure; the average age of onset is 27 years.
Treatment-induced menopause: Certain surgical or medical treatments can cause early-onset menopause, including ovary removal, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
The standard treatment for early-onset menopause is hormone therapy until you reach the average menopausal age. And that raises questions about the risks of hormone therapy. The results of the Women's Health Initiative trial, a study suggesting risks related to hormone therapy, don't apply in the same way to women with premature menopause or premature ovarian failure.
Early menopause, whatever the cause, is quite different from the average menopause experience. And each woman's experience differs. A knowledgeable, experienced doctor with expertise in reproductive hormone disorders is critical to helping you work out the best way to stay healthy during early-onset menopause.
Mayo Clinic
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55902
United States
mayoclinic/
вторник, 6 марта 2012 г.
Statement Of Secretary Kathleen Sebelius On Women's Health Week, May 9 - 16, 2010
This is National Women's Health Week, an annual, week-long observance that reminds women to make their personal health a priority. But until this year, millions of women have found it difficult to follow through on that advice, because a broken health insurance system limited their access to medical care.
This past March, when President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, we took an historic step to fix our broken health care system, which far too often has charged women more for less than adequate insurance and unstable coverage.
In 45 states across the U.S., when a woman tried to buy health insurance through the individual insurance market, companies could legally charge women higher premiums, exclude benefits like breast cancer treatment, and reject your application if you were a victim of domestic violence. The vast majority of individual policies did not cover maternity care.
Under the Affordable Care Act, all of that will change. The new law will make landmark improvements to women's health security, banning insurance companies from discriminating based on gender, expanding coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, offering free coverage for preventive services, helping pregnant women and new mothers get the care they need, and prohibiting insurers from dropping women's coverage if they get sick.
For too many years, American women have been paying the price for a broken health care system that was not set up to help them. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Women's Health Week 2010 can be a true celebration of a healthier future for the women of America, and a new opportunity for all Americans to live longer, happier, and healthier lives.
Source
HHS
This past March, when President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, we took an historic step to fix our broken health care system, which far too often has charged women more for less than adequate insurance and unstable coverage.
In 45 states across the U.S., when a woman tried to buy health insurance through the individual insurance market, companies could legally charge women higher premiums, exclude benefits like breast cancer treatment, and reject your application if you were a victim of domestic violence. The vast majority of individual policies did not cover maternity care.
Under the Affordable Care Act, all of that will change. The new law will make landmark improvements to women's health security, banning insurance companies from discriminating based on gender, expanding coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, offering free coverage for preventive services, helping pregnant women and new mothers get the care they need, and prohibiting insurers from dropping women's coverage if they get sick.
For too many years, American women have been paying the price for a broken health care system that was not set up to help them. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Women's Health Week 2010 can be a true celebration of a healthier future for the women of America, and a new opportunity for all Americans to live longer, happier, and healthier lives.
Source
HHS
вторник, 28 февраля 2012 г.
Age Is An Independent Risk Factor In Young Women With Breast Cancer
Nice, France, Thursday 23 March 2006 - A 30 year old woman diagnosed with breast cancer has the same chance of survival as a 60 year old woman with breast cancer according to the latest findings presented today at the European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-5).
Scientists have known for a while that young women with breast cancer have a poor prognosis. It was thought to be because younger women were diagnosed later, with more advanced disease. The study set out to see if youth on its own was a factor for poor prognosis.
Researchers analysed the American SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database of over 45,000 women with breast cancer. All women with early stage breast cancer (stage 1) were included in the study and the various age groups were compared. The results were surprising and indicated that being young was an independent indicator of poor survival - regardless of other factors known to be predictive of outcomes in older women such as tumour size, location, hormone receptor status, race, or treatment.
In fact the odds of dying from breast cancer rather than any other disease increased by 5% for every year that a women was under 45 when diagnosed. For example, a women who was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 35 was 50% more likely to die of the disease. The 10-year overall survival probability of a 30-year old patient (85%) was equal to that of a 60-year old, indicating a considerably reduced life expectancy in young patients.
S. Aebi, leading author of the study comments, "These findings suggest that age in young women, more than any other factor affects the chances of survival. It is very important now to carry on more research and analyse what makes the tumours in young women different - what causes these women to die."
Breast cancer in the under 40's is rare, making up around 5% of all cases. However the impact of the disease can be hard for young women, who often have young children or want to start a family of their own. Improving survival rates would make a big difference to these women.
SOURCE: toniclc
Scientists have known for a while that young women with breast cancer have a poor prognosis. It was thought to be because younger women were diagnosed later, with more advanced disease. The study set out to see if youth on its own was a factor for poor prognosis.
Researchers analysed the American SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database of over 45,000 women with breast cancer. All women with early stage breast cancer (stage 1) were included in the study and the various age groups were compared. The results were surprising and indicated that being young was an independent indicator of poor survival - regardless of other factors known to be predictive of outcomes in older women such as tumour size, location, hormone receptor status, race, or treatment.
In fact the odds of dying from breast cancer rather than any other disease increased by 5% for every year that a women was under 45 when diagnosed. For example, a women who was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 35 was 50% more likely to die of the disease. The 10-year overall survival probability of a 30-year old patient (85%) was equal to that of a 60-year old, indicating a considerably reduced life expectancy in young patients.
S. Aebi, leading author of the study comments, "These findings suggest that age in young women, more than any other factor affects the chances of survival. It is very important now to carry on more research and analyse what makes the tumours in young women different - what causes these women to die."
Breast cancer in the under 40's is rare, making up around 5% of all cases. However the impact of the disease can be hard for young women, who often have young children or want to start a family of their own. Improving survival rates would make a big difference to these women.
SOURCE: toniclc
вторник, 21 февраля 2012 г.
Maternal Mortality In Calif. Up Nearly Threefold Over Last Decade, State Data Show
California's maternal mortality rate has nearly tripled during the past decade, according to an unreleased report from the state Department of Public Health, the Sacramento Bee reports. California Watch, a project of the Center for Investigative Reporting, conducted the investigation into the state's pregnancy-related deaths. The report "shows the most significant spike in pregnancy-related deaths since the 1930s," according to the Bee. The Bee notes that pregnancy remains safe for the vast majority of women in California, with 95 deaths in the state out of more than 500,000 live births in 2006. However, if California had met goals set by HHS, the number of deaths would have been around 28.
In 1996, California's pregnancy-related mortality rate was 5.6 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, slightly more than the national goal of 4.3 per 100,000 live births After the World Health Organization revised its coding system, California's rate increased to 6.7 in 1998 and 7.7 in 1999. According to the Bee, WHO's coding-system change might have contributed to the rise in deaths in the late 1990s.
Reasons for Increase Disputed
California changed its coding system once more in 2003, and the maternal mortality rate rose to 14.6 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. In 2006, California's rate reached 16.9, compared with the national average of 13.3. Investigators estimate that reporting system changes account for less than 30% of the increase in maternal mortality rates.
California might be mirroring the rest of the country with its rise in pregnancy-related deaths, according to a recent "Sentinel Event Alert" from the Joint Commission, a hospital accreditation organization. On Jan. 26, the commission sent the alert to hospitals to inform them that maternal mortality rates appear to be increasing nationwide. The Joint Commission suggested that diabetes, high blood pressure, hemorrhaging from caesarean sections and obesity could account for some of the increase in maternal mortality rates.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a national rise in maternal mortality in 2007. Jeffrey King, head of an inquiry into maternal mortality for the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and some other experts attribute the change to more accurate recordkeeping.
Elliott Main, principal investigator for California's report, said the rise cannot be fully explained by population changes, such as fertility treatments, obesity and older mothers. "What I call the usual suspects are certainly there," Main said, adding, "However, when we looked at those factors and the data analyzed so far, those only account for a modest amount of the increase." Main noted that c-sections also increased by 50% during the same decade that pregnancy-related deaths went up. Currently, c-sections are the most common surgical procedure in the U.S.
In response to the rise in maternal mortality, California officials are starting work on pilot programs designed to improve hospital responses to hemorrhages, reduce the incidence of induced births and strengthen tracking systems for women's medical conditions (Johnson, Sacramento Bee, 2/3).
Broadcast Coverage
On Wednesday, KQED's "The California Report" included a segment on the rise in maternal mortality (Montgomery, "The California Report," KQED, 2/3).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2010 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
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