Health Report: Oct. 4, 1993

THE GOOD NEWS

— Injections of vitamin K are the routine treatment for newborns who suffer from a disease that can lead to potentially fatal episodes of spontaneous internal bleeding. Although some research suggested that the treatment could increase the risk of childhood cancer, parents can now relax: a definitive new study says there’s no such risk.

— An experimental treatment for rheumatoid arthritis — oral doses of & collagen extracted from chicken cartilage — can reduce and even eliminate swelling and joint pain, with no major side effects. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues–in this case, collagen-rich cartilage. Doctors theorize that the collagen treatments desensitize immune cells and stop the attacks.

THE BAD NEWS

— Women who smoke appear to be twice as likely to get lung cancer as their male counterparts, according to a new report. The reason is a mystery.

— More than 99.5% of heart-attack victims who don’t respond to aggressive treatment on the scene won’t respond after being rushed to the hospital either. The U.S. spends about $1 billion a year on such doomed patients.

— The laparoscope — a flexible tube that lets doctors examine internal organs and even perform surgery through small, quick-healing incisions — has driven down the cost of gallbladder surgery. But total spending on the operation is up because many more are now performed – too many, according to public health experts, who say doctors should prescribe the procedure more prudently.