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February 11th, 2014
06:04 PM ET
Federal officials support use of naloxoneWith heroin use up nearly 80% since 2007, the nation's "Drug Czar," Gil Kerlikowske, is highlighting the benefits of an old, but effective drug called naloxone which can reverse an overdose. While heroin overdoses account for only a small part of the opioid overdose epidemic, they are a leading cause of death in the United States, killing 100 people every day, Kerlikowske said in a White House press conference Tuesday. "We're not going to arrest our way out of this problem," Kerlikowske said, pointing out several key things that help to reduce overdose numbers, including the use of naloxone. Naloxone is a drug that can reverse opioid overdoses from heroin and opioid prescription pain killers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. Opioids bind to the receptors in the brain and spinal cord, causing the body to slow down until it stops breathing. When an addict takes naloxone, it can reverse this process, freeing up the receptors. "Naloxone has very few side effects and can be safely administered in many different settings, so there is some hope for its expanded use," said Kerlikowske. 
February 11th, 2014
04:01 PM ET
Donating kidney may raise disease risk slightlyThose who make life-saving kidney donations may face a slightly increased risk of suffering from end-stage renal disease themselves, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The study authors compared living kidney donors to healthy individuals who would also likely qualify to donate but never did. While the actual donors had an estimated lifetime risk of 90 out of 10,000 for end-stage renal disease (ESRD), the nondonors’ risk was slightly lower at 14 out of 10,000. “As a medical community, we feel that it’s our imperative to understand, as well as we possibly can, what these risks are and communicate them with people,” says study author Dr. Dorry Segev, a professor of surgery at John Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
February 11th, 2014
11:55 AM ET
Schools picking up autism tabThe surge in autism diagnoses since the year 2000 has come with a massive cost that’s shouldered largely by the public school system, say researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. In what’s billed as a conservative estimate, they say the “economic burden” of an autism diagnosis is more than $17,000 a year through age 17, with medical costs making up less than 20% of the total. The biggest chunk of the tab, $8,610, is picked up by schools, according to their paper, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. “The education system is already under a lot of financial strain,” says Tara LaVelle, the lead author, who is now an associate policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. “We need policies at the federal, state and local level to make sure funds are available to provide appropriate intervention.” FULL POST |
  About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
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