In preventive health news this week, experts called for depression screening for all teenagers, and smokers deluged quit lines with calls as U.S. cigarette taxes rose. At a major heart conference, researchers said a multi-drug pill helps to prevent heart disease and a cholesterol drug also can prevent blood clots in the legs. Publishing in a major journal this week, 11 prominent doctors said that medical groups and their leaders should avoid industry funding for meetings and other programs.
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Experts Push Teen Screening for Depression
Doctors should screen all teenagers for depression, a group of experts said this week. The advice came from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. This panel of experts is appointed by the U.S. government. Its job is to set guidelines for doctors on primary health care. The task force recommended two screening tests for depression. It said kids should be screened only if they could have access to talk therapy as well as drug treatment. The statement appeared in the journal Pediatrics, the Associated Press said.

As Taxes Rise, Smokers Seek To Quit
Smokers have been deluging telephone quit lines with calls, the Associated Press reported this week. The callers want to give up smoking because of a major increase in the federal cigarette tax. The tax rose from 39 cents to $1.01 on April 1. Cigarette makers also raised prices several weeks ago. Price increases often spur smokers to quit. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids predicts that 1 million adults will quit because of the latest tax hike.

Study: Heart 'Polypill' Effective, Safe
A "polypill" combining five medicines for heart disease works as well as the drugs taken separately, researchers said this week. And side effects were no greater, they said. The pill is called Polycap, the Associated Press reported. It combines three blood pressure drugs, aspirin and a statin to lower cholesterol. About 2,000 people were divided into groups of 200. Some received Polycap. Others were given some or all of its components as separate pills. Polycap dropped blood pressure as much as the three blood pressure pills alone. LDL ("bad") cholesterol dropped 23% with Polycap and 28% with the statin. The study was presented at a conference. The journal Lancet also published it online.

Statins May Help Prevent Clots in Legs
Drugs that lower cholesterol may also help prevent blood clots in veins, a study released this week suggests. The study included 17,802 people. Half were randomly assigned to take Crestor, a statin drug, the Associated Press reported. The others took placebos (fake pills). Statins reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol and inflammation. People in the study did not have high LDL. They did have high levels of C-reactive protein in the blood. High levels indicate inflammation. People took the pills for two years. In that time, 34 people taking Crestor and 60 taking the placebo had a blood clot in a leg vein. These clots are less common than heart attacks, but can kill if they travel to the lungs. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study online.

Doctors Push for Near-Boycott of Industry Funding
A group of prominent doctors this week urged medical groups and their leaders to reject nearly all industry funding. Funds from drug and medical device companies help to support many programs for doctors. These include continuing education, annual conferences and meetings where treatment guidelines are written. This should stop, the new statement said. The group also said guideline writers should not accept money from industry. The statement came from 11 doctors, the Associated Press reported. They include the editor of a medical journal and the head or former head of several doctor groups.

Used with the permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. The above summaries are not intended to provide advice on personal medical matters, nor are they intended to be a substitute for consultation with a physician.