About 1 out of 5 U.S. children gets too little vitamin D, researchers said this week. And many kids who take anti-psychotic drugs gain a lot of weight, another study found. In other child-related news, swine flu has led to hundreds of school closings, and more hospitals restrict induced labor to protect babies. Finally, a new study questions the idea that women have different heart attack symptoms than men.
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Many U.S. Kids Low on Vitamin D
About 20% of U.S. children get too little vitamin D, says research released this week. The numbers could be as high as 90% for black children and 80% for Hispanics, the Associated Press reported. Researchers used data from a government health survey. It focused on 3,000 children, ages 1 through 11. They were given blood tests to detect vitamin D levels. The study used a standard cutoff recommended by children's doctors. But experts are debating whether current U.S. standards for vitamin D needs may be too low. The article was published online October 26 in the journal Pediatrics.

Anti-Psychotic Drugs Can Fatten Kids Quickly
Children can gain weight fast while taking some anti-psychotic drugs, researchers reported this week. The drugs are prescribed most often for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. But some doctors also prescribe them for autism, attention deficit disorders and behavior problems. Weight gain is a known side effect of these drugs. But the study suggests it may be worse in children, the Associated Press said. The study included 205 children. Their average age was 14. They gained 10 to 20 pounds in about 11 weeks after starting to take the drugs. Depending on the drug, 10% to 36% became obese. The drugs are Abilify, Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa. The last two led to the largest weight gain. Neither has been approved for use in children. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study October 27.

Study: Women's Heart Attacks Not So Different
Women's heart attack symptoms are not much different than men's, a study released this week concludes. That's contrary to other research that found women's symptoms were often different. The study did not look at people having actual heart attacks. Rather, it looked at 305 people who had angioplasty. This procedure opens a blocked artery by inflating a tiny balloon inside the artery. While the balloon blocks the artery, people often have heart attack symptoms. Researchers asked people about their symptoms. Women reported chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath and pain in the left arm just as often as men. But they reported jaw, neck and throat pain more than men did. Researchers said women should tell doctors about all of their symptoms. They shouldn't wait to be asked about something specific. The study was presented at a heart conference. The Canadian Press wrote about it October 25.

Swine Flu Leads to Hundreds of School Closings
Hundreds of U.S. schools are closed because of H1N1 (swine) flu outbreaks, the Associated Press reported this week. U.S. health officials don't recommend closing schools in most cases for swine flu outbreaks. But school officials said they had no choice when hundreds of students called in sick. At least 351 schools were closed last week alone, the U.S. Education Department said. The closings affected 126,000 students. As the infection spreads, many people still have not been able to get vaccinated. The number of doses of swine flu vaccine released rose this week to 23 million. That's an increase of 9 million doses in a week. But it's still far less than was predicted. Shortages have led to long lines in many places.

Hospitals Crack Down on Early Induced Labor
Next spring, the Joint Commission that accredits hospitals will start requiring them to report how often labor is induced before the 39th week of pregnancy. But already some hospitals are starting to restrict these early inductions, the Associated Press (AP) reported this week. Doctors induce labor for a variety of reasons. Some are medical. Others are more a matter of convenience. A survey by one hospital chain found that up to 10% of births may occur after early induced labor. But recent research shows the babies induced just a couple of weeks early have more problems. Some hospital officials told AP they had reduced such early births. They did this by setting up rules about when labor can be induced early. More hospitals are expected to join them when the Joint Commission reporting rules go into force.

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.