Health/Science Briefs: Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Published: July 29, 2008

Is your long daily commute causing you pain? Experts say hours in the car can create more than stress; it can cause carpal tunnel syndrome.

"Repeated, prolonged gripping of anything, whether it's a steering wheel or a tool, can contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome,” said Jennifer Valle, occupational therapist and certified hand therapist at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. Here are ways to decrease the risk of developing carpal tunnel:

•Switch the hand you drive with, periodically using your left, then your right.

•Keep your hand in line with your elbow and your wrist straight.

"If you imagine the steering wheel as a clock, the best position to put your wrist in would actually be at three o'clock and nine o'clock.”

Drivers also increase carpal tunnel risk when they talk on a cell phone while driving and holding it with their wrist bent. Experts suggest using an earpiece or headset.

The American Heart Association has issued guidelines to physicians on the diagnosis and treatment of stroke in infants and children.

The group noted that strokes are more common in children than previously thought and that the causes, risks and symptoms differ greatly from those in adults.

In newborns, for example, the first symptoms of stroke often are seizures that involve only one arm or leg, said Dr. E. Steve Roach, chairman of the task force that developed the guidelines. Seizures involving one limb are so common that stroke is believed to account for about 10 percent of seizures in full-term newborns, he said.

About 10 in every 100,000 children in the United States will suffer a stroke in any given year. The most common risk factors for childhood stroke are sickle cell disease and birth defects of the heart. Other conditions that can lead to stroke include dehydration, head trauma and head and neck infections.

A new downloadable software tool will help pediatricians, parents and other health care professionals determine how to adjust complex childhood immunization schedules when one or more vaccine doses aren't received at the proper time.

A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 28 percent of toddlers have not been vaccinated according to U.S. guidelines. Another recent survey found that only 9 percent of children received all of their vaccinations at the recommended times and that only half received all recommended doses by their second birthday.

The online tool is available for download from www.cdc.gov/vaccines/scheduler/catchup.htm.

From Staff and Wire Reports

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