August 16, 1999 MEDICAL TIPS FROM UAB OFFICE OF MEDIA RELATIONS
1. Respiratory-Spinal Connection
Respiratory problems have replaced renal failure as the most common cause of illness and death in people with spinal cord injuries (SCI), according to the nation's SCI Statistical Center, located at the UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center. Pneumonia is the most dangerous problem for people with a spinal cord injury (SCI). In a recent study at Spain's Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, pathologist Ken B. Waites, M.D., found that the standard vaccine that prevents bacterial pneumonia also works well in the SCI population. "This leads us to recommend that everyone with SCI should receive the vaccine soon after injury." He also recommends yearly flu shots for SCI patients.
Call Hank Black, Media Relations, 205-934-8938 or [email protected].
2. Rediagnosing Crimes Against Children
Munchausen's by Proxy, a condition that causes one person to harm another, including children, for some type of internal gratification such as attention, sympathy or the drama that comes with funerals, may be more common than was first thought, says Marc Feldman, M.D., a UAB psychiatrist and author of two books on Munchausen's. "The recent Philadelphia case of Marie Noe, a 70-year-old woman who has now confessed to killing eight of her children, has renewed attention to cases of child homicide misdiagnosed as natural deaths." Feldman suggests a review of medical records by someone trained to detect Munchausen's might be advisable in cases of suspicious infant death.
Call Bob Shepard, Media Relations, 205-934-8934 or [email protected].
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