The number of young children on prescription drugs for heartburn and other digestive problems jumped about 56 percent in recent years, and researchers say obesity and overuse might be contributing to the surprising increase.
The surge was found in a Medco Health Solutions Inc. analysis released Thursday of U.S. prescription data for 2002-06. It suggests more than 2 million U.S. children 18 and under used drugs for digestive or gastrointestinal complaints last year.
"It's a signal that something's going on that we need to keep an eye on," said Dr. Robert Epstein, Medco's chief medical officer.
They calculated that 557,259 infants and children up to age 4, or about 3 percent of youngsters in that age range, were taking these drugs last year. That's a 56 percent increase from 2002.
There was a 31 percent increase among children age 5 to 11, climbing to an estimated 551,653 children, or 2 percent in that age group in 2006, the analysis found.
Heartburn and acid reflux are also common in infants and young children. Many outgrow it, and drugs often aren't needed, so the increase raises concerns about whether these drugs are sometimes being used unnecessarily, Jenkins said.
Bonnie - It is unconscionable that these numbers continue to rise. This will be potentially devastating to the future health of these children. I warned the public about this a few years ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment