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Patients With Bipolar Disorder Have Higher Specialty Care Costs Than Patients With Diabetes And Other Chronic Diseases
Mayo Clinic researchers have found that bipolar disorder (BPD) is a more costly chronic condition than diabetes, depression, asthma and coronary artery disease (CAD), based on a review of health care claim costs. Specialty care costs (the costs of seeing any specialist and all tests ordered) were especially higher for bipolar patients. Results of this review were presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in San Francisco.
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The Royal College Of Anaesthetists Launches E-Learning Initiative
The Royal College of Anaesthetists, the professional body representing anaesthesia in the UK, is introducing an interactive e-Learning re to support training and professional development in anaesthesia. The programme will be launched by the President of the College, Dr Judith Hulf, at its annual College Tutors conference on 11 June, 2009.
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Majority Of HIV-Positive Pregnant Women In Developing World Lack Access To PMTCT Services, Report Says
Two-thirds of HIV-positive pregnant women in the developing world do not have access to treatment to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, which could lead to 370,000 new HIV cases annually among infants, according to a study released Thursday by the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition, Bloomberg reports (Chase, Bloomberg, 5/21). Of the 1.5 million HIV-positive pregnant women each year in the developing world, about one-third receive any kind of drug therapy at all, the report said, adding that most of the treatment is inadequate and fails to prevent MTCT. According to the report, eight years after world governments pledged to cut the number HIV cases among infants in half by 2010, only about 8% of pregnant women in developing countries are receiving the complete triple-dose combination therapy widely used in wealthy nations (York, Globe and Mail, 5/22). The report cited poor government and donor coordination, as well as funding gaps, as the main reasons many women do not obtain the treatment, Stephen Lewis, founder of AIDS-Free World and a co-author of the report, said (Bloomberg, 5/21). According to the report, there is a "shocking lack of consistency and coordination" between governments and agencies, and about 18% of pregnant women worldwide were offered HIV tests in 2007. In addition, there is an acute shortage of prevention and counseling services for women, the report said. It added that one of the largest issues is a lack of counseling on infant feeding, as most women are not properly counseled and advice sometimes can lead to a bias toward using formula over breastfeeding. Lewis also criticized United Nations health agencies for claims that an increasing number of pregnant women in developing countries are gaining treatment access. He added that the large majority of such women do not have access to the complete triple-dose treatment. "It makes the access a simple mockery," Lewis said.The report found that in 61 countries -- such as Cameroon, Ethiopia, India and Nigeria -- more than three-quarters of HIV-positive pregnant women do not receive any drug treatment for PMTCT. It said that the world is tolerating a "shameful example of double standards" because MTCT has been virtually eliminated in wealthy nations, where most HIV-positive pregnant women have access to the complete drug regimen (Globe and Mail, 5/22).According to Bloomberg, most HIV-positive pregnant women who do have access to prevention services in developing countries receive nevirapine for PMTCT, which is 40% effective at reducing transmission. Nevirapine can so lead to drug-resistant strains of HIV from developing, Bloomberg reports. Boehringer Ingelheim, which manufactures nevirapine, provides the drug at no-cost to pregnant HIV-positive women in developing countries, according to Bloomberg. According to CDC, the availability of PMTCT services in the U.S. has reduced the number of HIV cases in infants by more than 90%.Officials from UNAIDS, the World Health Organization and 20 international groups are expected to meet this week in Nairobi, Kenya, to launch a campaign aimed at improving access to PMTCT services, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe said. Gregg Gonsalves, head of ITPC, said, "For millions of women, maternal and child health is about HIV/AIDS and we have failed them" (Bloomberg, 5/21). He added, "Our failure to prevent HIV transmission to babies is truly a failure to prevent disease progression in women living with HIV. If we treat mothers properly, if we treat women properly for their own health, we would have few or no HIV infections in babies" (VOA News, 5/21). Sidibe said, "There has been some progress" in PMTCT services, but added, "Overall coverage is still very low for this proven, inexpensive and effective intervention." Sidibe said that UNAIDS "agree[s] with the report that the combination of stigma, fragmented health services, inadequate knowledge within the community and insufficient political leadership are root causes of low coverage" (Bloomberg, 5/21). UNAIDS also has called for the
Mental Health

Antiabortion Group's National Convention Focuses On 'Common Ground' In Abortion-Rights Debate

The National Right to Life Committee last week held its national convention in Charlotte, N.C., attracting as many as 1,300 antiabortion-rights advocates from around the U.S., according to event organizers, the Charlotte Observer reports. According to the Observer, a large part of the convention focused on President Obama"s appeal for "common ground" in the abortion-rights debate, with many participants arguing there is not much in common to be found between abortion-rights supporters and opponents.NRLC Political Director Karen Cross said that Obama is "the most pro-abortion president" in U.S. history, telling convention delegates, "Look at the devastation brought by the first 100 days" of his administration. Cross was referring to Obama"s decisions to ease restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, lift the "global gag" rule and his intentions to repeal the Bush administration"s provider "conscience" rule.Although Obama has sought to achieve common ground on abortion by promoting adoption and methods of preventing unintended pregnancies, his "view of common ground is not common ground at all" for "people with very strong pro-life positions," John Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, said. Green said that the "positive news is abortion is not a priority for many Americans." Green said that results from a recent a Pew Research Center poll could indicate that "pro-life constituencies are becoming more vocal and more strident precisely because there"s a president with more pro-choice sympathies." Similarly, a May Gallup poll found that 51% of U.S. residents consider themselves "pro-life," compared with 42% who call themselves "pro-choice." The poll was the first time Gallup found that more people identified themselves as "pro-life."Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that the Gallup poll "doesn"t square" with the election of Obama and abortion-rights majorities in both chambers of Congress. She said, "Americans want a change in the tone of the debate and that begins with common ground on birth control and sex education." She added, "As long as right-to-life refuses to support better access to contraception, they will continue to be outside the mainstream values of this country" (Morrill, Charlotte Observer, 6/20). Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women"s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women"s Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company. © 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.


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