SLEEP-DEPRIVED CHILDREN in the United States may have television and caffeine to blame, a new poll has found. A survey by the National Sleep Foundation says that 43 percent of school-age children have TV sets in their bedrooms, as do a third of those ages 3 to 5. About 20 percent of infants and toddlers had their own sets. Those children with TVs in the bedroom went to sleep 20 minutes later on average than children without TVs and slept 9.2 hours a night compared with 9.6 hours a night, a loss of more than two hours of sleep a week, the foundation said. Meanwhile, 26 percent of parents said their children age 3 and older were drinking at least one caffeinated beverage, such as soda or iced tea; the foundation says that could be keeping them up later at night. Those children slept one-half hour less per night than their counterparts who drank no caffeinated beverages.
KIDNEY STONES AND OBESITY may go hand in hand, so if you need another reason to bypass the dessert table, try this one on for size: The more extra pounds you put on, the greater the risk that you will develop uric-acid kidney stones. A study published in this month's issue of Kidney International tracked nearly 5,000 kidney-stone patients in Dallas and Chicago. Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found for the first time a direct link between excess body weight and uric-acid kidney stones. Kidney stones are solid deposits that develop when urine is too acidic, typically from too much dietary animal protein or when there are not enough buffers to neutralize the acid. An estimated 10 percent of people in the United States have kidney stones at some time.
ACNE ANNOUNCES PUBERTY for many teens. Though not every teen will get bad acne, when it is so severe that it could lead to scarring, the doctor and parents must step forward. The mistake most people make is waiting until an outbreak. A pimple can begin forming under the skin up to two months before it erupts. Washing the face and using a treatment (benzoyl peroxide works well unless the person is allergic) should be done continually. When a pimple pops up, treat the entire area, not just the spot. If acne does not respond to regular over-the-counter medications, a dermatologist can prescribe topical or oral medications.
ALLERGIC TO PENICILLIN? Some folks who think they're allergic might be able to tolerate the antibiotic. Previous studies had found that about 60 percent of people with an initial allergic reaction to penicillin suffered hives, wheezing or anaphylaxis after it was prescribed a second time. But in reviewing 3-million electronic medical records of British patients who received penicillin from 1987 to September 2001, University of Pennsylvania researchers found that 6,000 suffered an initial allergic reaction. Of the 48 percent who got a second prescription, only 2 percent were allergic.
