Meningitis Vaccine For All Aged 11–18

ATLANTA — The tetravalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine is now recommended for all 11- to 18-year-olds instead of select age groups, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted at its June meeting. Full Story..........

Spouses Have Tendency to Share the Same Chronic Diseases

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA — Patients whose spouse has any of a variety of common chronic diseases are themselves at significantly elevated risk of having the same disease, Dr. Julia Hippisley-Cox reported at WONCA 2001, the conference of the World Organization of Family Doctors. Full Story..........

Consumption of Whole Grains May Cut Heart Failure Risk

ORLANDO — Regularly eating a bowl of whole-grain cereal was linked to a significant drop in the risk for heart failure in a study with more than 20,000 men.   Full Story..........

Sudden Cardiac Death Rate Has Declined by Half Since 1950s

ATLANTA — The incidence of sudden cardiac death dropped by about 50% from the 1950s and 1960s to the 1990s, based on data collected by the Framingham Heart Study.  Full Story.........

Uncontrolled Blood Pressure Dips With Drug Combination

PATRICE WENDLING (Chicago Bureau)
CHICAGO — Nearly three-fourths of patients with uncontrolled hypertension on monotherapy achieved national blood pressure targets on a fixed-dose combination of amlodipine and valsartan that will soon be available, Dr. Joseph L. Izzo Jr. reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hypertension. Full Story..........