Salt Lake Tribune | 2001-11-01 | Page 26

The Salt Lake Tribune SCIENCE & MEDICINE Do this: A Chtowem Whathappened? Thursday, November 1, 2001 | (Cream is a modure of waiter, fat droplets and ‘some dissolved solids aedmatics A Hidden Epidemic of Head Injuries in Rugby BY TROY GOODMAN THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE As manyas a quarter of all 9 Put marbles in jar, fl jar with cream and screw fid on tightly . rugby injuries are likely to in- volve brain-rattling medical trauma, according to a headconcussion study of two Utah rugby squads conducted over three years. ne my not be surprised the rough-and-tumble saaaet sport — mostly played than it really is, but it just shows you these head saree are way underreported,” he said. Spencer also rugbyis “a fairly:safe sport.” Still, _he admits, there are risks: We'vehad kids knocked out,” Spencer said. By contrast, the concussion rate among high school students in a recent Ai study was much lower. The Utah and North Carolina-led study differentiated between severe and mild concussions, concussions among rugbyplayers,ae researchers say. probably Type 2 Diabetes © MoreClinics Focus Exclusively on Diabetes More Common *Nowin Children only treatment clinics spread throughout thestate. Mostofthe diabetes clinics are located in hospitals or run by medical staffs who see patients outside of the hospital in an father has Type 1 diabetes and his maternal grandfather suffers from Type 2 diabetes. The teen wasn’t surprised with his diagnosis at age 12. around diabetics, I knew anything was possible,” he says. Nora Schwerdtremembers the day they took Adam to the pediatrician’s office. “He was extremely thirsty and he was urinating lot,” she says. “He was really moody — when your sugars are off it can cause mood swings. Healso got achy, flu-like symptoms.” Doctors admitted the boy to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City with blood sugar levels close to 900 — a dangerously high level. Levels from 400 to 600 can cause a diabetic to lapse into a coma. It took outpatient setting. Along the Wasatch Front, diabetes treatment has led to new ieeeand an expansion of diabetes are focusingon treating diabetes compre- UtahDiabetes Center, operated by hensively — not only managing blood glucose levels, but also by monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol, medication dosage the University of Utah hospital andclinic network, is a month-old clinic located in Salt Lake City’s Research Park, 615 Arapeen Drive, suite 100. The centerstrives to + provide diabetic care “from childhood through to adulthood,” developmentdirector Ara Serjoie says. Informationis avail* and obesity. Recent studies have found that even modest changes#such as eating less fat, exercising two anda halfhours a week and losing 10 to 15 pounds, can cuttherisk of developing diabetes by more than half among those mostatrisk. able at(801) 581-7761. Intermountain Health Care Plans, which runs a network of hospitals and clinics,offers a diabetes care management focusing on patient education, Mostrisk factors for diabetes — age, race, a family history of disease — are unavoidable, experts say. But patients can control tworisk factors: obesity and lack of physical activity. implementation of new treatment proto- cols and a reduction in diabetes medical costs. The IHC diabetes program,nowin its third year, recently won the National Exemplary Practice Award. Log on to wen .ihe.comforclinic locations or doctor ferrals. @ McKay“-Dee Hospital in Ogden will moveits diabetesclinic in the springto the sweet smell on the breath, which is caused by acetone, the breakdown product of fat. Donaldson estimates that Primary Children’s Hospital creases glucose production by treats 180-200 new casesofditheliver.If children diagnosed abetes in children each year. with Type 2 lose weight, they Of those new cases, heestican potentially eliminate the mates less than 10 percent need for instilin injections and have Type 2 diabetes. a dependency upon medication. This is not the case with children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, caused when the bodyattacks cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. “It’s the immunesystem doing the injury. Thepatient has no control over it,” says Donaldson. Type 1 diabetes requires a lifetime of daily shots or doses of insulin, a hormone the body in Tibetas part of a Utah Geo- » logical Association presentation. The luncheon presentation at Chuck-a-Rama,2960 S. Highland Drive, Holladay, toward alll types of diabetes. “That's thefirst line of de_fense,” says Donaldsonof the lifestyle adjustments for young Type 2 diabetics. “You don’t have to lose a lot of sticking weight, just lose some weight and get more active.” to the regimen. “There are times I won't re- Ifyour child is overweight, Adam Schwerdtis on strict diet. He hasinsulin injections Schwerdt doesn’t bake sweets one “ideal weight” for all children. But realize the ge- twice daily, and hetakesa pill as much andfollows recipes netic tendency to be heavier from a cookbookfor diabetics. She chooses healthier snacks andreadsfood labels can cause diabetes. He advises kids with diabetes to remain optimistic.” religiously. The family also eats less meat because large Moderate changes in diet and exercise cause big improve- quantities of such protein cause the body's blood- ments. The biggest problem in children whohave diabetes is keeping them motivated To treat his diabetes, two times a day. He carries an emergency insulin kit every- where he goes.He also keeps a liquid glucose gel with him to be squirted in his cheekif his levels get dangerously low. When his-blood sugar is too low he gets confused, shaky and, without proper treatment, he could have seizure. Thisis not aneasylife for a SCIENCE BRIEFS Utah State University geologist Bradley Ritts will,speak Friday on petroleum deposits hesays.“It interrupts mylife because I haveto leave class and check blood glucose levels before I can do anything else.” He admits he has difficulty ally care,” he says. “Other times Ill be very strict.” Adjusting to diabetes has been a family effort. Nora uses to store energy. Symptoms for both types of teen-ager. diabetes in children include “Sometimesit’s tough not increased thirst and urination, being able to eat as much as I weight loss, moodiness and a wantorthat I'm hungry for,” Geology Lecture “If they don’t take time to heal from thefirst one, there's the risk of whatwecall ‘second impact syndrome,’” Spencer said. He explained that many high school athletes refuse to tell coaches or trainers when a rugby blow tothe head feels ut of fear Highland High Schoolathletic even mildly trainer and fitness teacher Ri- they will be sent to the bench chard Spencer. The pair’sfind- for a week or more. International rugby rules require a ings appear in a recent issueof. three-weeksit-outafter a heavy JournalofAthletic Training. The researchers followed headblow. Rugby,considered by many Highland’s varsity and junior varsity rugby teams head- outside the United States as the injury rate during a three-year true “football,” attracts some period. They found, on average, 50,000 American high school that each team’s two-hour prac- players and others annually. tice — accumulated over 20 Recently, the sport has seen a days — led to 3.8 concussions, strong upswing in the number of women players, Marshall said Spencer. “Now that sounds higher said. ————-7_---—— Eye Expert Wins Grant A University of Utah eye “You don’t expect Type 2 in starts if12:25 p.m., with lunch at noon. Cost is $10 with reservation, $11 withouta reservation and $5 for students. The public is welcome. Ritts will discuss geology andoil issues that focus on the Northeastern Tibet Plateau. For more information, call program | glucose to increase. Primary Children’s Hospital has a’ Family Food and Fitness Program that teaches healthylifestyle adjustments for diabetics. A growing numberofclinics statewide are ma’s deadly. cent. of those injuries,” said Stephen Marshall of the Uni-~ versity of North Carolina’s injury, prevention research center. “There’s no reason to think [rugby] is different or safer in other states or countries.” Marshall co-authored the study with Salt Lake City’s Starting today, Utahnsare being offered he had Type 2. children,” says Nora Schwerdt. If caught early, Type 2 diabetes is treated by a medicine called Netformin that de- geared@ exclusively chairman Roy Adamsat(801) 467-8784. Q Star Showfor Military The Hansen Planetarium will honor members of the U.S. Armed Services on Nov. 11 with a free star program at the planetarium, 15 S. State see your pediatrician. Donaldson says there is no enough for propertreatment. “At some point they have to decide they wantto doit,” says Donaldson. “You can’t just tell them to make changesafter years and years of habits.” St., Salt Lake City. Veterans or active guard and reserve members of any of the U.S. armed forces can see the star program for free. Immediate family members will get in at Half price. Information: [phone] or visit online www.hansenplanetarium. org. doctor and researcher has been given a $600,000 federal grant to study a rare optic-nerve disease. Bradley J. Katz, ofthe U.’s Moran Eye Center, said he will use the moneyto better under- stand optic nerve drusen,tiny crystals that eclipse the nerve and reduce peripheral vision. Thefive-year grant is from the National Institutes of Health and National EyeInstitute. . a Family Doctor Honored A Bountiful doctor has been awarded a fellowtitle from the American Academy of Family Physicians. Richard Gregoire wonthe honor, along with 400. other U.S. doctors, for his role in community-based medicine and ongoing professional development. The award was given last month at the Academy’s 2001 scientific assembly in tlanta. Q Rural Health Conference The Rural Health Association of Utah will hold its 2nd annual conference today and Fridayat the College ofEastern Utah in Price. Health care providers,legislators, hospital and clinic administrators and public health advocates will discuss issues facing rural communities. Information is available at www.rhau.org. a Charity Vision Program Utahns with low incomes and uninsured workers are being offered free eye examsand, if needed, a $20 prescription eyeglass purchase from Utah Optometric Association mem- ber doctors. Part of a national “Vision USA” campaign, the Utah program runs _through January. Eligibility is determined by filling out an appli- cation; write to. Vision USA, 243 N. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63141. a Prostate Cancer Sappert A) panel of experts will presentinformation on options for the treatment. of prostate cancer Wednesday in a presentation sponsored by Man to Man, the American Cancer Society’s Prostate Cancer Educa tion and Support group. The panel will be held at the American Canter Society office in Salt Lake County, 941 E. 3300 South, at 7 p.m. For more information,call Marion or Debi at [phone]. The meeting is free and the public is welcome. Unlimited Hot Water from Limited Space { A Better Way to Heat Your [ j Waterwith Natural Gas! i fou j i Some ofthesame U.S. Ranger mits and Special Fores : now fighting in Afghanistan were involved inthe 1993 firefight in Mogadishu in which 18 Americans were killed. Frontline offers new reporting on that sete iu pitas eect es life, stuff storage - The PANTRY Your home. The place that ‘harbors yo everyday essenta essentials, cmecee ds oer) tameNine ‘owoacoors fighters responsible for the attack and explores the ‘ lessons learned by the U.S. military. A ae Don’t miss this dramaticstory. mer orange Sune Senet CLOT OAtt6 CALIFORNIA CLOSETS eae to free diabetes screenings through a month- long program of the American Diabetes Association and the state Departmentof Health. Call [phone] for screening dates, times andlocations. —Troy Goodman doctors about a year to realize even incidence of concussion overall and seems to have frequently missed between 50 and 90 per- third floor ofa new hospital, located at 4403 Harrison Blvd. Clinic manager Brenda Adams saysthe newclinic will have more exam roomsanda certified diabetes educator to help,with diet and insulin pump guidelines. Information is available at [phone]. All these clinics and diabetes programs Utahns now have a choice of diabetes- @ Continued from C-1 “Being aan underestimated the according standardized: athletic trainer assessments. Even mild concussions with no obvious symptoms are a concern, Spencer said, because they can make subsequent head trau-