Page A8
JJnrtlanh (Dbaeruer
March 17,2004
Study Cites Sickle
Cell Breakthrough
New therapy may
help patients live
longer, healthier
(A P )— A rare, deadly lung condi
tion issocom m on among people with
sickle cell anem ia that testing for and
treating it could help many patients
live longer, healthier lives, a study
found.
Experts called the study a major
advance in the fight against sickle cell
disease, an inherited blood disorder
that affects 70,000 to 1 (X),(XX) A m eri
cans.
“The paper will change the stan
dard o f care for sickle cell patients
across the country,” said Dr. Clint
Joiner, director o f the sickle cell center
at the Cincinnati C hildren's Hospital
M edical Center.
O ne-third o f sickle cell patients
have the lung c o n d itio n , w hich
m akes them 10 tim es m ore likely to
die w ithin 18 m onths, d o cto rs at the
N ational Institutes o f H ealth and
H o w ard U n iv e rsity re p o rte d in
T h u rsd a y ’s N ew E ngland Journal
o f M edicine.
Doctors must now find the best
ways to treat sickle cell patients who
also have pulm onary hypertension.
or high blood pressure in the lungs. It
isacondition in which narrowed, thick
ened blood vessels in the lungs keep
the body from getting enough oxy
gen.
Researchers do not know if pulm o
nary hypertension caused the increase
in deaths am ong the 195 patients they
studied, or was a sign o f severe sickle
cell disease. But it was present in 63
patients, or 32 percent.
All 195 were in stable condition at
the start. W ithin 18 m onths, nearly 20
percent o f those with both conditions
were dead, com pared to few er than 2
percent o f those w ithout pulm onary
hypertension.
The num bers indicate that patients
with sickle cell disease should be
tested for pulm onary hypertension,
said Dr. M ark T. G ladw in o f the N a
tional Institutes o f H ealth, lead re
searcher for the study.
"If they have high blood pressure
in the lungs, they should intensify
their therapy. And consider treatm ent
with drugs to low er blood pressure in
the lungs,” he said.
Sickle cell disease, w hich mostly
affects blacks, used to be a childhood
death sentence. Now, h alf o f all p a
tients make it past the age o f 50, and
doctors are learning w hat the disease
does to the older body.
/
■
?
Vie,
1
Children’s Emergency Unit Opens
4/ex Jackson, assistant administrator at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, holds his son, Owen, while chatting with Dr.
Dan Hull, medical director of the newly opened 13-bed children's unit in the Emergency Department of the hospital.
Kidney Disease is ‘Silent Killer
(A P)— Health officials may have have no clue about how to pre-
they have a problem . T h at’s why
an uphill battle in educating Afri- vent kidney disease,
it’s so im portant to control diabe
can A m ericans about a disease
“ K idney disease is a silent
tes and high blood pressure and
th a t’s being called a “silent w ----------
—
-----------------------—
have your blood and urine
killer,” a survey shows
regularly tested ... once
K idney disease is an ill
you know you are at risk.”
ness th a t's becom e more
T he m ajor risk factors
prevalent, especially in the
for kidney disease include
nation’s black population,
diabetes, high blood pres
but a survey conducted in
sure or a blood relative
Jackson, Atlanta, Baltimore
with the disease.
and C leveland show s only
“T he beautiful thing is
15 percent o f those sur
that if we can control blood
veyed thought they were at
pressure and diabetes, it’s
risk for getting the disease.
— Dr. John Bower
a good possibility that we
Dr. John Bower, form er
■ " can do som ething (about
chief o f nephrology at the Univer- killer,” Bower said. “People find
kidney disease),” Bow er said.
sity o f M ississippi M edical Center, themselves in the emergency room,
said the survey show s most people on dialysis, before they even know
Kidney disease is a
silent killer. People find
themselves in the
emergency room, on
dialysis, before they even
know they have a problem
**A II classes are free of charge!
African American Health Coalition, Inc.
Presents for your health,
Wellness W ithin REACH Activity Calendar
Aerobics
Mallory Ave. Christian Church
Eilate?
M att Dishman
Hon, Wed, fri, 6-7am, P ie r« • 5:3O-6:2Opm,
Granville • 6:JO-7:3Opm, Nickerson
Hon, 12:1 S-1:1 Spm, Jenkins
Humboldt Elementary
Sirgtching/Body Sculpting
Tue. Thu, 6-7pm, Keller
(CI jss courtesy of M itt Dishmm)
L qw Im p a c t A erobics
Tue, Thu. 7-8am. Lois
M att Dishman
New Front in Health
Care Disparities Battle
Center to conduct culturally competent research
The Northwest Center for
Health Disparities Research is
a new front in providing health
care for racial, ethnic and
underserved communities.
The Portland center has joined
com m unity-based agencies,
foundations, academic institu
tions, local and state public
health agencies and health care
systems with the mission of de
veloping culturally competent
research.
Corliss McKeever, president
of the African American Health
Coalition, is the program’s co
director.
N u m erous stu d ie s have
shown key health disparities
by race, ethnicity, sexually ori
entation and disability. The
most striking health disparities
involve shorter live expect
ancy among racial m inorities
and the poor, and higher rates
o f cancer, birth defects, infant
m ortality, asthm a, diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, HIV
and violence.
Daniel’s Memorial Church
Tue, 7:15-8:15pm. Granville
Walking Group
Peninsula Park
W ate r Aerobics (Contact AAHC)
Salvation Arm y
M att Dishman
Sat, 12:30pm, Woods
A fric an Dance
6
Corliss McKeever of the African
American Health Coalition
The center, still in its plan
ning stages, doesn’t have a
p a rticu la r focus under the
um brella o f addressing health
d is p a r itie s , a c c o rd in g to
Nancy Glass, co-director of
the center.
“We have experts in car
diovascular health, violence
against women, infant m ortal
ity and diabetes. W e’re trying
to bring those together in a
targeted strategy,” said Glass.
“ We think we can reduce
health disparities and eventu
ally eliminate them if we focus
on the strength of the com m u
nity.”
The center’s staff is plan
ning to teach strategies to re
duce violence against women.
Some other goals for the
next year include establishing
monthly comm unity and aca
demic research seminars about
health disparities, establishing
statewide research initiatives
with racial and ethnic m inori
ties and the underserved com
m unity, and ag encies that
serve them and a submission
of at least two comm unity and
academic health disparities re
search grant applications.
W eight Mgnt./Conditioning
U. of Portland Indoor Track
TALK RADIO
Tue, Thu, 9 - 1 Oam, Hasan
M att Dishman
Sat, 10-1 lam , Addo
You
Body Conditioning
W ild Oats Market
Tue, Thu, 7:3O-8:3Opm, O’Rourke
w it h
W eekdays
7:30 -9 am
REAL
PEOPLE
FROM YOIJR
W ild Oats Market
COMMUNITY
Sat, 9 :3 0 -10:30am, Nickerson
D » « r $ Memorai Churck 1234 NE Killmpworth
Hatt Dishman. 77 NE Knott
(12th & Killmgjworth)
Pemnsub Pirit. 700 N Portland
H m b o tft Elementary, 4915 N Gantenbein
Salvation Army. 5325 N Williams
H tik ry Avenue O ran en O u rd i (Gym). 126 NE
Ü. of Portend In d o « Trade 500 N Willamette
Alberta
Wild Oats Harket. 3535 NE 15th
R&B, SOUL &
W eekdays 7 -9 pm HIP HOP
JAZZ, AFROTAINMENT,
HIP HOP & MORE
“ Hu$t be 21 or older to participate. Please contact AAHC before showing up to the tint class and lor
more information at SO3-4I3-II5O or kdempseyOaahc-portland.org. Please receive approval from your
doctor before beginning exercise clast.
S aturdays
4 - 1 1 pm
l U a l a l and e th n ic A p a r e a d m e I « C o m m u n ity H e a lth
A Praoram ot the A iu ta r American Health Coalition inc
•noneored by » . Canter, h r O U e .w Contrai end hrevenoor (COC)
C all
Contid AAHC at 503-413-1150 * viat our w A site t f www.aahc-pertand.erg
Advertise with
d iv e r s ity
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