Science and Your Health

About 15 million people in the United States suffer from gum disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Need more reasons to quit? In addition to increasing the odds of developing chronic gum disease, smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses and a major risk factor for heart disease.

Tiny Babies May Have Big Problems

Thanks to modern medical innovations, up to 80 percent of U.S. babies born weighing less than two pounds can survive. But a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that most of them will have special health or educational needs when they reach school age.

For the study, researchers at Case Western Reserve University tracked 219 extremely low birth weight babies through the age of eight, comparing them to a group of children born within the normal weight range. The researchers recorded medical problems and any development difficulties or functional limitations that the children developed as they grew. They found that extremely low birth weight children had double the rate of emotional, learning, visual and hearing problems--and some more severe complications like difficulty in walking, talking or washing themselves--compared to those born in the normal weight range. Sixty-four percent of the babies born at extremely low weights had a functional limitation ranging from mild to severe, compared to just 20 percent of the normal birth weight children, while nearly two-thirds of the extremely low birth weight children had special healthcare needs, compared to 27 percent of the normal birth weight children.

Can the problems be overcome? Researchers also pointed out that, despite their limitations, most of the children were able to function remarkably well. They go to school, and are often in regular classes, say researchers, but a lot of them may need extra help in the educational system.

© 2005