JAMA news releases are made available to the public after 3 pm US Central time on the first 4 Tuesdays of each month. the Archives of Journals news releases are made available to the public after 3 pm Central time on Mondays. We also provide a list of previous news releases.
THIS WEEK'S CONTENTS
ARCHIVES OF INTERNAL MEDICINE NEWS RELEASES
(Embargoed Until: 3 P.M. (CT), Monday, August 11, 2008)
SOME OBESE INDIVIDUALS APPEAR “METABOLICALLY HEALTHY,” WITHOUT INCREASED CARDIOVASCULAR RISK
OLDER RUNNERS APPEAR LESS LIKELY TO BECOME DISABLED, MAY SURVIVE LONGER
LOW VITAMIN D LEVELS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK OF DEATH
ARCHIVES OF NEUROLOGY NEWS RELEASES
(Embargoed Until: 3 P.M. (CT), Monday, August 11, 2008)
PET SCANS MAY HELP ASSESS PRESENCE OF BRAIN PLAQUES RELATED TO ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
COGNITIVE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETES DURATION AND SEVERITY
ARCHIVES OF OPHTHALMOLOGY NEWS RELEASES
(Embargoed Until: 3 P.M. (CT), Monday, August 11, 2008)
REFRACTIVE ERRORS AFFECT VISION FOR HALF OF AMERICAN ADULTS
STUDY COMPARES EYE CARE USE AMONG U.S., CANADIAN ADULTS WITH VISION PROBLEMS
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THESE NEWS RELEASES IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT. JOURNAL ATTRIBUTION IS REQUIRED.
JOURNALISTS CAN NOW ACCESS EMBARGOED JAMA/ARCHIVES STUDIES ON-LINE. Go to www.jamamedia.org for more information and to apply for access.
Please Note: The FOR THE MEDIA website now has a search feature to enable media to find previous JAMA/Archives news releases on specific medical topics. This search feature link is located on the home page at www.jamamedia.org
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, August 11, 2008
Media Advisory: To contact Norbert Stefan, M.D., e-mail: norbert.stefan{at}med.uni-tuebingen.de. To contact Rachel P. Wildman, Ph.D., call Karen Gardner at 718-430-3101. To contact editorialist Lewis Landsberg, M.D., call Marla Paul at 312-503-8928.
SOME OBESE INDIVIDUALS APPEAR “METABOLICALLY HEALTHY,” WITHOUT INCREASED CARDIOVASCULAR RISK
CHICAGO—Some obese individuals do not appear to have an increased risk for heart disease, while some normal-weight individuals experience a cluster of heart risks, according to two reports in the August 11/25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
“The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, and this epidemic is accompanied by a high incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease,” the authors write as background information in one of the articles. Research indicates that in addition to overall obesity, the way body fat is distributed may influence risk for heart disease and diabetes. For instance, individuals with fat within the abdominal cavity—estimated by measuring waist size—appear to be at higher risk for insulin resistance (a pre-diabetic condition that occurs when the body fails to respond to the hormone insulin) and for having an unhealthy cardiovascular risk profile.
In one study, Norbert Stefan, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Tübingen, Germany, studied 314 individuals age 18 to 69 (average age 45). The researchers measured participants’ total body fat, visceral fat (abdominal fat around the internal organs) and subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin) using magnetic resonance tomography. Insulin resistance was measured using an oral glucose tolerance test. The individuals were then divided into four groups: normal weight, overweight, obese but still sensitive to insulin and obese with insulin resistance.
Those in the overweight and obese groups had more total body and visceral fat than those at a normal weight, and there was no difference between obese groups. However, obese individuals with insulin resistance had more fat within their skeletal muscles and their livers than obese individuals without insulin resistance. In addition, those who were insulin-resistant had thicker walls in their carotid arteries, an early sign of atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries, a heart disease risk factor).
Individuals in the obese–insulin sensitive group did not differ from the normal-weight group in insulin sensitivity or artery wall thickness, the authors note. “In conclusion, we provide evidence that a metabolically benign obesity can be identified and that it may protect from insulin resistance and atherosclerosis,” they write. “Furthermore, our data suggest that ectopic [misplaced] fat accumulation in the liver may be more important than visceral fat in the determination of such a beneficial phenotype in obesity.”
In a second study, Rachel P. Wildman, Ph.D., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y., and colleagues assessed body weight and cardiometabolic abnormalities (including high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein or “good” cholesterol) in 5,440 individuals participating in the National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys between 1999 and 2004. Participants were considered metabolically healthy if they had none or one abnormality and metabolically abnormal if they had two or more abnormalities.
“Among U.S. adults 20 years and older, 23.5 percent (approximately 16.3 million adults) of normal-weight adults were metabolically abnormal, whereas 51.3 percent (approximately 35.9 million adults) of overweight adults and 31.7 percent (approximately 19.5 million adults) of obese adults were metabolically healthy,” the authors write. Normal-weight individuals with metabolic abnormalities tended to be older, less physically active and have larger waists than healthy normal-weight individuals. Obese individuals with no metabolic abnormalities were more likely to be younger, black, more physically active and have smaller waists than those with metabolic risk factors.
“These data show that a considerable proportion of overweight and obese U.S. adults are metabolically healthy, whereas a considerable proportion of normal-weight adults express a clustering of cardiometabolic abnormalities,” the authors write. “Further studies into the behavioral, hormonal or biochemical and genetic mechanisms underlying these differential metabolic responses to body size are needed and will likely further the identification of possible obesity intervention targets and improve cardiovascular disease screening tools.”
(Arch Intern Med. 2008;168[15]:1609-1616 and 1617-1624. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: Please see the articles for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
EDITORIAL:
STUDIES REFINE UNDERSTANDING OF RISK POSED BY OBESITY
Both studies attempt to improve the understanding of obesity, making it a more useful tool for predicting which patients will develop cardiovascular disease, writes Lewis Landsberg, M.D., of the Northwestern University Comprehensive Center on Obesity, Chicago, in an accompanying editorial.
“Both reports emphasize the benign nature of fat accumulation outside the abdomen,” he writes. “In both studies, the detrimental effect of visceral fat accumulation and its surrogate, waist circumference, were clearly demonstrated, confirming older studies showing that waist circumference is a risk factor even in normal-weight individuals.”
The message for practicing clinicians is that calculating body mass index and measuring waist circumference are valuable tools in assessing cardiovascular risk in overweight and obese patients, Dr. Landsberg concludes.
(Arch Intern Med. 2008;168[15]:1607-1608. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
Go back to the top.
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, August 11, 2008
Media Advisory: To contact Eliza F. Chakravarty, M.D., M.S., call Erin Digitale at 650-724-9175.
OLDER RUNNERS APPEAR LESS LIKELY TO BECOME DISABLED, MAY SURVIVE LONGER
CHICAGO—Running throughout middle and older ages may be associated with reduced disability in later life as well as a survival advantage, according to a report in the August 11/25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
“Age-adjusted death rates have reached record lows and life expectancy has reached record highs in recent years, likely due to a combination of behavior and societal changes as well as improved medical and surgical therapies,” the authors write as background information in the article. “With the rise in life expectancy, it becomes necessary to focus on improving the quality of life and functional abilities as people reach older ages. Regular exercise, including running, may contribute to improved health among older adults.”
Eliza F. Chakravarty, M.D., M.S., and colleagues at Stanford University School of Medicine, Calif., surveyed 284 members of a nationwide running club and 156 healthy controls who were recruited from university faculty and staff. All participants were age 50 or older when the study began in 1984. They completed a mailed questionnaire annually through 2005, providing information on exercise frequency, body mass index and disability level.
At the beginning of the study, runners were younger, leaner and less likely to smoke than controls. After 19 years, 81 runners (15 percent) had died compared with 144 controls (34 percent). Disability levels were lower in runners at all time points and increased in both groups over time, but less so in runners. At the end of the 21-year follow-up, in terms of disability, “the higher levels among controls translate into important differences in overall daily functional limitations,” the authors write. “Disability and survival curves continued to diverge between groups after the 21-year follow-up as participants approached their ninth decade of life.”
Regular exercise could reduce disability and death risk by increasing cardiovascular fitness, improving aerobic capacity, increased bone mass, lower levels of inflammatory markers, improved response to vaccinations and improved thinking, learning and memory functions, the authors note.
“Our findings of decreased disability in addition to prolonged survival among middle-aged and older adults participating in routine physical activities further support recommendations to encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity at all ages,” they conclude. “Increasing healthy lifestyle behaviors may not only improve length and quality of life but also hopefully lead to reduced health care expenditures associated with disability and chronic diseases.”
(Arch Intern Med. 2008;168[15]:1638-1646. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: This study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail
mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
Go back to the top.
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, August 11, 2008
Media Advisory: Media Advisory: To contact Michal L. Melamed, M.D., M.H.S., call Karen Gardner at 718-430-3101. To contact Erin D. Michos, M.D., M.H.S., call David March at 410-955-1534.
LOW VITAMIN D LEVELS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK OF DEATH
CHICAGO—Individuals with low levels of vitamin D appear to have a higher risk of death from all causes, according to a report in the August 11/25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Several studies have suggested that vitamin D deficiency contributes to cardiovascular disease, cancer and death, according to background information in the article. The optimum blood level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) has been suggested to be 30 nanograms per milliliter or higher. Approximately 41 percent of U.S. men and 53 percent of U.S. women have levels lower than 28 nanograms per milliliter.
Michal L. Melamed, M.D., M.H.S., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y., Erin D. Michos, M.D., M.H.S., of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and colleagues analyzed vitamin D levels in 13,331 individuals who participated in the Third National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES III), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Over a median (midpoint) of 8.7 years of follow-up, 1,806 of the participants died. When they were divided into four groups (quartiles) based on their vitamin D levels, those in the group with the lowest level (less than 17.8 nanograms per milliliter) had a 26 percent increased rate of death from any cause compared with those in the group with the highest vitamin D levels. No significant associations were found when the researchers assessed vitamin D levels and risk of death from cardiovascular disease or cancer alone.
Low vitamin D levels may be associated with death through their effect on blood pressure, the body’s ability to respond to insulin, obesity and diabetes risk, the authors note. Several lines of evidence support vitamin D’s role in death risk, including the fact that cardiovascular events are more common in the winter, when vitamin D levels are lower, and that cancer survival is better if the disease is diagnosed in the summer when levels are higher.
“In conclusion, the lowest 25(OH)D quartile (less than 17.8 nanograms per milliliter) is associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality in the general U.S. population,” the authors conclude. “Further observational studies are needed to confirm these findings and establish the mechanisms underlying these observations. If confirmed, randomized clinical trials will be needed to determine whether vitamin D supplementation at higher doses could have any potential benefit in reducing future mortality risk in those with 25(OH)D deficiency.”
(Arch Intern Med. 2008;168[15]:1629-1637. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: Dr. Melamed and this analysis and co-author Dr. Michos were supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Michos is also supported by the P.J. Schafer Cardiovascular Research Fund. Co-author Dr. Post is supported in part by the Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholars in Aging Program. Dr. Michos has received consulting fees from Abbott Pharmaceuticals. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
Go back to the top.
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, August 11, 2008
Media Advisory: To contact Ville Leinonen, M.D., Ph.D.,
e-mail: ville.leinonen{at}kuh.fi.
PET SCANS MAY HELP ASSESS PRESENCE OF BRAIN PLAQUES RELATED TO ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
CHICAGO—A type of positron emission tomography (PET) scanning may be useful in a non-invasive assessment of the formation of Alzheimer’s disease–related plaques in the brain, according to small study posted online today that will appear in the October 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Plaques in the brain made of beta-amyloid and other compounds are considered hallmarks of the development of Alzheimer’s disease, according to background information in the article. Currently, the only reliable way to assess the aggregation of these compounds in the brain is through analyzing brain tissue samples obtained during life or autopsy after death—“a major methodological obstacle considering clinical drug trials of early Alzheimer’s disease,” the authors note.
Ville Leinonen, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Kuopio, Finland, and colleagues studied 10 patients without severe dementia who had undergone a biopsy of their frontal cortex because they were suspected of having normal-pressure hydrocephalus, an abnormal increase of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Cognitive impairment is a symptom of both Alzheimer’s disease and normal-pressure hydrocephalus, and 22 percent to 42 percent of patients with symptoms of normal-pressure hydrocephalus have brain lesions characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
Among the participants, six had beta-amyloid plaques in their tissue samples, while four displayed no Alzheimer’s disease–related brain changes. The patients were injected with a marker known as carbon 11–labeled Pittsburgh Compound B ([¹¹C]PiB) and then underwent a 90-minute PET scan.
Results of the scan indicated that patients who had beta-amyloid plaques in their brain biopsy specimen displayed a higher uptake of [¹¹C]PiB in certain brain areas as compared with those who did not have such accumulations.
“This study supports the use of [¹¹C]PiB PET in the evaluation of beta-amyloid deposition in, for example, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease or normal-pressure hydrocephalus,” the authors write. “Large and prospective studies are required to verify whether [¹¹C]PiB PET will become a tool in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease. Another potential use of [¹¹C]PiB would be the quantitative monitoring of beta-amyloid deposits in the brain in subjects under treatment in pharmaceutical trials of early Alzheimer’s disease targeting amyloid accumulation.”
(Arch Neurol. 2008;65[10]:(doi:10.1001/archneur.65.10.noc80013). Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org).
Editor's Note: This study was supported by a grant from the Kuopio University Hospital, the Academy of Finland and the Sigrid Juselius Foundation. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
Go back to the top.
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, August 11, 2008
Media Advisory: To contact Rosebud O. Roberts, M.B.Ch.B., M.S., call Elizabeth Rice at 507-284-5005.
COGNITIVE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETES DURATION AND SEVERITY
CHICAGO—Individuals with mild cognitive impairment appear more likely to have earlier onset, longer duration and greater severity of diabetes, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Mild cognitive impairment is a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia, according to background information in the article. Previous studies have found an association between mild cognitive impairment and diabetes. Poor blood glucose control over time may lead to neuron loss, and diabetes is associated with cardiovascular disease risk and stroke, which also may increase the risk of cognitive impairment.
Rosebud O. Roberts, M.B.Ch.B., M.S., and colleagues at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., studied individuals from Olmsted County, Minnesota, who were age 70 to 89 on Oct. 1, 2004. Participants received a neurological examination, neuropsychological evaluation and tests of blood glucose levels, and completed an interview with questions about diabetes history, treatment and complications. A medical records linkage system was used to confirm diabetes history.
Rates of diabetes were similar among 329 individuals with mild cognitive impairment (20.1 percent) and 1,640 participants without mild cognitive impairment (17.7 percent). However, mild cognitive impairment was associated with developing diabetes before age 65, having diabetes for 10 years or longer, being treated with insulin and having diabetes complications.
“Severe diabetes mellitus is more likely to be associated with chronic hyperglycemia [high blood glucose], which, in turn, increases the likelihood of cerebral microvascular disease and may contribute to neuronal damage, brain atrophy and cognitive impairment,” the authors write. That individuals with the eye disease diabetic retinopathy were twice as likely to have mild cognitive impairment supports the theory that diabetes-related damage to blood vessels in the brain may contribute to the development of cognitive problems.
“Our findings suggest that diabetes mellitus duration and severity, as measured by type of treatment and the presence of diabetes mellitus complications, may be important in the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment in subjects with diabetes mellitus,” they conclude. “In contrast, late onset of diabetes mellitus, short duration of diabetes mellitus or well-controlled diabetes mellitus may have a lesser effect.”
(Arch Neurol. 2008;65[8]:1066-1073. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: This study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and by the Robert H. and Clarice Smith and Abigail Van Buren Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
Go back to the top.
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, August 11, 2008
Media Advisory: To contact Susan Vitale, Ph.D., M.H.S., call Anna Harper at 301-496-5248.
REFRACTIVE ERRORS AFFECT VISION FOR HALF OF AMERICAN ADULTS
CHICAGO—About half of U.S. adults age 20 and older have refractive errors and may need eyeglasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery to maximize their visual acuity, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Refractive error accounts for nearly 80 percent of vision impairment in U.S. residents 12 years and older, according to background information in the article. It occurs when the eye cannot focus light because of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, an irregular curve of the eye’s cornea. Providing eye care to individuals age 12 and older who need glasses or contacts is estimated to cost between $3.8 and $7.2 billion per year.
Susan Vitale, Ph.D., M.H.S., and colleagues at the National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Md., analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), an ongoing nationally representative survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Demographic characteristics were collected during in-person interviews and a vision examination was conducted.
Among 12,010 participants age 20 and older who completed the survey between 1999 and 2004 and had complete data available, about half had some type of refractive error. This included 3.6 percent who were farsighted, 33.1 percent who were nearsighted and 36.2 percent who had astigmatism. The researchers also found that:
-
Nearsightedness was more common in women (39.9 percent) than in men (32.6 percent) among 20- to 39-year-olds
-
Individuals age 60 and older were less likely to have nearsightedness and more likely to have farsightedness and astigmatism than younger participants; in the older age group, men (66.8 percent) were more likely to have refractive error than women (59.2 percent)
-
Mexican-Americans were less likely to have any type of refractive error (44.4 percent) than were non-Hispanic whites (53.4 percent) or non-Hispanic blacks (49.3 percent)
-
The prevalence of any refractive error increased with age, from 46.3 percent among those age 20 through 39 to 50.6 percent among those age 40 through 59 and 62.7 percent among those age 60 and older
“Refractive error is, therefore, the most common condition affecting the ocular health of the U.S. population, involving young adults, middle-aged persons and older adults of all ethnicities,” the authors conclude. “Accurate, current estimates of the prevalence of refractive error are essential for projecting vision care needs and planning for provision of vision care services to the many people affected.”
(Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126[8]:1111-1119. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org).
Editor's Note: The NHANES is sponsored by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additional funding for the NHANES Vision Component was provided by a National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Intramural Research Program grant. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
Go back to the top.
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, August 11, 2008
Media Advisory: To contact Xinzhi Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., call the CDC Division of Media Relations at 404-639-3286.
STUDY COMPARES EYE CARE USE AMONG U.S., CANADIAN ADULTS WITH VISION PROBLEMS
CHICAGO—Americans with vision problems who have health insurance appear equally or more likely to access eye care services than Canadians with vision problems, whereas Americans without health insurance visit eye care professionals at lower rates, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Although Canada has a national health program, individuals with vision problems in both Canada and the United States sometimes have difficulty accessing eye care, according to background information in the article. “In both Canada and the United States, general health insurance covers medical payment for eye injury and various eye diseases such as cataract, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, and optional vision insurance provides additional insurance coverage for eye examinations, contact lenses and eyeglasses and/or frames, and, in some instances, part of the costs for elective laser surgery for vision correction,” the authors write. “Many Americans and Canadians have publicly funded or private coverage for optional vision care.”
Xinzhi Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues examined differences in use of eye care service among 2,018 Canadians and 2,930 Americans with vision problems who responded to a survey between 2002 and 2003.
Overall, 8.2 percent of Americans with vision problems did not have health insurance. Americans without health insurance had the lowest rate of eye care service use (42 percent), while 67 percent of American with private health insurance, 55 percent with public health insurance and 56 percent of Canadians had visited an eye care professional in the previous year. Individuals with optional vision insurance and with higher incomes were most likely to use eye care services.
Americans with any type of health insurance accessed eye care at approximately the same rate as Canadians. “The difference in use of eye care services between Americans without health insurance and Canadians narrowed when adjusted for income level and was almost eliminated when adjusted for having optional vision insurance,” the authors write.
“Among adults with vision problems, a public health gap exists in actual access to eye care services between Canada and the United States, primarily owing to the population without health insurance in the United States,” they continue. “However, although health insurance is associated with increased use of preventive services and recommended treatments, simply providing health insurance to all persons may be insufficient to increase the percentage of individuals who use eye care services or to improve vision-related outcomes; economic status and optional vision insurance are also significantly associated with rates of use of eye care services.”
“Therefore, public health interventions targeting adults with vision problems without health insurance might be more beneficial if they focused on those at risk for serious vision loss, especially those in the lowest income group,” the authors conclude.
(Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126[8]:1121-1126. Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org).
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
Go back to the top.
