(December 16, 2009 - Insidermedicine)

From Montreal – According to a report published in the journal Respiratory Research, researchers may have found a connection between education level and problems with asthma.  Researchers studied over 800 adult patients, finding that those with less than 12 years of formal schooling were more likely to have worse control over their asthma symptoms as well as a 55% increased risk of going to the emergency department with an asthma related incident.

From Washington – The FDA is now recommending that rosuvastatin can be used for preventive purposes, even in patients with no history of atherosclerosis. Researchers studied over 17,000 adult men and women who had no prior history of heart disease but had elevated c-reactive protein levels, administering rosuvastatin for nearly 2 years. Results showed a relative decrease of 44% in the amount of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death.

And finally, from Bethesda – According to a report published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, the amount of people with nearsightedness has increased significantly in the past 30 years. Researchers examined information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (NHANES), comparing the prevalence of nearsightedness (or, myopia) from 1971-1972 with 1999-2004. They found that the overall incidence of myopia increased from 25% in the earlier period to 41.6% in the later period.