News Archives
Research into Shingles is Key to Prevention
November 14, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – Hung Fu Tseng, PhD, MPH, of the Kaiser Permanente Department of Research & Evaluation, has been on the leading edge of research into the safety and effectiveness of the shingles vaccine. The findings of the research are helping to overcome patients? reluctance to getting vaccinated against the painful disease. And the research is continuing.
In Colder Months, Asthma Poses Greater Risk for Overweight and Obese Adults
November 11, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – Obesity is associated with an increased risk of fall and winter asthma episodes in adults with asthma, according to a Kaiser Permanente Southern California study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.
Weight at Time of Diagnosis Linked to Prostate Cancer Mortality
November 1, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – Men who are overweight or obese when they are diagnosed with prostate cancer are more likely to die from the disease than men who are of healthy weight, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in the journal Obesity Research & Clinical Practice. In patients with more aggressive forms of prostate cancer, the
Creating Healthier Communities by Sharing Places to Play
October 23, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – The American Heart Association recommends that decision-makers support and expand opportunities for physical activity through shared use of school facilities and playgrounds.
Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Health Depends on Type of Surgery, Patient Characteristics
October 14, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – The impact of bariatric surgery on risk factors for cardiovascular disease depends on a variety of factors, including the type of surgery, sex of the patient, ethnic background, and pre-surgery body mass index, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in Annals of Surgery. Researchers examined the electronic health records of
Overweight Children Face High Risk of Hypertension
October 10, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – High body weight in children and adolescents is strongly associated with the likelihood of hypertension, according to a Kaiser Permanente Southern California study published today in The Journal of Clinical Hypertension. Researchers found that young people who are overweight are twice as likely as their normal-weight peers to have hypertension; moderately obese
Automated Phone Calls Improve Blood Pressure Control
September 16, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – Patients who received automated telephone calls inviting them to get their blood pressure checked at a walk-in clinic were more likely to have controlled hypertension than patients who did not receive calls, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension. The researchers studied 64,773 adult members
Overweight and Obese Children Are More Likely to Develop Asthma
August 7, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – Overweight and obese children are more likely to develop asthma, and they experience more frequent and severe episodes of asthma than their normal-weight peers, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The relationship between obesity and asthma is strongest in girls between ages 6 and 10 years
Blacks Have Highest Rates of Kidney Failure in Part Because They Survive Longer with the Condition
July 22, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients have higher rates of end-stage renal disease than white patients due in part to faster kidney function decline and in part because they were more likely to survive, according to a Kaiser Permanente Southern California study published today in the print edition of the American Journal of
Study Finds Boys More Likely to Receive HPV Vaccine When Their Mothers Receive Preventive Care
July 18, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – Boys are more likely to receive the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4) if their mothers receive flu shots or Pap screenings, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the American Journal of Public Health. The study examined the electronic health records of more than 250,000 boys aged 9 to 17 years
Rate of Chorioamnionitis More than Doubled since 1995
June 6, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – The incidence of chorioamnionitis – an infection of the amniotic fluid, fetal membranes and placental tissues, and one of the most frequent causes of preterm birth and infant illness – more than doubled between 1995 and 2010, according to a Kaiser Permanente Southern California study published today in the International Journal of
Study Finds New Pneumococcal Vaccine Appears to be as Safe as Previously Used Vaccine
May 22, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – The new 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) appears to be as safe as the previous version used prior to 2010, the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7), according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in Vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved PCV13 for use beginning in 2010 after a series
Black Women Have Higher Incidence of MS than White Women
May 6, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – Multiple sclerosis is more common in black women than in white women, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in the journal Neurology. The findings run contrary to the widely accepted belief that blacks are less susceptible to MS, according to the researchers. Researchers examined the electronic health records of more
Patients Do Not Fill Initial Statin Prescriptions for Varied Reasons
April 23, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – Patients who do not fill their first prescription for cholesterol-lowering statins give a wide range of reasons for not doing so, including perceived concerns about the medication, a fear of side-effects and a decision to try lifestyle modifications instead of prescription medication, according to a Kaiser Permanente Southern California study published in
Study Finds Nearly 30 Percent of Women Fail to Pick Up New Prescriptions for Osteoporosis
April 19, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – Nearly 30 percent of women failed to pick up their bisphosphonate prescriptions, a medication that is most commonly used to treat osteoporosis and similar bone diseases, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published this week in the journal Osteoporosis International. The failure to pick up these newly prescribed medications, called primary nonadherence,
Study Finds that Diabetes Does Not Increase Complications of Total Knee Replacement Surgery
February 27, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – Patients with diabetes who undergo total knee replacement surgery do not have increased risk of surgical complications compared to those patients without diabetes, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Researchers studied the electronic health records of more than 40,000 patients who had
Women are taking more antidiabetic mediations before and during pregnancy
January 30, 2013Read more...The use of antidiabetic medications, such as insulin and metformin, before and during pregnancy increased from 2001 through 2007, according to a study published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. Dr. Jean M. Lawrence, ScD, MPH, MSSA, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation led the study. The research team investigated 437,950
Childhood Diagnosis of ADHD Increased Dramatically over Nine-Year Period
January 21, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – The rate of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder rose dramatically between 2001 and 2010, with non-Hispanic white children having the highest diagnosis rates, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics (formerly Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine). The study also showed there was a 90
Changes in PSA Levels over Time can Help Predict Aggressive Prostate Cancer
January 15, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif. – Measurements taken over time of prostate specific antigen, the most commonly used screening test for prostate cancer in men, improve the accuracy of aggressive prostate cancer detection when compared to a single measurement of PSA, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in the British Journal of Urology International. The retrospective
Study Suggests Tests Routinely Done on Patients with Microscopic Blood in Urine can be Avoided
January 9, 2013Read more...PASADENA, Calif., – The presence of microscopic hematuria – blood found in urine that can’t be seen by the naked eye – does not necessarily indicate the presence of cancer, according to a Kaiser Permanente Southern California study published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The study suggests that tests routinely done on patients with