Twins have an increased chance of contracting cerebral palsy, an illness that damages the brain and causes retardation, epilepsy, spasticity and other physical and mental problems, researchers have discovered.
Approximately 500,000 American children have been victimized by cerebral palsy and an additional 5,000 are stricken annually. Most of the illnesses begin during pregnancy.The cause of cerebral palsy is unknown but it occurs frequently in low birth weight babies.
A study of 155,000 children conducted by the government's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program found 10 percent of all babies with cerebral palsy are twins.
Specifically, the study determined that 20 of 3,000 twins had cerebral palsy. In 18 instances, one twin suffered the illness. In two cases, both had it.
Dr. Karin Nelson, an epidemiologist with the institute, noted that twins usually are low birth weight babies, which may account for their high susceptibility to cerebral palsy.
Alzheimer's disease
The Alzheimer's Association has developed a national program to help identify Alzheimer's victims who wander away from their homes, hospitals or nursing homes.
Called Safe Return, the program provides people with Alzheimers disease with identity bracelets, ID cards and clothing labels and enrolls them in a nationwide computer system connected to 17,000 law enforcement agencies.
Registration costs $25. Contact a local Alzheimer's Association chapter or call 800-272-3900.
Aspirin fights cancer
There's a chance that an aspirin a day may keep colon cancer away.
This possibility is offered by researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, who said a study has determined that aspirin may help the body metabolize fat.
Diets loaded with fat are believed to be one of the factors that cause colon cancer. This is especially true for people whose families have a history of colon cancer.
As yet, the researchers aren't recommending taking aspirin to prevent colon cancer. And they note that aspirin sometimes causes stomach ulcers. But they are continuing their research.
- Don Kirkman,
Scripps Howard News Service