Briefs: Study says EKG screening for young athletes can be cost-effective

study: athletes' ekg screening is cost-effective

Nationwide, about 90 young athletes a year die of sudden cardiac death. A new study suggests a cost-effective way to lower that rate: screening athletes with an electrocardiogram. The main argument against routine EKGs has been cost-effectiveness. But an analysis published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine calls that argument into question. Using estimates from an Italian study, the authors of the new report created a computer simulation of how American athletes 14 to 22 years old would be affected by screening. They found that compared with no screening at all, screening with only a medical history and a physical exam saves 0.56 life-years per 1,000 athletes, and costs about $111 per person. Adding an EKG would save 2.06 more life-years per 1,000 athletes at an extra cost of $89 per athlete. But Dr. Euan A. Ashley, the senior author of the study, noted there's more to the story. "That something is cost-effective does not mean that there is the money available to do it," he said.

Easing depression in pregnancy

Up to a quarter of all women suffer from depression during pregnancy, and many are reluctant to take antidepressants. Now a new study suggests that acupuncture may provide some relief during pregnancy, even though it has not been found to be effective against depression in general. The Stanford University study recruited 150 depressed women who were 12 to 30 weeks pregnant, and randomly assigned 52 to receive acupuncture specifically designed for depressive symptoms, 49 to regular acupuncture and 49 to Swedish massage. After eight weeks, almost two-thirds of the women who had depression-specific acupuncture experienced a reduction in at least 50 percent of their symptoms, compared with just under half of the other groups. Lead author Rachel Manber, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford, said some symptoms of depression during pregnancy might be related to physical discomfort that is alleviated by acupuncture.

New York Times

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