Children in hot cars

By Globe Staff, 8/26/2003

It happens with alarming frequency: A parent or day-care worker, often busy or distracted, leaves a helpless child in a vehicle with the windows rolled up, and the youngster dies in the heat. So far this year, at least 36 children in the United States have died under similar circumstances.

In once such case last week, it was about 100 degrees in Dallas when 8-month-old Jordan Thomas was forgotten inside a day-care center's sport-utility vehicle. Inside, the temperature soared to a blistering 130 to 140 degrees.

Experts and advocacy groups say such deaths usually result from forgetfulness rather than any deliberate disregard for the child's safety.

"The screaming message here is that, for any period of time, you don't leave a child unattended in a car," said Jan Null, an adjunct professor of meteorology at San Francisco State University who tracks such deaths.

The number of reported heat deaths is higher than ever, Null said, increasing from 25 when he first began recording figures from news reports and child advocacy groups in 1998. There were 31 in 1999, 28 in 2000 and 34 in 2001. He described the figures as conservative estimates, saying many cases probably go unreported.

What many people do not realize is just how quickly cars and trucks can become stifling death traps. Null said interior temperatures can soar to 105 in less than a half-hour on a 72-degree day. Cracking the windows only slows the heat buildup.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Preventing Parkinson's disease

Regular use of over-the-counter pain relievers might help delay or prevent Parkinson's disease, the neurological disorder that affects more than a half-million Americans, research suggests. The risk of developing the disease was 45 percent lower in people who used drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen at least twice weekly compared to nonusers, according to a review of two large studies.

If replicated in more rigorous research, the findings are potentially significant, since there is no proven treatment to prevent or delay the onset of Parkinson's, said the lead author, Dr. Honglei Chen, a Harvard School of Public Health instructor.

The results, however, are too preliminary to warrant recommending painkillers to prevent Parkinson's, said Chen, whose research appears in August's Archives of Neurology.

The report echoes laboratory research in animals suggesting that drugs known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDS, might help protect against Parkinson's. The new data, based on an analysis of two studies of health professionals, are the first to suggest similar results in humans, Chen said.

The analyzed studies involved a total of 142,902 health professionals who provided periodic information on their medical history and lifestyle habits for more than 10 years. Parkinson's disease was diagnosed in 415 participants. The risk of developing the disease was 45 percent lower in those who used NSAIDs other than aspirin at least twice weekly. A similar risk reduction was found in those who used aspirin two or more times daily, but no benefit was found with less aspirin use.

The disease occurs when nerve cells degenerate in a portion of the brain that controls muscle movement. Symptoms might include tremors in the hands, arms or legs, and a stiff walking gait. They tend to worsen over time and might impair daily functioning. There is no cure, but medication can help control symptoms.

Parkinson's researcher Michael Zigmond at the University of Pittsburgh called the study "very promising" with a potentially huge impact.

"One could imagine that somewhere down the road, just like we all use fluoridated water and toothpaste [to prevent tooth decay], that many people just automatically will take . . . a nonsteroidal inflammatory agent to prevent Parkinson's disease."