health & wellness

Major UTI Study To Aid Children

A

It may be beautiful on the
outside but it's what's on
inside that counts

major new pediatric clinical
trial, funded by the National
Institutes of Health (NIH)
and published in early May in the New
England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), has
"major implications" for the treatment
of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in mil-
lions of American children, according to
a Children's Hospital of Michigan pedia-
trician-researcher who played a key role
in the study, initiated nine years ago.
The largest clinical trial of its kind to
be conducted in the world, the study pro-
vides convincing evidence that children
with a common urinary-tract abnormal-
ity known as "vesicoureteral reflux" (or
VUR) experience a significantly reduced
risk of developing frequent UTIs when
treated with daily, long-term, low-dose
antibiotics.
Because about one-third of children
diagnosed with UTIs are also found to
have VUR (a chronic condition in which
urine refluxes from the bladder and spills
back into the kidney, thus increasing the
risk of UTIs and renal scarring), treating
children with VUR with these antibiotics
can be effective in protecting them from
urinary tract infections, according to
study authors.
"This newly published study has
major implications for the management
of UTIs in children:' said Mattoo, chair

of the study's Principal Investigators
Committee. "Our clinical trial analyzed
pediatric research data collected dur-
ing six years at 19 different sites in the
United States, and what we found was
that children with VUR who received
antibiotics long-term were 50 percent
less likely to develop recurrent UTIs.
"We know that UTIs can be a signifi-
cant health problem for kids because
of the medical complications that often
accompany them. Such recurring infec-
tions can also cause significant discom-
fort for affected children, along with
frequent visits to emergency rooms,
which add to the already soaring cost of
medical care:'
While noting that more than 3 per-
cent of all American children develop
UTIs each year and that their infections
account for more than 1 million visits
to pediatricians annually, Mattoo said,
"This health problem affects tens of mil-
lions of kids each year and, up until now,
there has been no study like this.
"There has been a great deal of debate
on that question during the past 10-15
years, but this new study should end that
debate. The data in the study are compel-
lingly clear — and will help clinicians
achieve appropriate management and
counseling of children after their first
urinary tract infection:'

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Prostate Cancer Run On June 15

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West Bloomfield, MI 48323

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rostate cancer is the most com-
mon type of non-skin cancer
found in American men, affect-
ing one in seven, and is the second lead-
ing cause of death for men, according to
the American Cancer Society (ACS). The
ACS estimates more than 233,000 new
cases of prostate cancer will be diag-
nosed in the U.S. in 2014.
While more than 29,000 men will lose
their fight with the disease, it is estimat-
ed more than 2 million men are pros-
tate cancer survivors, either diagnosed
and treated or living with the disease.
In support of prostate cancer
survivorship, the Michigan Institute
of Urology (MIU) Men's Health
Foundation is hosting the Sixth Annual
MIU Run for the Ribbon on Father's
Day, Sunday, June 15, at 8 a.m. at the
Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak. Its mis-
sion is to promote and raise funds for
the awareness, education, research
and treatment of prostate cancer and
men's health-related issues. The race
attracts more than 1,800 survivors and
supporters to run or walk each year.
"Prostate cancer affects more than just
the man who is diagnosed — his fami-
ly and friends also feel the effects as they
share in the worry and concern, as well

as the vigilance and relief when he joins
the 'survivors club,- said Michael Lutz,
M.D., MIU urologist and board member
of the MIU Men's Health Foundation.
Event partners are the American
Cancer Society, the Prostate Conditions
Education Council and the Prostate
Awareness and Cancer Education
(PACE) Race Series.
Registration is $30 for adults and $20
for children. Online registration at www
miurunfortheribbon.org is available
until June 13. Participants can register
on race day: $35 for adults and $25 for
children.
Medals will be awarded to all finish-
ers. Participants with prostate cancer or
survivors will be given a special com-
memorative gift. Jody Trierweiler from
the Beverly Hills Club will lead a warm-
up session at 7:30 a.m.
Registrants also can honor a loved one
by placing his name on signage along
the course with a $5 donation.
The Foundation will host the Run for
the Ribbon Gala at Andiamo Warren at
7 p.m. June 13. Themed An Evening of
Luck:' the gala will feature fine wine and
food, casino-themed gaming tables, the
Simone Vitale Band and a charity auc-
tion raffle. Tickets are $200 each.

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