Mistreatment — the abuse, neglect, or exploitation — of older people significantly increases their chances of dying. A groundbreaking study of 2,812 community-dwelling people age 65 and older–average age was 74 at the study's start–showed that those who were mistreated had a 3.1 times greater risk of dying during the 13-year follow-up period than those with no reported mistreatment. This increased risk took into account other factors known to increase mortality in older people, such as dementia, depression, chronic disease, and socioeconomic status. While there were no direct, injury-related deaths in the "mistreated" group, the research–supported by NIH's National Institute on Aging–suggests a more general association of mistreatment with increased risk of death. The findings are an important step in understanding and preventing abuse of older people. For more information on health issues related to aging, contact the National Institute on Aging at 1-800-222-2225 or visit their website at http://www.nih.gov/nia. –an NIH Word on Health report, January 1999

A study to determine which of two surgical regimens better preserves vision in patients with the most common form of glaucoma–known as open-angle glaucoma–showed that black and white patients differed in their responses to the surgeries. In the 7-year-study funded by NIH's National Eye Institute, most of the black patients benefitted more when treatment began with laser surgery — the current medical practice. However, most of the white patients without life-threatening health problems benefitted more from a program that began with another type of operation known as trabeculectomy. Glaucoma, in which increased fluid pressure inside the eye can damage the optic nerve, affects three million Americans and is a leading cause of blindness here. The disease is three to four times more common in blacks than in whites, and blindness from the disease is six times more common in blacks than in whites. The researchers recommend treatments consistent with their findings, taking into account each patient's individual medical history. For more information on glaucoma, contact the National Eye Institute at 301-496-5248 or visit their website at http://www.nei.nih.gov. –an NIH Word on Health report, January 1999

Having high blood pressure for at least four years before getting pregnant increases a woman's chances of developing preeclampsia, the leading cause of maternal death, according to researchers supported by NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Preeclampsia–characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine–can progress to eclampsia — high blood pressure and convulsions — which can be fatal. Protein in the urine very early in pregnancy was also found to increase the risk of giving birth prematurely, or having an infant who is small for gestational age or who needs to be admitted to a newborn intensive care unit. These findings underscore the importance of preconception counseling for women with high blood pressure. For a list of NICHD publications, call 1-800-370-2943 or visit their website at http://www.nih.gov/nichd/ or write to: NICHD/ Word on Health, 31 Center Drive MSC 2425, Building 31, Room 2A32, Bethesda, MD 20892-2425. –an NIH Word on Health report, January 1999

A unique gel form of the drug diazepam that can be given rectally has been found to safely reduce the severity of acute repetitive seizures in children and adults. In a study funded by NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the new drug delivery system shortened the duration of these seizures and/or prevented their recurrence. Acute repetitive seizures are recurrent episodes (occasionally experienced by some patients with epilepsy) during which repeated seizures, occurring over a period of minutes to hours, worsen the patient's usual seizure patterns. These episodes disrupt the lives of affected patients and their families. They can sometimes progress to status epilepticus — a single sustained seizure or repeated seizures without recovery of consciousness between seizures; this is life-threatening and requires emergency treatment. The repetitive seizures can easily be recognized by the patient's family and caregivers, who can now be trained to administer this new gel, marketed in a Quick-Dose^TM delivery system as Diastat®–privately, quickly, and safely, thus avoiding trips to the Emergency Room. For more information on seizure disorders, call NINDS at 301-496-5751, or visit their website at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/. –an NIH Word on Health report, January 1999