Our most intriguing medical facts of 2005

At American Medical News we encounter a number of fascinating pieces of information every week. Here is a look back at the year just past, as reflected in our own selection of the most interesting or noteworthy fact from each issue. Click for the article.

• Hospital noise levels are twice what is recommended.    (Dec. 26)
• Doctors in Washington state are forbidden to date their patients.    (Dec. 19)
• There are 17 psychiatrists for every 100,000 people in the U.S.    (Dec. 12)
• 50 million Americans have chronic pain.    (Dec. 5)
• It takes about 6 months and hundreds of millions of eggs to produce enough flu vaccine for the U.S. population.    (Nov. 28)
• Doctors' costs are increasing faster than revenues.    (Nov. 21)
• 11 million Americans have food allergies.    (Nov. 14)
• 675,000 people in the United States died in the 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic.    (Nov. 7)
• 9 million children older than 6 are considered obese.    (Oct. 24/31)
• 15% of ED patients are uninsured.    (Oct. 17)
• Girls are more likely than boys to have inattentive ADHD.    (Oct. 10)
• Only 40% of health care professionals get a flu shot.    (Oct. 3)
• There are 860 clinical tests for genetic disorders.    (Sept. 26)
• Adults who received a measles shot as children might not be immune.    (Sept. 19)
• Only 73% of children in Texas get their baseline immunizations on time.    (Sept. 12)
• About 5% of U.S. physicians are Hispanic.    (Sept. 5)
• 98% of physicians planned to offer flu shots for the 2004-05 flu season.    (Aug. 22/29)
• 90% of adults who use computers think the health information online is reliable.    (Aug. 15)
• 15 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs in 2003.    (Aug. 8)
• 76% of physicians believe in God.    (Aug. 1)
• One-third of pediatricians are IMGs.    (July 25)
• In 2004, 7,060 people on the national transplant list died waiting for organ transplants.    (July 18)
• 40 million to 70 million Americans have some kind of sleep disorder.    (July 11)
• Geriatricians are consistently ranked as the lowest paid medical specialists.    (July 4)
• Most Americans have a mental health disorder at some time, but many never seek treatment.    (June 27)
• The number of U.S. cancer survivors now equals the population of Los Angeles.    (June 20)
• Adults made up 25% of all pertussis cases in 2005.    (June 13)
• Nurse practitioners in New York can write prescriptions.    (June 6)
• Overuse of handheld electronic devices can lead to a disorder dubbed "BlackBerry thumb."    (May 23/30)
• Working Americans make up nearly half the uninsured.    (May 16)
• 4 in 10 seniors didn't take all of the drugs their doctors prescribed for them.    (May 9)
• Strokes are among the top 10 killers of children.    (May 2)
• 1 in 3 physicians has no regular source of health care.    (April 25)
• San Francisco's health department has a Web site where people can send e-cards telling sex partners they may have an STD.    (April 18)
• 12 million Americans say they have used meth.    (April 11)
• 80% of people with osteoporosis are women.    (April 4)
• 280,000 people in the U.S. are believed to have HIV without knowing it.    (March 28)
• Medicaid enrollment grew 40% in the last 5 years.    (March 21)
• 1.2 million Americans a year have a first or recurrent heart attack.    (March 14)
• Georgia's tort reform includes a $350,000 cap on noneconomic damages.    (March 7)
• 6 of the 7 largest health plans saw profits increase in 2004.    (Feb. 28)
• 9% of Americans 65 or older smoke cigarettes.    (Feb. 21)
• 4 million Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis C.    (Feb. 14)
• 900,000 physicians are eligible for compensation from the Cigna settlement.    (Feb. 7)
• Hospitals have been named for Hasbro, Mattel, Morgan Stanley and Bristol-Myers Squibb.    (Jan. 31)
• 1 out of 20 patients is a hypochondriac.    (Jan. 24)
• Moldova's ".md" Internet domain is again available to doctors.    (Jan. 17)
• Each year, 1 out of 3 seniors falls, accounting for at least 95% of hip fractures.    (Jan. 3/10)

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