Study Tracks Supplement-Linked ER Visits

The New England Journal of Medicine has published a study looking at emergency room visits due to injuries from dietary supplements. The study was conducted by health authorities at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and found that supplement injuries are associated with 20,000 emergency room visits each year.

Since the hospital did not track deaths, it is unknown whether any of these injuries were fatal. Supplements have come under scrutiny in light of safety concerns. In 2013, an outbreak resulted in 97 illnesses, one death and three liver transplants.

Researchers, led by Dr. Andrew Geller, a medical officer at the division of health care quality promotion at the CDC, tracked emergency room visits at a network of hospitals over a 10-year period and looked at how many were due to the use of a dietary supplement. Injuries included severe allergic reactions, heart problems, nausea and vomiting. In about 10 percent of cases, hospitalization was required; this equates to about 2,150 cases yearly. Injuries were linked to different types of supplements, including herbal pills, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. In comparison, the number of ER visits for prescription drug injuries is 30 times as high.

Dr. Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School who was not involved in the study, said “This is very disheartening,” according to NYT. “What we’re seeing from this study is that the system has failed. It’s failing to protect consumers from very serious harms.”

There are few restrictions on the supplement industry. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not have to approve them, unlike prescription medications. The products are considered safe until proven otherwise due to a 1994 federal law that has been vastly criticized.

The ER visits from supplement injuries were more common among young people, the study found. Prescription drug injuries, on the other hand, occurred more frequently in older adults. “The contrast is striking,” Geller said, according to NYT. Individuals between the ages of 20 and 34 accounted for more than a quarter of supplement-related ER visits. The supplement was marketed for weight loss or energy enhancement in half these cases. Researchers said these products, such as Hydroxycut, Xenadrine, Rasperry Ketones and Black Jack Energy, were linked to chest pain, heart palpitations and irregular heart rhythms.

from Parker Waichman http://www.yourlawyer.com/blog/study-tracks-supplement-linked-er-visits/