News Archives
Researchers examine association of preterm birth and chemicals in flame-retardant fabrics
March 3, 2021A Kaiser Permanente Southern California study of 3,500 women showed that pregnant women with high levels of PDBE-47, a chemical used in flame-retardant fabrics, were at increased risk of giving birth early in the pregnancy. The study, “Women with high plasma levels of PBDE-47 are at increased risk of preterm birth” was published recently in the ...Read more...Promoting heart health through research
February 2, 2021Kaiser Permanente researcher seeks to reduce heart disease by finding better ways to prevent, detect, and treat high blood pressure, known as a “silent killer.” Epidemiologists are scientists who study patterns of diseases and health conditions in large populations. Early in her career as an epidemiologist, Kristi Reynolds, PhD, MPH, decided to focus on heart health. ...Read more...Self-order option boosts colorectal cancer screening rates
January 21, 2021A study among Kaiser Permanente members in Southern California shows that allowing patients to self-order a colorectal cancer screening test online improves rates of testing completion. The rates of both completion and follow-up activities were higher among patients who ordered the tests themselves than those who received the test kit automatically in the mail when ...Read more...Chest pain risk assessment may reduce treatment disparities
December 23, 2020The use of a standardized tool for assessing the risk of serious outcomes in patients with chest pain was associated with women at high risk receiving comparable care to men, according to new research published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Care received by women at low and intermediate risk was consistent with current clinical ...Read more...Progression of children’s myopia may be influenced by race and ethnicity
December 2, 2020Asian American children are at a much higher risk of a progression of myopia—commonly known as nearsightedness—a new Kaiser Permanente Southern California study shows. “Some people think of myopia only as an issue that can be easily corrected with glasses or contact lenses. However, myopic patients have a higher risk of vision loss throughout life as ...Read more...People on dialysis have higher risk from COVID-19
December 1, 2020Kidney dialysis patients should take extra precautions to avoid being infected with COVID-19. A new Kaiser Permanente Southern California study found patients on dialysis have 18 times higher risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 than people who do not have end-stage kidney disease. Intuitively, the physicians and researchers knew that these patients may be at ...Read more...Five questions for … Dr. Chunyuan Qiu
December 1, 2020Chunyuan Qiu, MD, MS, is a clinician investigator for the Department of Research & Evaluation and the chief of the Department of Anesthesiology at Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center. He is actively involved in teaching regional anesthesia fellows. In his practice, he focuses on the long-term outcomes after surgery and anesthesia. What is the value to ...Read more...Kaiser Permanente San Diego enrolling patients in monoclonal antibody trial
November 30, 2020In November, emergency departments at the Kaiser Permanente San Diego and Zion medical centers began enrolling patients in the ACTIV-2 Outpatient Monoclonal Antibodies and Other Therapies trial, which is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “This trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of treatments for people who have COVID-19 but aren’t ...Read more...