Study exposes ‘alarming' inequalities among child deaths in intensive care
There are also higher death rates among children of Asian ethnicity on these wards compared to white children, researchers said.
Experts called for urgent action from policymakers and health leaders in light of the findings, which they described as 'deeply troubling'.
For the study, researchers from Imperial College London, University of Leicester, UCL and University of Leeds analysed 245,099 admissions for 163,163 children to UK paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) between January 2008 and December 2021.
Researchers found death rates were 4.2 per cent among the most deprived children at 2,432 deaths per 58,110 admissions, compared to 3.1 per cent among wealthy children with 1,025 deaths per 33,331 admissions.
According to the study, youngsters living in the poorest areas had 13 per cent higher odds of dying compared to those living in the least deprived areas.
Researchers also found 5.1 per cent of Asian children admitted to PICU died – 1,336 deaths per 26,022 admissions – compared to 3.2 per cent of white children, with 4,960 deaths per 154,041 admissions.
Dr Hannah Mitchell, of the department of surgery and cancer at Imperial College London, said: 'Paediatric intensive care offers the highest level of support for the sickest children.
'Our findings show that inequalities persist even at this stage of care and are deeply troubling.
'These are not just statistics – they represent real, preventable differences in outcomes for critically ill children.'
Elsewhere, the study found both deprived children and those of Asian ethnicity were more likely to be severely unwell when admitted to PICU compared to wealthier and white children.
Youngsters from ethnic minority backgrounds also had longer stays in PICU – 66 hours on average – while white children averaged 52 hours.
Dr Mitchell added: 'Our findings are especially alarming in the context of rising levels of child poverty in the UK, where 4.5 million children are now growing up in poverty (31 per cent of all children), 800,000 more children compared to 2013 (27 per cent of all children).
'These findings should prompt urgent action from policymakers and healthcare leaders.'
Dr Mitchell said the study, published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, 'adds clear, national-scale evidence of disparities in intensive care.
'Reducing avoidable deaths in children must include serious, sustained action to reduce child poverty, improve access to healthcare, and address the structural barriers faced by marginalised communities,' she added.
Reacting to the study, Professor Habib Naqvi, chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said: 'These sobering findings are shocking and unacceptable.
'Your ethnicity, background or where you live should not determine your chances of survival.
'We need immediate and collective action to address the issues outlined in this study, and in many other studies that show the impact structural inequalities and bias have on healthcare access, experience, and outcomes.
'Not tackling these issues is leading to avoidable harm to countless patients, families, and communities.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fast Company
4 hours ago
- Fast Company
Pfizer and BioNTech lose appeal in London over Moderna COVID vaccine patent
Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Friday lost their bid to overturn a ruling that their COVID-19 vaccine infringed one of Moderna's patents at London's Court of Appeal. Last year, the High Court ruled that one of Moderna's patents relating to the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which underpinned its COVID-19 vaccine, was valid and that Pfizer and BioNTech's Comirnaty vaccine had infringed it, meaning Moderna is entitled to damages in relation to sales after March 2022. The High Court also ruled that the other Moderna patent under challenge in the case was invalid. Moderna was refused permission to appeal against that decision. But Pfizer and BioNTech were granted permission to appeal in an attempt to try and invalidate Moderna's second patent and appealed earlier this month, arguing Moderna's developments of mRNA technology were obvious developments of previous work, rendering the patent invalid. Judge Richard Arnold, however, rejected Pfizer and BioNTech's appeal. Pfizer and BioNTech said in a joint statement that the decision 'does not change our unwavering stance that this patent is invalid' and the companies will seek to appeal. 'This decision has no immediate impact on Pfizer and BioNTech or Comirnaty,' the companies added. Moderna did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Friday's decision in the latest ruling in the legal dispute between the two sides over their competing vaccines, which helped save millions of lives during the pandemic. The companies have also been involved in proceedings in Germany – where a court ruled in Moderna's favour in March – the United States Patent Office, which held that two Moderna COVID-19 vaccine patents were invalid, and elsewhere.
Medscape
4 hours ago
- Medscape
Chemotherapy Linked to Brain Atrophy in Breast
Patients with breast cancer who undergo chemotherapy may face an increased risk for brain atrophy and cognitive decline, new findings from a pilot study suggested. Memory problems in patients with cancer may not stem solely from stress or anxiety related to their diagnosis but could reflect underlying changes in brain structure, study investigator Paul Edison, PhD, MPhil, professor of neuroscience and clinical professor of neurology at Imperial College London, London, England, told Medscape Medical News . While the findings suggest that chemotherapy may contribute to neuronal damage, the researchers noted that many aspects of the relationship between treatment and brain changes remain unclear. Edison highlighted three key areas that require further investigation — uncovering the mechanisms driving brain atrophy, determining the proportion of patients affected, and identifying effective prevention strategies. Another investigator on the study, Laura Kenny, MD, PhD, associate professor and consultant medical oncologist at Imperial College London, noted that the issue has received limited attention to date but expressed hope that the findings will raise awareness and encourage further research, given its clinical importance. The findings were presented on July 29 at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2025. Investigating Cognitive Impact Advances in chemotherapeutic agents have improved survival rates in patients with cancer. However, challenges persist regarding the long-term impact of these drugs. Chemotherapy-associated cognitive impairment, often referred to as 'brain fog' or 'chemobrain,' affects approximately one third of patients with breast cancer following treatment. While cognitive decline resolves within 12 months for some patients, others experience persistent effects that may elevate the risk for neurodegenerative conditions, Edison explained. To evaluate the impact of chemotherapy on the brain, investigators studied 328 women with nonmetastatic breast cancer who had undergone chemotherapy within the past 12 months. Patients received either anthracycline — a drug derived from the Streptomyces peucetius bacterium — or taxanes such as docetaxel and paclitaxel, both commonly used in breast cancer treatment, or a combination of these agents. In addition, some patients may also have had hormone therapy at some point during treatment, said Kenny. Participants completed neurocognitive prescreening tests every 3 months using a specialized artificial intelligence-driven platform, allowing them to take detailed memory assessments online from home. Among those prescreened, 18 individuals with lower neurocognitive scores (mean age, approximately 55 years) and 19 cognitively normal control individuals without breast cancer (mean age, approximately 67 years) underwent comprehensive, in-person, neurocognitive evaluations and MRI scans. Researchers analyzed the scans using region of interest (ROI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM), which uses sophisticated computer software, to assess grey matter volumes and surface areas. The ROI analysis revealed significant reductions in gray matter volume (measured in mm3) and surface area (measured in mm2) among patients experiencing chemobrain, particularly affecting the isthmus cingulate and pars opercularis, with changes extending into the orbitofrontal and temporal regions. Significant Atrophy The VBM analysis confirmed significant atrophy in the frontal, parietal, and cingulate regions of patients with chemobrain compared with control individuals ( P < .05). Edison noted that this pattern overlaps with brain changes typically observed in Alzheimer's disease and vascular cognitive impairment. For both analyses, 'we demonstrated there is some amount of shrinkage in the brain among patients with chemobrain.' he said. 'The fact that controls are older means the results are even more significant as there's more brain atrophy as people age.' Some of the affected brain regions may be linked to impaired memory, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, but Edison cautioned that given the small sample size this finding should be interpreted with caution. While the analysis demonstrated overall lower brain volumes in patients with 'chemobrain' compared with controls, Edison emphasized that this finding reflects a single time point and does not indicate brain shrinkage over time. Other events, including stroke — can also cause brain changes. Edison highlighted the importance of determining the significance of these brain changes, how they affect patients and whether they can be prevented. In-person neurocognitive testing revealed significantly reduced semantic and verbal fluency, as well as lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores in patients with chemobrain. Edison noted that these results support the MRI findings. The team plans to follow patients to track brain changes and memory recovery, Kenny said. While patients with breast cancer are a common focus, the researchers intend to expand the study to other cancers in both men and women, said Kenny. Anecdotally, many patients report memory problems during chemotherapy, she added. Based on discussions with her oncology colleagues, Kenny noted that many patients anecdotally report experiencing memory problems during chemotherapy. More Research Needed Commenting for Medscape Medical News , Rebecca M. Edelmayer, PhD, vice president, Scientific Engagement, at the Alzheimer's Association, said the research may help shed light on why women are more likely to develop dementia than men. For years now, experts have been trying to figure out what puts women at higher risk for AD and other dementias, said Edelmayer. 'We still don't understand whether this involves biologically driven risk factors or socially driven risk factors.' Research linking treatments for other health conditions to increased memory problems may offer some clues, she noted, suggesting a potential avenue for further investigation into the intersection of chemotherapy and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. However, Edelmayer emphasized that this line of research is still in its infancy. Much more work is needed to determine whether there is a direct cause-and-effect relationship with specific chemotherapy drugs, and whether some patients may already be predisposed or at higher risk for cognitive decline, she said. Also commenting for Medscape Medical News , Eric Brown, MD, associate scientist and associate chief of geriatric psychiatry at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, raised concerns about the study's design. One issue, he noted, is that the researchers did not image all patients who received chemotherapy but instead selected those with the most significant cognitive impairment. As a result, the findings may not have reflected outcomes in the average post-chemotherapy patients but rather represent the most severely affected subgroup. Brown also pointed out that the study did not clarify whether this subgroup had comorbid conditions. It's possible, he said, that some individuals may have had Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia unrelated to chemotherapy. He agreed that tracking longitudinal changes in both cognitive scores and neuroimaging — comparing patients who receive chemotherapy with those who do not — would be a valuable next step.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scientists issue warning after discovering dangerous particles blowing in wind: 'The impacts on human health are concerning'
Scientists issue warning after discovering dangerous particles blowing in wind: 'The impacts on human health are concerning' Sewage overflows and coastal winds could be sending "billions" of microplastics into the air, according to a study. While research is still in its early stages, scientists worry about the health impacts of this airborne plastic pollution. What's happening? The Plymouth Marine Laboratory study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, analyzed two years of data on sewer overflows and wind conditions in Plymouth Sound, off the coast of England, to determine when conditions were conducive to "aerosolization" — the transfer of microplastics into the air. Out of those two years, 178 days had conditions that could have resulted in microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) being carried from the sea to the air. Once in the air, the MNPs could have been inhaled by humans, the scientists hypothesized. The group of experts from the University of Plymouth and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory conducted the study to test whether these conditions could be a significant source of air pollution. Why is microplastic pollution concerning? Experts have long raised concerns about the adverse effects of microplastics on human health. The team that conducted this study has called for more research into the link between sewage overspill and airborne plastic pollution. The authors may have determined why the microplastics that are believed to enter oceans and the real-time data didn't align. David Moffat, artificial intelligence and data scientist lead at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and co-author of the study, emphasized that "the impacts on human health are concerning." A second co-author, Clive Sabel, professor of big data and spatial science at the University of Plymouth, said, "Inhaled microplastics can cross into our blood streams and … accumulate in organs such as our brains and livers." Other experts have found that microplastics could pose a significant risk to human health, from when we breathe them in to where they go once they enter the body. While research is limited, a study published in the journal Environmental Research linked microplastics in the body to respiratory disorders, fatigue, dizziness, and gastrointestinal concerns. Do you worry about air pollution in your town? All the time Often Only sometimes Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
