Your Voice: Calculating the cost of smoking. Plus, a web poll on circumcision
Letter about smoking and web poll data.
As a group, we pediatricians are known for carrying calculators. This tool, or a similarly functioning app on our phones, is always nearby. Smoking cessation counseling is a new use for our old calculators.
First, I ask the smoker to estimate how much s/he spends on cigarettes per year. I ask caregivers and teen patients who smoke what brand of cigarettes they use. Often their cigarette of choice is a popular menthol-flavored brand. In our city, a pack retails for $7. With this information in mind, I produce the calculator.
MARK X. CICERO, MD
New Haven, Connecticut
Major congenital malformations not linked to first trimester tetracycline use
November 22nd 2024A large population-based study found that first-trimester tetracycline exposure does not elevate the risk of major congenital malformations, though specific risks for nervous system and eye anomalies warrant further research.
