Hidden Health Dangers and Media Bias
Posted by Eric Seymour on 28 July 2005 | 2 responses
I’ve been following the news reports from the first lawsuit against Merck based on the drug Vioxx, and I’ve noticed something interesting. At least a third of the articles note that the late husband of the plaintiff, who died of arrhythmia after taking Vioxx, was a “marathon runner and personal trainer.” Another third or so mention that his autopsy revealed clogged arteries. It’s easy to see how a reader could be swayed if an article mentions one fact and not the other. It’s also rather sobering to realize that a person can appear very fit, yet have potentially deadly underlying health problems.
2 Responses to “Hidden Health Dangers and Media Bias”
Guy that sits next to me at work had his younger brother drop dead of a heart attack going out for the morning paper.
Mid 40’s not overweight, did not smoke, etc. Pretty darn scary.
Doesn’t say how clogged the arteries were. Everyone that age would probably exibit some degree of clogged arteries.
You can get a heart echo stress test which is a relatively easy, non invasive, non radioactive, way of determining if your arteries have 50% or more blockage. Anyone in their mid 40s who wants to start running or exercising should probably do this.