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OTTAWA - An Ottawa doctor has found a combination of drugs that could reduce the number of babies admitted to hospital for a common lung infection by 35 per cent.

In Canada, about 35 in 1,000 babies are hospitalized with bronchiolitis - an inflammation of the tiny airways in the lungs - each year, usually for two to four days. The costs to the medical system are considerable: $700 million in the United States, and at least $23 million at last report in Canada...

The original article can be found at: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Health/drug+combo+help+infants+breathe+easier/1593600/story.html

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what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

In general, this was a good quality story on the use of a combination treatment for bronchiolitis in infants combining epinephrine (the adrenal hormone) and dexamethasone (the steroid). The main problem is the reliance on relative numbers- the article indicates that the combination therapy could "reduce the number of babies admitted to hospital for a common lung infection by 35 per cent." While that is a 35% improvement, it would be useful to know how many infants would require hospital admission in the first place. Furthermore, it would also be valuable to have more details on exactly why this drug combination proved to be 'truly significant' for families.

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