Health Report: Nov. 7, 1994

THE GOOD NEWS

-- More girls in the U.S. are postponing motherhood. For the first time since 1986, the number of births to girls age 15 to 17 fell 2%, from 188,226 in 1991 to 187,549 in 1992. The number of abortions was also lower.

-- An experimental malaria vaccine being tested in a Tanzanian village reduced by 30% the number of children who developed the parasitic infection.

-- A cream that contains capsaicin, the same ingredient that gives red-hot chili peppers their fire, can also relieve the aches and pains of arthritis. A dab of Zostrix, researchers say, intercepts the pain signals sent to the brain by inflamed joints.

THE BAD NEWS

-- A study of 1,800 people found that having an abortion may increase a woman's risk of eventually developing breast cancer by 50%. The greatest increase occurred in women who waited until after the eighth week to terminate their pregnancy. By contrast, smokers run a 3,000% increase in their risk of developing lung cancer compared with nonsmokers.

-- Exposure to paint thinners and other solvents may cause a temporary loss of smell, memory or color vision as well as problems with maintaining balance. In some cases the toxic effects on the liver and kidneys are permanent, even after the offending solvents have been removed.

Sources -- GOOD: National Center for Health Statistics; Lancet; Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism. BAD: Journal of the National Cancer Institute; Journal of Occupational Medicine.