Health roundup: Kids' emergency CT scans soar in study

Your Monday morning health roundup:

CT scan and kids: The chance that a child coming to emergency room with abdominal pain would get a CT scan rose dramatically, from less than 1% in 1998 to 15% in 2008, says a study out today in Pediatrics. Researchers can't say whether the possible benefits of the scans -- which included finding cases of appendicitis -- outweighed the risks, but there is growing concern about exposing children to CT radiation. Alternatives include using ultrasound scans and waiting a few hours to see if kids get better, doctors say. (Reuters)

Strawberry outbreak: Contaminated frozen strawberries are the most likely cause of a huge outbreak of vomiting and diarrhea that sickened about 11,000 people in Germany, authorities there say. The suspected bug is norovirus. (Associated Press via Businessweek)

Coffee and glaucoma: Drinking more than three cups of coffee a day is linked with one type of glaucoma -- which can cause vision loss -- in a new study. The study does not prove a cause and effect relationship between coffee and the disease. And it's important to remember that coffee also may have some health benefits. (The Atlantic)

Today's talker: In her first interview since her mid-August heart attack, Rosie O'Donnell tells People that the experience has changed her life: She's thrown out her junk food and lost 12 of her 200-plus pounds."For the first time, it wasn't hard for me," she says. "It took a heart attack for me to learn to take care of myself."