Previous Medical News
2009/11/21
1. New mammogram advice raises questions, concerns (American Cancer Society and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 11/16/09)
A government task force announced that most women don't need mammograms in their 40s and should get one every two years starting at 50 — a stunning reversal and a break with the American Cancer Society's long-standing position. What's more, the panel said breast self-exams do no good, and women shouldn't be taught to do them.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government panel of doctors and scientists, concluded that such early and frequent screenings often lead to false alarms and unneeded biopsies, without substantially improving women's odds of survival. The task force advises women 50 to 74 to get a mammogram every other year until they turn 75, after which the risks and benefits are unknown. The task force advice is based on its conclusion that screening 1,300 women in their 50s to save one life is worth it, but that screening 1,900 women in their 40s to save a life is not. The American Cancer Society is not changing its recommendation based on the task forces’ statement.
2. 20-somethings can go 2 years between Paps (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 11/20/09)
New guidelines by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say most women in their 20s can have a Pap smear every two years instead of annually to catch slow-growing cervical cancer.
The New Guidelines:
- Routine Paps should start at age 21. Previously, ACOG had urged a first Pap either within three years of first sexual intercourse or at age 21.
- Women 30 and older should wait three years between Paps once they've had three consecutive clear tests. Other national guidelines have long recommended the three-year interval; ACOG had previously backed a two- to three-year wait.
- Higher-risk women, such as those with HIV, other immune-weakening conditions or previous cervical abnormalities, need more frequent screening.
3. Study raises new questions about Merck pill Zetia (American Heart Association, 11/16/09)
A new study raises fresh concerns about Zetia and its cousin, Vytorin — drugs still taken by millions of Americans to lower cholesterol. In the study, Zetia failed to shrink buildups in artery walls while a rival drug, Niaspan, did so significantly. Zetia users also suffered more heart attacks and other problems although the numbers of these events were too small to draw firm conclusions.
4. Tamiflu-resistant swine flu cluster reported in NC (CDC, 11/20/09)
Four North Carolina patients at a single hospital, Duke University Medical Center, tested positive for a type of swine flu that is resistant to Tamiflu. More than 50 resistant cases have been reported in the world since April, including 21 in the U.S. Almost all in the U.S. were isolated. All four cases at the hospital were very ill patients in an isolated cancer unit on the hospital's ninth floor, and it is believed they all caught the flu while at the hospital. Three of the four patients died and one is recovering. Swine flu has sickened an estimated 22 million Americans, hospitalized about 98,000 and killed 4,000 since it was first identified last April. It has proved to be similar to seasonal flu but a much bigger threat to children and young adults. CDC officials have also revealed they are aware of a new report from Norway of a distinct form of swine flu seen in three patients that seems to have an unusual ability to settle deep into the lungs and therefore could potentially be more dangerous. About 15 others have been reported around the world with a mutation of the virus, including four in the United States.
5. WHO Estimates 65 Million Have Received H1N1 Shots (WHO, 11/20/09)
An estimated 65 million people have received H1N1 vaccinations, and about 80 million doses of vaccine for this virus have been distributed. There have been few reports of adverse reactions, including fewer than 10 suspected cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome in people who have received vaccine.
6. H1N1 Vaccine Program Plagued With Problems, Information Gaps (Various Sources, 11/20/09)
The program has been plagued with problems and information gaps:
- Health officials have been terrible at predicting when and how much vaccine would be available. Only about 44 million doses have been shipped so far. Initially, officials said more than three times that would be out by now.
- At times vaccine shipments have been inexplicably lopsided. For example, smaller counties in Illinois and California have received the same amount delivered to counties with seven times as many people.
- Health officials have stressed that people most at risk for swine flu complications should go to the head of the line, but they haven't tried to make sure that actually happened.
- And despite pledges that they would be transparent about the vaccine program, some health officials have refused to disclose where all the doses are going, and they have held back on public service announcements telling people who should be coming in for shots. Also, many states were slow to establish Web sites that give vaccination locations.
7. Immunity to Swine Flu May Be Broader Than Thought (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 11/16/09)
The swine flu virus that's sweeping across the United States isn't a total stranger to your immune system, a finding that should ease the most drastic worries about the lethality of the pandemic. The reason why the swine flu virus isn't the killer it was feared seems to be that the various protective mechanisms of the immune system have been primed by exposure to previous flu viruses.
8. New Drug for Lingering Shingles Pain: FDA Approves Qutenza for Postherpetic Neuralgia (FDA, 11/17/09)
The FDA has approved a new treatment for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), the nerve pain that sometimes lingers after an attack of shingles. The new PHN drug is Qutenza. It's made by Lohmann Therapie-Systems AD of Andernach, Germany, and distributed by NeurogesX Inc. of San Mateo, Calif. PHN is pain that persists after the shingles scales heal. It affects 10% to 15% of people who have shingles. It may get better over time. It may not. Treatments include prescription pain medications, anticonvulsants, and antidepressants. Now there's Qutenza, a radically different approach. The active ingredient in Qutenza is synthetic capsaicin, the chemical that makes chili peppers burn.
9. New device boosts heart failure survival (American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, 11/17/09)
For the first time, a miniature heart pump shows the potential to become a widely used, permanent treatment for many older people with severe heart failure. In a study of 200 patients, the new device increased by four times the number who survived at least two years compared with an older pump that had drawbacks limiting its use. However, the HeartMate II costs $80,000 plus $45,000 or so for the surgery and the hospital stay necessary to implant it.
10. Increasing Medicare Tax and Other New Levies Stir Debate (Various Sources, 11/20/09)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has added an extra Medicare payroll tax. Under the plan, wages over $200,000 for single people and $250,000 for married couples would be subject to a 1.95% payroll tax, up from the current 1.45%. Another new levy in the Senate bill would place a 40% excise tax on insurance plans valued at more than $8,500 for individuals and $23,000 for families. The Senate bill would also put a $2,500 cap on annual contributions to flexible-spending accounts and is not indexed to inflation. There is also a 5% tax on elective cosmetic surgery.
11. FDA says heartburn drugs (Prilosec and Nexium) can interfere with Plavix (FDA, 11/17/09)
A popular variety of heartburn medications can interfere with the blood thinner Plavix, a drug taken by millions of Americans to reduce risks of heart attack and stroke.
12. Vitamin D deficiency linked to strokes, heart disease (American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, 11/16/09)
Insufficient intake of vitamin D, long known to play a key role in bone health, may significantly increase a person's risk of stroke, heart disease and even death. Normal level is over 30 nanograms per milliliter.
13. Genetic Tests Check Risk for Sudden Death (American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, 11/16/09)
If you have a relative who suffered sudden unexplained death, postmortem genetic testing is a cost-effective way of identifying mutations that may place you and other surviving family members at increased risk for potentially fatal heart rhythm disturbances. Nearly 300,000 Americans a year suffer sudden cardiac death, in which a person dies within minutes after an abrupt loss of heart function. Genetic defects explain up to 25% to 30% of these cases. Hopefully, data like these will propel more insurance companies to pay for the gene testing.
14. Pregnancy Complication May Be Linked to Thyroid Problems (BMJ, 11/18/09)
There is concerning news for women who develop a condition known as preeclampsia during pregnancy: They're at higher risk of reduced thyroid function and may be more likely to have thyroid problems in later life. Preeclampsia develops in the second half of pregnancy and can cause serious problems such as extremely high blood pressure. The causes aren't clear, but may have something to do with high levels of proteins in the body.
15. CT scans rule out heart attacks faster (American Heart Association Scientific Session, 11/18/09)
A CT scan provides a faster and cheaper way to diagnose a heart attack when someone goes to the emergency room with chest pains.
16. Alternative to Warfarin May Cut Risk of Bleeding: Dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa) (American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, 11/15/09)
The anti-clotting drug dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa) may be more effective and safer than warfarin at preventing clots and stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.
17. Don't blame fast food: Mummies had heart disease (American Heart Association, 11/17/09)
Researchers have found signs of heart disease in 3,500-year-old mummies. We think of heart disease as being caused by modern risk factors, such as fast food, smoking and a lack of exercise, but the findings show that these may not be the only reasons arteries clog.
18. Dual Heart Tests Best for Young Athletes (American Heart Association, 11/18/09)
Young athletes should be screened with two common heart tests, not just one -- or early signs of life-threatening heart defects may be missed. The two heart tests are an echocardiogram, or ECHO, which measures heart size and pumping function and checks for faulty heart valves, and an electrocardiogram, or EKG, which assesses the heart's electrical rhythms.
19. Alcohol helps cut heart disease risk for men (Heart, 11/09)
Men who drink alcohol every day see a nearly one-third average reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease. Among men, those drinking moderate, high and very high levels of alcohol all had a lower risk of coronary heart disease compared with non-drinkers. Women also benefitted from alcohol intake, but the effects were not statistically significant, possibly due to lower numbers of "coronary events" in that group. The type of alcohol consumed did not affect the level of protection. The paper also points to the many risks of alcohol abuse, in terms of premature death and disability.
20. Moderate drinking may not preserve thinking skills (Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. 11/09)
Moderate drinkers - generally that's two drinks a day for men and one for women - tend to have less forgetfulness and better mental skills as they age. However, moderate drinkers also tend to have social, economic, and educational advantages that help them amass greater thinking skills over time. This study concludes it's these advantages - and not moderate drinking itself - that are responsible for the benefits.
21. Baked Fish Beats Fried for Omega-3 Boost (American Heart Association Scientific, 11/19/09)
When it comes to reaping the heart-healthy benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in fish, it often comes down to how you prepare it. It's better to bake or boil the fish instead of frying it. And adding a dash of low-sodium soy sauce will enhance the heart-healthy benefits. Salmon, sardines, tuna, halibut, and mackerel are among the fish that are richest in omega-3s.
22. Strength training can help people with lung disease (Chest, 11/09)
People with chronic lung disease like emphysema or bronchitis can strengthen their arms and legs with resistance training, and this strength may help them perform everyday tasks more easily.
23. Boehringer drug shown to kindle female sex drive: Flibanserin (Congress of the European Society for Sexual Medicine in Lyon, France, 11/16/09)
A once-daily pill developed by Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim increased female sex drive in late-stage trials, putting the group in the frame to launch the first non-hormonal treatment for women with low libido.
24. A few extra pounds may help elderly live longer (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 11/09)
Prior to reaching the golden years, too much body fat tends to increase the risk of dying, but extra weight may have the opposite effect for older adults. Higher fat mass in older adults "is thought to be an energy reserve that helps the individual survive illnesses and chronic conditions. Among individuals older than 75, having a low versus a normal body weight seemed to raise the risk of death from any cause.
25. Penis Spray Makes Men Last Longer: PSD502 (Sexual Medicine Society of North America annual meeting, 11/19/09)
An experimental penis spray, applied five minutes before sex, helps men overcome premature ejaculation. Premature ejaculation affects some 20% to 30% of men of all ages.
26. Photo of a Loved One Reduces Pain (Psychological Science, 2009; vol 20: pp 1316-1318)
Forget aspirin and ibuprofen. A new pain reliever is decidedly less medical: a photo of a loved one. Just looking at a picture of a loved one can help reduce pain. Holding a loved one's hand also helps reduce pain.
27. Positive Attitude Staves Off Heart Disease (American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, 11/19/09)
People who have a positive attitude during stressful events are 22% less likely to have a fatal or nonfatal heart attack than those who have negative attitudes.
28. Obesity Rolling Back Gains in Heart Health (American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, 11/17/09)
Surging obesity rates, especially among children, may be putting the brakes on progress made in the past few decades against heart disease. And it doesn't help that many obese or overweight Americans still consider their weight "normal.” Adults' blood pressure and blood sugar levels are continuing to rise, fueled in large part by expanding waistlines.
29. Folic acid supplements raise cancer risk (Journal of the American Medical Association, 11/17/09)
Heart patients in Norway -- where unlike many countries foods are not enriched with folic acid -- were more likely to die from cancer if they took folic acid and vitamin B12 supplements compared with those who did not take them. Cancer rates were 25 percent higher among those who took the supplements compared with the general population, but overall cancer deaths and deaths from other causes were also higher in the supplement group.
30. Why Watching TV Sports Increases Heart Attacks (American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, 11/16/09)
Reduced blood flow to the heart may help explain why men who’ve had a heart attack are at increased risk for another while watching exciting sporting events. Watching an exciting sporting event increases blood pressure, and platelet aggregation (the building blocks of blood clots), and decreases heart rate variability. All these factors increase the risk of heart attack.
31. Potential for criminal behavior evident at age 3 (American Journal of Psychiatry, 11/16/09)
Children who don't show normal fear responses to loud, unpleasant sounds at the age of 3 may be more likely to commit crimes as adults.
32. Selenium Supplements May Pose Heart Risk (Journal of Nutrition, 11/11/09)
Taking selenium supplements could boost your cholesterol levels and increase your risk of heart disease. Selenium -- a trace essential mineral with antioxidant properties -- is found in foods such as meat, vegetables and seafood.
33. Slow walkers more likely to die of heart disease (BMJ, 11/11/09)
Slow walking may not only mean getting to your destination later but it could also be taking its toll on your health. Older people who walk slowly are almost three times more likely to die of heart disease and related causes than older people who walk faster.
34. Migraine Increases Likelihood of Stroke (American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, 11/16/09)
People who suffer migraines have more than double the risk of ischemic stroke, and the risk is especially high in women. Ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke, occurs when blood supply to the brain is cut off by plaque accumulation or a blood clot.
35. Health issues in middle age can lead to dementia (Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Neuropsychiatry, 11/09)
People who smoke or who have high blood pressure or diabetes in middle age are more likely to develop dementia. The good news is that people who take steps to curb these risk factors in their 50s and 60s might have a better shot at avoiding Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in their 70s and 80s.
36. Food Allergies on the Rise in Children (Pediatrics, 12/09)
Food allergies in children, including peanut allergy, have increased by nearly 20% in the last 10 years. Food allergies in children rose by 18% from 1997-2007 while ambulatory care visits to treat food-allergy-related illnesses have tripled in recent years.
37. Recall: Procter & Gamble recalls 120,000 Vicks nasal sprays: Vicks spray recalled after bacteria found (Procter & Gamble, 11/20/09)
Procter & Gamble Co is voluntarily recalling about 120,000 bottles of Vicks Sinex nasal spray after finding the bacteria B. cepacia in a small amount of the product made at its plant in Gross Gerau, Germany, and sold in the United States.
