Month: July 2010

People with diabetes have a higher risk of heart attack and death if they use the drug rosiglitazone (Avandia), a research review finds. Scientists from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did the review of prior research. It was released July 9. This week, the FDA is assembling a group of outside experts to look at the evidence about Avandia. FDA scientists don’t all agree on how much risk the drug presents, an official told the Associated Press. One FDA scientist involved in the report criticized a major study often cited as supporting Avandia’s safety. He said the study has serious flaws. The experts will vote this week on whether to recommend more restrictions for Avandia. The FDA could require stronger warning labels, limit who can get the drug, or remove it from the market. The FDA does not have to follow the advice of outside experts, but it often does.

A few surgeons are trying to expand who is eligible for weight loss surgery. The aim is to help people with uncontrolled diabetes. The Associated Press (AP) wrote July 8 about a woman who got the procedure. Weight loss surgery includes gastric bypass, stomach stapling and gastric banding. Guidelines set limits on who should have these procedures. They are recommended for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. Usually, this is at least 100 pounds overweight. The surgery also can be done if someone has a BMI of 35 or more and an obesity-related health problem, such as diabetes. The woman profiled by AP had a lower BMI, 31.8. But she could not control her blood sugar. After gastric bypass, she is 50 pounds lighter. She has no need for diabetes medicine. Her surgery was done at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Taking fish oil supplements may reduce breast cancer risk, a study suggests. The study included more than 35,000 women who were past menopause and had no previous breast cancer. They were asked about their use of supplements, including fish oil. Researchers kept track of them for 6 years. In that time, 880 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Those who had taken fish oil regularly were 32% less likely to develop breast cancer than other women. The difference applied only to invasive ductal cancer, the most common type. Researchers said it’s not clear why fish oil might affect breast cancer risk. They said more research is needed, including a study that randomly assigns women to take fish oil or fake pills. The study appeared in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. HealthDay News wrote about it July 8.

Glucosamine does not help people with lower back pain, new research has concluded. Many people take this supplement for joint pain. The study included 250 people with long-term low back pain. They also had osteoarthritis of the spine. Patients were randomly assigned to take either glucosamine or look-alike fake pills (placebos). They also received other treatments prescribed by their doctors. After 6 months, people in both groups showed improvements in their responses to a questionnaire about pain. Both groups also reported better quality of life. But there was little difference between those who took glucosamine and those who took placebo pills. Researchers said any differences were so small they could have been caused by chance. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HealthDay News wrote about it July 6.

People who are depressed have a higher risk of dementia in later life, a new study concludes. The research was based on data about 949 older adults from a larger, long-running study. Their average age was 79. Tests showed that 125 had depression. Researchers kept track of them for up to 17 years. In that time, 164 people developed dementia. About 22% of those who were depressed at the start of the study developed dementia. This compares with 17% of those who were not depressed. People who were depressed also had more heart disease and other factors that increase the risk of dementia. Researchers adjusted their data for those differences. After the adjustment, they found that depressed people were about 70% more likely to develop dementia. The reason is unclear. Researchers said being depressed can inflame the brain and increase its output of certain proteins.

Children who receive a shot containing four vaccines have a greater risk of a febrile seizure than children who get two shots, a new study finds. But the risk is still very small — fewer than 1 seizure out of 1,000 doses. A febrile seizure is caused by a high fever or other sudden increase in body temperature. Children may become stiff or have jerky movements. They may lose consciousness. The new study looked at records of 459,000 children. All had received a vaccine for measles between ages 12 and 23 months. Some got the MMR shot, which includes vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. They received a shot for varicella (chickenpox) at the same visit. The other children got the MMRV shot, which includes varicella in the same shot. For every 2,300 doses of MMRV given, there was 1 extra seizure compared with the rate for the MMR shot.

Taking large doses of testosterone may increase the risk of heart attack and other problems in frail older men, a study suggests. The study included about 200 men, age 65 or older. All of them were in poor health. They had low testosterone levels and problems with moving around. Many were obese. They also had above-average rates of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease. They were randomly assigned to receive either testosterone gel or a placebo. The goal was to find out if the hormone would help them move more easily. But the study was stopped early. This was done because of high rates of heart or blood vessel problems among men who were getting the hormone. They included severe chest pain, heart attack and stroke. The rate of these problems was more than four times as high for men who got the placebo.