Month: August 2011

A doctors’ group says that women having a baby by cesarean section should wear inflating boots to reduce the risk of a blood clot. If the clot travels to the lungs, it can be deadly. Any surgery raises the risk of a type of clot called deep vein thrombosis. Women’s risk of deep-vein clots also increases during pregnancy. The boots or stockings inflate off and on to squeeze the lower legs. This helps to keep blood flowing and prevent clots. Many hospitals use them after other types of surgery. Now the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says they should be used for a C-section as well. The guidelines also urge doctors to assess women’s risk of clots and monitor them carefully during pregnancy. The Associated Press wrote about the new guidelines August 30.

Light sleepers may be more likely to develop high blood pressure, a new study suggests. Previous research has found a link between less sleep and risk of high blood pressure. The new study found that a shortage of deep sleep may be even more important. The study included 784 men, average age 75. When the study began, they did not have high blood pressure. Researchers gave them at-home sleep tests. The tests measured their sleep patterns, including non-rapid eye movement sleep. This is also known as slow-wave or deep sleep. About 3 years later, 243 men had developed high blood pressure. Men who got the least deep sleep were 83% more likely to develop the condition than those who got the most deep sleep. The link remained even after researchers adjusted their numbers based on other things that affect high blood pressure risk. These include age, race and obesity.

Teens and other children should not box, the American Academy of Pediatrics says. The group of children’s doctors has long opposed boxing for kids. But it released a revised policy statement August 29 because of new research. Concussion is the most common injury in boxing. And researchers now know more about the risks of that kind of brain injury. Multiple concussions can lead to permanent brain injury. Concussion also can occur in other sports, such as football. But the doctors noted that boxers actually get points for hitting opponents in the head. That’s not true in other sports. Concussion also can cause more damage to kids and teens than to adults, the doctors’ statement noted. That’s because their brains are still developing. They also take longer to heal.

Eating certain foods can lower cholesterol even for people who already follow a heart-healthy diet, a new study finds. The new study included 345 people with high LDL (“bad cholesterol”). All of them were given a heart-healthy diet to follow. The diet was low in saturated fat. It included lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Some people also were taught how to fit foods that lower LDL into their diets. The foods included nuts, soy products, and vegetables and grains that contained viscous fiber. After 24 weeks, LDL cholesterol had dropped 3% in the group that simply followed the heart-healthy diet. The group that also added cholesterol-lowering foods had a larger drop in LDL — about 13%. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. USA Today wrote about August 24.

Taking a daily antibiotic can reduce flare-ups of a serious lung disease, new research finds. The study included 1,142 people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disease causes shortness of breath and declining lung function. At least 8 out of 10 cases are caused by smoking. People in the study had advanced COPD. They were inclined to have flare-ups, with worse symptoms. During flare-ups, people tend to cough and wheeze more and have more trouble breathing. Frequent flare-ups also increase the risk of death. People in the study were randomly divided into 2 groups. Everyone took a daily pill. For one group, this was azithromycin, an antibiotic. The other group received placebo (fake) pills. After a year, people taking the real drug were 27% less likely to have flare-ups than those taking the placebo pills. They had an average of 1.48 flare-ups in a year.

Wearing a device that takes blood pressure automatically, day and night, is the most cost-effective way to find out if you need treatment, a study finds. The new study was done in the United Kingdom. Researchers compared costs and results of three ways of diagnosing high blood pressure. Some people were asked to wear an ambulatory blood pressure monitor. This device is worn for 24 hours. It is usually set to take blood pressure readings every half hour during the day and every hour at night. Some people were asked to use a regular blood pressure device to check their own blood pressure several times at home. Others were checked only in a medical clinic. Researchers found that using the ambulatory blood pressure monitor saved money. It helped to figure out who really needed treatment. Some people have “white coat hypertension” — high readings only in the doctor’s office.