Month: November 2011

A new study questions the need to make alcoholics who need a liver transplant wait until they have been sober for 6 months. That’s the policy most transplant centers follow. The new study included 26 carefully chosen patients. All were alcoholics with severe hepatitis. Drug treatment was not helping them. They pledged to quit drinking and had good support from family or friends. They were given transplants as soon as livers were available. Six months later, 77% were still alive. In a comparison group that did not get transplants, only 23% were alive. Researchers kept track of people for 2 to 3 years. In that time, only 3 of the 26 had started drinking again. Among alcoholics who meet the 6-month sobriety rule, about 30% typically start drinking again. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study. The Associated Press wrote about it November 10.

Some newer birth control pills may carry a higher risk of blood clots, a study finds. The study focused on pills that use the hormone drospirenone. It is found in Yaz, Yasmin and some other brands. There are also generic pills. Drospirenone is a form of progestin. Older pills used other forms. The newer pills have become popular because they are less likely to cause certain side effects. The new study was based on records for 330,000 women in Israel. Overall, there were 6 blood clots in veins each year for every 10,000 birth control pill users. The risk was higher for those who took pills containing drospirenone — about 8 to 10 clots per 10,000 women per year. Clots in veins are known as deep vein thrombosis. These clots can kill if they travel to the lungs. The Canadian Medical Association Journal published the study.

Babies who grow very fast may be at risk to become obese, a new study suggests. The study looked at medical records for more than 44,000 children. Their growth measurements were put into charts that compared children’s weight with others of the same height (or length, for babies). Heavier children were in the higher percentiles. Researchers checked to see when children crossed certain milestones on the charts. At the higher end, these milestones included the 50th, 75th, 90th and 95th percentiles. Babies who crossed 2 milestones by the age of 2 were twice as likely to be obese by age 5. The authors said such rapid growth could be a sign that a child is being overfed or not active enough. The journal Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine published the study. An editorial in the same issue urged caution in using these measurements.

Americans are getting arthritis of the knee at younger ages, new research finds. Both obesity and knee injuries have been increasing. These may be the main reasons for earlier arthritis, the study suggests. Researchers looked at the average age of diagnosis for knee osteoarthritis. The average was 69 in the 1990s. By the current decade, the average was 56. About 5% of cases now are among people ages 45 to 54. Twenty years ago, only 1.5% were diagnosed in this age group. The research was presented at a conference. Other research looked at the effect of sports on knee osteoarthritis. The study combined results of previous studies on this topic. People who played specific sports were 3 to 6 times as likely as nonplayers to develop knee osteoarthritis. This risk was seen in amateur or elite soccer players.

New research offers some insight into the link between exercise and cancer risk. Some scientists think that inflammation may be the link between too little exercise and higher cancer risk. The new study was presented November 4 at a conference of the American Institute for Cancer Research. Women who were past the age of menopause were randomly assigned to two groups. One group continued normal activity levels. The other group exercised for at least 45 minutes, 5 times per week. Women who did the exercise had lower levels of C-reactive protein. This protein is linked to inflammation levels. The study did not track people long enough to assess cancer risk. Prior research studies suggest regular exercise combined with more daily physical activity might decrease colon cancer risk by as much as 35% and breast cancer risk by 25%. USA Today and HealthDay News wrote about the research.

A do-it-yourself home test may help to detect cervical cancer for women with little access to medical care, a new study finds. The study included nearly 20,000 women in Mexico. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group got test kits for human papilloma virus (HPV). This virus causes nearly all cases of cervical cancer. At home, each woman used a special brush to collect cells inside the vagina. A lab checked the sample for HPV. Women in the other group got Pap smears in a clinic. This test looks at cells scraped from the cervix. Both groups had follow-up tests if needed. Compared with the Pap test, the HPV test helped to find more than 3 times as many pre-cancers and 4 times as many cancers. The HPV test also led to far more “false positive” results than the Pap smear. These women needed more tests but did not have cancer or pre-cancer.

Even light drinking of alcohol slightly increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer, new research finds. The study found a 15% higher risk for women who had 3 to 6 drinks a week, compared with non-drinkers. Previous studies have shown a higher risk for women who drink more than this. Researchers used data from the Nurses’ Health Study. The study included more than 100,000 women. They regularly filled out questionnaires about their health and habits. The study began in 1980 and continued through 2008. Breast cancer risk increased by 10% for every 10 grams of alcohol consumed daily. That’s about one standard drink of alcohol. It could be a 12-ounce bottle of beer, a 4-ounce glass of wine or a shot of whiskey. The type of alcohol did not matter. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. The Associated Press wrote about it November 2.