Month: November 2013

Malaria cases diagnosed in the United States reached a 40-year high in 2011, health officials report. Almost all were acquired while traveling in countries where malaria is common. Malaria symptoms often don’t occur until weeks later. That’s why people were diagnosed after they got home. In all, 1,925 cases were reported in 2011. That was the largest number since 1971. Cases increased 14% compared with 2010. Five people died. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the numbers. Nearly 70% of the cases were acquired in Africa. Nearly two-thirds of those came from West Africa. India was the source of the largest number of infections acquired in a single country. Few of the Americans diagnosed with malaria had taken malaria-prevention medicines while traveling. HealthDay News wrote about the report October 31.

People who eat nuts at least once a week have a lower risk of death, compared with people who never eat them, says a large study. Researchers used information from more than 110,000 people. They were part of two large, long-term studies of health professionals. Over the course of the studies, about 27,000 people died from all causes. People who ate nuts every day were 20% less likely to have died during the study, compared with people who never ate nuts. Those who ate nuts once a week were about 7% less likely to die. The study also found that eating nuts was linked with lower risks of death from cancer, heart disease and lung disease. The study was published in the November 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Reuters Health and other media outlets wrote about it the same day.

Heart disease experts have released new advice that could almost double the use of statin drugs in preventing and treating heart disease. The changes are among four new sets of guidelines from American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. Both groups published them in journals November 12. The guidelines on cholesterol contain the biggest changes. Statin drugs reduce LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and inflammation. They have been shown to help prevent heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Doctors use them to lower LDL to a target number. The new guidelines drop the targets. Instead, they say doctors should assess people’s overall risk of heart disease or stroke. The changes could increase the number of Americans taking statins from 36 million to 70 million.

Abnormal antibodies are found in some people with Sjögren’s syndrome years before symptoms appear, a new study finds. Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disease. As in other such diseases, people with this condition have abnormal antibodies that attack parts of the body. These are called autoantibodies. In the case of Sjögren’s syndrome, they attack organs that produce lubricating fluid, such as tears. The new study focused on 44 people with Sjögren’s syndrome. All of them had given blood samples, for unrelated reasons, 4 to 6 years before they started having symptoms of Sjögren’s. Researchers tested the blood. They found autoantibodies in 29 out of 44 samples. These results were compared with an otherwise similar group of people who did not have Sjögren’s. Some people in this group also had autoantibodies in their blood.

Last week, heart disease experts released new advice that could almost double the use of statin drugs. These cholesterol-lowering drugs help prevent heart disease, heart attack and stroke. The new guidelines say doctors should prescribe statins based on a person’s overall risk of heart disease or stroke, not to reach a specific LDL (“bad cholesterol”) target number. A new online risk calculator was introduced to help doctors determine a patient’s risk. Two doctors from Harvard Medical School say that the new risk calculator exaggerates a person’s risk of heart disease or stroke. This could result in doctors recommending cholesterol-lowering drugs to millions of people who may not need them. The doctors tested the calculator on their own using newer data than was used to make the calculator. The New York Times reported on the dispute. HealthDay News wrote about it November 18.

New guidelines aim to promote a more active role for doctors in treating obesity. The Obesity Society, American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology developed the guidelines. Journals of these groups published the guidelines this week. The guidelines are based on the latest research about which patients can benefit from weight loss and what works best to accomplish that. The guidelines summarize what research has shown about how weight loss can reduce the risks of heart disease, diabetes and early death. Some people who are overweight but otherwise healthy may not need to lose. The guidelines say doctors should assess each patient. They should develop individual plans to help those who can benefit from weight loss. Plans should include diet, exercise and counseling to help people change behavior. No specific diet is recommended.

U.S. food regulators have announced a plan to phase out trans fats in processed foods and restaurant meals. Research has linked eating trans fats with higher risks of heart disease and heart-related death. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official said the proposed rules could prevent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths each year. Trans fats also are known as partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. In 2005, New York City required restaurant chains to stop using them. A year later, the FDA began requiring that trans fats be listed on the labels of processed foods. Because of these rules, many restaurants and food manufacturers stopped using trans fats. Americans’ intake fell from an average of about 4.6 grams per day to just 1 gram per day. But these fats remain in some bakery goods, meals at smaller restaurants, frozen pizza, popcorn and other foods.

The way a child’s doctor brings up the subject of shots may make a big difference in whether parents agree to them, a new study shows. If the doctor starts out with a question, the parents are much more likely to say no. Researchers videotaped 111 vaccine discussions between parents and doctors. About 3 out of 4 doctors used “presumptive” language, such as, “We have to do shots.” The others used “participatory” language. For example, they might ask: “What do you want to do about shots?” Parents were 17 times as likely to object to shots if the doctor used the participatory language. About half of the time, the doctor persisted, saying that the shots were necessary. In this case, about half of the resistant parents agreed to the shots. In recent years, more doctors have encouraged patients to share in making decisions about their health.

New guidelines aim to rein in excess use of antibiotics in children. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) developed the guidelines with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The goal is to educate parents and doctors about the risks of using antibiotics for upper respiratory infections when they are not needed. Experts say more careful use will help stem the tide of antibiotic resistance. A CDC report in September noted that 2 million people in the United States each year get infections that are resistant to antibiotics. That means the drugs are no longer effective. The report also said that at least 23,000 people die each year as a result. The AAP published the guidelines in its journal Pediatrics. Their release was part of the Get Smart About Antibiotics Week campaign. HealthDay news wrote about the guidelines Nov. 18.