Category: news-perspectives

Young adults with even slightly above-normal blood pressure may be more likely to have heart problems later, a new study suggests. The study focused on nearly 2,500 men and women. They were 18 to 30 years old when the study began. Researchers kept track of them for 25 years. They took a closer look at people’s health 7 times during those years. The check-ups included blood pressure readings. Near the end of the study, people also had heart imaging tests. Some people had slightly above-normal blood pressure (120/80 to 139/89) when they were still under age 30. This level is not high enough to be considered high blood pressure. It is known as prehypertension. But researcher found that people with above-normal blood pressure were more likely to have signs of heart disease in middle age. In particular, they were more likely to have problems with the left ventricle of the heart.

A new human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine appears to produce immunity just as well in girls and boys as it does in young women, a new study finds. The study focused on a new version of the HPV vaccine Gardasil, made by Merck. The new version targets 9 different strains of the virus. The old version targets 4 strains that cause about 70% of cases of cervical cancer. The new version expands this coverage to about 90% and also can help prevent some cancers of the vagina, vulva and anus. Previous research found that the new vaccine is highly effective in preventing disease in young women, ages 16 to 26. The new study included 3,066 people. Besides young women, there were also boys and girls, ages 9 to 15. They were given 3 doses of the new HPV vaccine.  One month later, about 99% of all 3 groups had signs of protection against all 9 strains of the virus.

For the care of some frail, elderly patients, house calls save money. That’s the conclusion Medicare officials have reached after the first year of a pilot program. The program, launched 3 years ago, covered 8,400 patients at 17 primary-care practices across the country. They were all frail or homebound and had multiple chronic (long-term) illnesses. The program provided regular home visits from a doctor or nurse practitioner. If needed, they could do an X-ray or EKG. They could test for infections. They could also check to make sure people were taking their pills and eating healthy foods. This program cost more than regular primary care visits. But it prevented so many hospital trips that it saved Medicare $25 million in the first year, officials said. The average was more than $3,000 for each patient. Nine of the 17 practices recorded savings and met goals for quality of care.

Taking part in an online community may help people with epilepsy to manage their disease, a small study suggests. The study included 92 people with epilepsy. This disease causes seizures. People filled out questionnaires about their symptoms and how they managed their disease. Then they registered for an online community of people with epilepsy on the website PatientsLikeMe.com. They took part in the community for 6 weeks. They had access to digital tracking tools as well as the support of the group. Then they filled out the questionnaires again. They showed improvements in managing their disease, such as tracking seizures and medicine side effects. They reported taking better care of themselves than they did before they joined the community. They got more sleep and were better able to avoid seizure triggers. They also felt more confident about managing their disease.

Most people with appendicitis probably can get antibiotics instead of surgery, a study finds. The new study included 530 young or middle-aged adults. All of them had appendicitis, an inflamed appendix. They did not have extra problems, such as an abscess or a hole in the appendix. These complicated cases require surgery. About 80% of appendicitis cases are the simple type. People in the study were randomly divided into groups. Those in the surgery group had their appendixes removed. Those in the other group received 3 types of antibiotics. Their treatment lasted a total of 10 days. Of those who got the medicines, 27% needed to have the appendix removed within the next year because appendicitis returned. But 73% were fine and did not need surgery. Those who had delayed surgery did not have any more problems than those who had surgery right away.

A new study adds to the evidence that suggests chocolate may be good for your heart. The study used data from a long-term health study of almost 21,000 middle-aged and older adults. In about 12 years of follow-up, people who ate the most chocolate had a 14% lower risk of heart disease than those who ate none. They also had a 23% lower risk of stroke. The biggest chocolate fans ate less than 1 ounce to 3½ ounces daily. Most people ate milk rather than dark chocolate. Researchers then combined these results with numbers from 9 other studies on chocolate and health. In this overall group, people who ate the most chocolate had a 29% reduced risk of heart disease and a 21% reduced risk of stroke. They were about half as likely to die from heart disease, heart attack or stroke as those who didn’t eat chocolate.

A new article urges children’s doctors to tell patients about the added risks of using marijuana by “dabbing.” This increasingly popular method involves inhaling vapors from heated butane hash oil. The effects are much stronger for this product compared with marijuana that’s eaten or smoked. That’s because the active ingredient is highly concentrated. Users also risk severe burns if they touch the metal or glass surface that is used to vaporize the “dab” of oil. The article’s authors say that the vapor may contain benzene and other chemicals because of the way the hash oil is made. The manufacturing process presents even more serious hazards. Highly flammable butane gas is “blasted” or forced into a tube filled with marijuana trimmings. This causes THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, to turn into a waxy or solid concentrate.

Some powerful new cholesterol-lowering drugs may be available soon. But before you run to your doctor, know this: The new drugs will be expensive and require a daily injection. Alirocumab (Praluent) and evolocumab (Repatha) belong to a new class of drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors. They work differently than the popular — and cheap — statin drugs that are commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol. Of course, the goal of lowering cholesterol is to cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The statin approach is a bargain. But for people at a higher risk of heart attack, the new drugs, while costly, may offer better protection. HealthDay News wrote about this story on June 11.     

People who take common antacid drugs called proton pump inhibitors are more likely to have a heart attack than people who don’t use these drugs. The rate of heart attacks was 16% to 21% higher. That’s according to a new study that looked at the medical records of almost 4 million people. Proton pump inhibitors are used to treat some ulcers, heartburn (also called GERD) and other causes of upset stomach. About 1 in 14 people in the United States takes or has taken one of these popular drugs, which include the brand names Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid. The research was featured in the online journal, PLOS ONE. And HealthDay News wrote about it June 10.     

Ticks that carry Lyme disease may also carry a rarer bacterium that is infecting people in the Northeastern United States, a new study finds. The infection is called Borrelia miyamotoi. Many people and doctors are not aware of this disease. Researchers found 97 cases of Borrelia miyamotoi based on thousands of blood tests done during 2013 and 2014. They reviewed the medical records of 51 infected patients. Their symptoms were similar to the flu: fever, headache, chills and body aches. Patients got better with the same antibiotics used to treat Lyme disease. Some required a hospital stay. The bacterium was first found in Japan in 1994. The first case in the northeastern United States was seen in 2013. The journal Annals of Internal Medicine published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it June 8.