Knee replacement operations on older adults have risen 162% in the last 20 years, a new study finds. Many had to be repeated. Second operations such as these doubled. Medicare spends about $15,000 on each knee replacement. All of these numbers will only go up as baby boomers get older. Researchers used Medicare data for their study. Medicare patients had 243,802 knee replacements in 2010. There were 93,230 in 1991. Some people needed “revisions,” or second surgeries. The number of these procedures doubled, from 9,650 to 19,871. The average hospital stay for knee replacement was cut in half during these two decades. But there were more problems afterward for people who had revision surgeries. They were twice as likely to need a second hospital stay after surgery as patients in 1991. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study September 26.
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Three new studies strengthen links between sugar-sweetened drinks and excess weight. The New England Journal of Medicine published them online September 21. Two studies involved children. One included 224 overweight and obese teenagers. They were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group received water and diet drinks delivered to their homes for a year. They were urged to avoid sugar-sweetened drinks and got regular pep talks. The other group got no drinks or advice. After a year, teens who got the free drinks had gained less weight than those in the other group. But a year after the program ended the difference had disappeared. A second study involved younger children who drank sugar-sweetened beverages regularly. Researchers gave each child a canned drink daily. One group got sugar-sweetened drinks.
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A large study has found that 4 of every 100 surgical patients die in the 2 months after their surgery. That is at least twice as high as what was previously thought. The study included more than 46,000 surgery patients in 28 European countries. All types of surgery except heart-related surgery were included. In the 60 days after surgery, 4% died. Deaths were from all causes, not just surgical complications. But most people who died were never admitted to intensive care. Rates varied by country as well.
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People with high levels of HDL (good) cholesterol are less likely to develop heart disease than those with low HDL. Taking drugs to boost HDL, though, may not provide the most heart-healthy bang for the buck.
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More and more men are trying testosterone supplementation, but the tests used to diagnose “low T” are notoriously unreliable. By combining more than one kind of blood test, and by making sure to retest, your doctor can offer you a trustworthy diagnosis.
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The CDC is urging all baby boomers (folks born between 1945 and 1965) to be tested for the hepatitis C virus. It can reside silently in the liver for decades, causing slow damage that may lead to liver failure or cancer.
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“Good” bacteria found in food and dietary supplements may help ward off illness. Called probiotics, these bacteria been shown to secrete protective substances that turn on the immune system and prevent pathogens from taking hold.
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A procedure known as hip resurfacing is emerging as an alternative to hip replacement. But not everyone has the right anatomy for hip resurfacing, and because of its track record, total hip replacement is best for people over 65.
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All baby boomers-everyone born between 1945 and 1965-should be tested for hepatitis C. That’s because an estimated 1.5 million of them have hepatitis C, which can cause liver failure or liver cancer, but don’t know it.
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Treating varicose veins used to mean a trip to the operating room and general anesthesia. Now it is usually an office procedure that involves using heat to make the vein collapse.
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