Harvard Health Content API

Medical research has shown that long-term hormone replacement therapy can increase the risk of breast cancer. So many women with menopause symptoms are looking for alternatives. Some are turning to “bioidentical” hormones, the Associated Press said October 26. Actor Suzanne Somers praised these compounds in a book she wrote. The hormones are compounded for each woman by a pharmacist. But they have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Many of them contain estriol. This form of estrogen is not approved for sale in the United States. Experts say there’s a lack of research about these compounds. Thus there’s no proof that they are safe or effective. And they may have the same risks as conventional hormone therapy.

Some frail elderly people may not benefit from dialysis and other aggressive care, two studies suggest. One study looked at health records of 3,702 nursing home residents who had dialysis for kidney failure. Within a year, 58% died. Another 29% became less able to walk, get dressed or do other daily activities. The other study focused on 323 nursing home residents. Their average age was 85, and they had advanced dementia. They could not recognize loved ones and were unable to talk or walk. About 25% died within 6 months and 54% within 18 months. Just over 40% ended up having a hospital stay, tube feeding or other aggressive care in their last 3 months of life. Both studies appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. The Associated Press wrote about them October 15.

Smokers are more likely than others to get colon cancer, and to die from it, a new study finds. Researchers combined data from 106 studies. They found that smoking increased the risk of getting colon and rectal cancer by 18%. It increased the risk of dying from the cancer by 25%. HealthDay News wrote about the study December 16. It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

President Bush soon is expected to sign a bill that would ban the denial of insurance or employment based on genetic test results. Tests for single and multiple genes are expected to boom, the Associated Press (AP) reported May 5. But experts told AP there are other problems with testing. Some tests have not been proved useful, they said. A test may not help unless it can lead to a treatment or behavior change. U.S. government advisers recently called for more oversight of these tests.

New diabetes drugs should be tested to see if they increase heart problems, a panel of experts said July 2. The experts are advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They said the FDA should require that the studies begin before the drugs are approved. The studies could be completed after approval. The FDA does not have to do what its advisers suggest, but it usually does. The Associated Press wrote about the panel’s vote July 3. Concerns about one diabetes drug last year drew attention to how the FDA approves these drugs. An analysis found that Avandia may increase heart risks.

Older women who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to fall, researchers say. The new study included 3,000 women. All were 70 or older. Researchers looked at how much time they spent sleeping when they were in bed. It compared these numbers with the risk of falls. The women slept an average of 6.8 hours a night. Typically, they were awake in bed 77 minutes before sleeping. Most women fell once or less during the year of the study. But nearly 1 in 5 fell twice or more. Multiple falls were most common for women who slept five hours or less each night. HealthDay News wrote about the study September 8. It appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

A treatment for wrinkles may also help prevent one type of migraine headache, a small study suggests. The treatment used was botulinum toxin type A (botox). The study looked at 18 people who had migraines and planned to have Botox injections for cosmetic reasons. Of this group, 10 had “imploding” or “ocular” migraines. People say this type of headache feels crushing or eye-popping. The other patients in the study had “exploding” migraines. This type of headache feels like a buildup of pressure in the head. Within three months after Botox treatment, all 10 people with imploding migraines improved. Their migraines were reduced from almost seven days each month to less than one day a month. Three of the eight people with exploding headaches also improved, but not as much. The study was in the journal Archives of Dermatology. HealthDay News wrote about it February 16.

A new study shows that many people with bleeding in the upper GI tract can safely be treated without a hospital stay. That’s according to an article in an upcoming issue of The Lancet. About 103 to 172 people per 100,000 land in the hospital each year for stomach bleeding. This study tested the use of a guideline called the Glasgow-Blatchford bleeding score. It includes a few office and lab tests. People who scored at low-risk were safely managed as outpatients. In the study, the use of the guideline lowered hospital admissions for stomach bleeding from 96% to 71%.

Condoms can help to protect people against genital herpes, a study finds. But the protection is only partial. That’s because herpes can be spread by simple skin contact as well as by sex. Researchers used data from six studies. They included a total of 5,384 people. These men and women did not have herpes when the studies started. Within 12 to 19 months, 415 people became infected. The risk of getting infected was 30% less among those who said they always used condoms. This means that 70 people using condoms got infected for every 100 non-users who got infected. Protection was less for people who only sometimes used condoms. The study appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. HealthDay News and Reuters Health news service wrote about it July 13.

A new study finds that a common type of drug used for people with chronic lung disease may not help them. Researchers put together the results from 11 previous studies. The studies included 8,164 people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This condition gradually destroys the lungs. Drugs can treat symptoms, but there is no cure. In the studies, people were randomly assigned to take inhaled corticosteroid drugs or placebos. Researchers found that the drugs had only a small effect in reducing flare-ups. Even this benefit occurred only in people with the most severe illness. The study appeared in the journal Chest. HealthDay News wrote about it February 4.