Category: news-perspectives

Adults age 45 and older should be screened for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, says new advice from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Younger people with diabetes risk factors such as obesity or family history and certain ethnicities should also be screened. The USPSTF last made recommendations for diabetes screening in 2008. At that time, the task force said screening was only needed for people with high blood pressure. Since then,  evidence supports screening more people for abnormal blood sugar levels. The number of Americans with type 2 diabetes has increased significantly in the last 15 years, along with rates of obesity. Studies suggest that diabetes can be prevented with lifestyle changes, if abnormal blood sugar levels are caught early. The USPSTF posted the draft recommendation on its website. HealthDay News wrote about it October 7.

A study seeking to reverse memory problems in early stage Alzheimer’s patients reports that 9 out of the 10 participants said their memories improved within 3 to 6 months. The tailored program includes lifestyle changes, supplements and, in some case, hormone therapy. The lifestyle changes include cutting out simple carbs and processed foods, getting regular exercise, reducing stress and getting a good night’s sleep. Supplements included fish oil, curcumin and vitamin D. Although many of these tactics and products have not shown individual success in other studies, the author of this study says the combined effects are the key. Other doctors are intrigued by the study, but urge more research. An article about the study appeared in the journal Aging. HealthDay News reported the story October 6.

School-based health centers make good medical homes for teens, a new survey finds. Researchers questioned about 500 teens who visited a school-based health center in Denver, Colorado. They wanted to know which services they used. Researchers also asked parents what they thought about the care their teens received at the centers. About one-third of teens said that a school-based health center was their main source of medical care. The top 3 reasons for visits were for illnesses (78%), vaccines (69%) and education about sexual health (63%). Parents liked the centers because they provided lots of services, they were convenient and they didn’t pay a fee. Based on the survey results, the researchers conclude that school-based health centers play an important role in communities where medical care is limited.

A Liberian man visiting the United States has been diagnosed with the Ebola virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the case this week. Thomas Eric Duncan is the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States. He is being treated at a Dallas hospital under strict isolation. Four people who had been in close contact with Duncan are under quarantine, the CDC said October 2. About 100 others who had direct or indirect contact are being monitored. If they develop symptoms, they will be quickly isolated, the CDC said. Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding. Ebola is spread by contact with body fluids of someone who has symptoms. Duncan flew from Liberia to Dallas September 20 to visit family. He did not have symptoms at that time and therefore was not contagious, the CDC said.

Children have the same risk of developing celiac disease regardless of when they start eating foods containing gluten, 2 new studies suggest. People with celiac disease have pain, diarrhea, gas and other symptoms if they eat grains and other foods containing gluten. Children may have growth problems. Babies in the new studies had high-risk genes or a family history of celiac disease. In one study, 900 babies were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group had small amounts of gluten added to their diets at age 16 weeks. The other group received a placebo. At age 24 weeks, parents were advised to gradually add gluten for both groups. By age 3, about 5.2% of the early-gluten group and 5.9% of the placebo group had been diagnosed with celiac disease. The other study included about 700 babies. One group started eating gluten at age 6 months and the other at 12 months.

Social support may help younger as well as older adults avoid depression and poor quality of life after a heart attack. That’s the main finding of a study among 3,400 adults. All were age 55 or under. They answered questions about their social support and mental health. Researchers repeated the questions a year later. Social supports included people who offered companionship, advice, emotional concern, financial help or other support. About one-fifth of those in the study had poor social support. A year later, people with low social support were more likely to be depressed than those with more support. They also tended to have lower mental function and quality of life. This was true for both women and men. People with low social support tended to be single and live alone. They were more likely to be unemployed, smoke and abuse alcohol.

Long-acting birth control methods should be the first choice for teenagers who have sex, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says. The two long-acting methods are intrauterine devices (IUDs) and hormone implants. The new advice comes in a revised policy statement from the AAP, a large group of children’s doctors. The statement notes that abstinence is the most effective way to prevent pregnancy. For teens who decide to have sex, doctors are urged to explain the pros and cons of birth control methods and recommend condoms to prevent disease. Most teens choose condoms or birth control pills. But the long-acting methods are much more reliable, the AAP says. An IUD is a tiny, T-shaped device that is placed inside the uterus. It works for 5 to 10 years. Pregnancy rates are 0.2% to 0.8% per year. Implants are placed under the skin of the arm.

Narcotic pain relievers are usually too risky for long-term treatment of headaches, low back pain and fibromyalgia, new guidelines say. The statement comes from the American Academy of Neurology. Prescription narcotics are also called opioids. They include codeine, oxycodone, fentanyl and hydrocodone. Some pills also contain non-prescription pain relievers. Narcotics can provide short-term pain relief. But the guidelines say there is no proof that they can help long-term, non-cancer pain without major risks. These risks include serious side effects, overdose, addiction and death. Problems linked with narcotics have grown dramatically since the late 1990s. That’s when doctors started prescribing them more often for non-cancer pain. The new guidelines describe precautions that doctors can take to help prevent abuse of these drugs.

After nearly 20 years of rapid increases, U.S. diabetes rates may be rising more slowly. That’s the conclusion of a new study. The study was based on data from a national health survey. Diabetes rates didn’t change much in the 1980s. But there was a big change between 1990 and 2012. The total number of people living with diabetes rose from 35 to 83 for each 1,000 people. The number of new cases diagnosed rose from 3.2 per thousand in 1990 to 8.8 per thousand in 2008. But then the increase slowed down. About 7.1 new cases per thousand were diagnosed in 2012. The total number of people with diabetes rose about 0.6% per year between 2008 and 2012. That compares with 4.5% average yearly increases in the 18 years before. But the increase in new diabetes cases did not slow down for all groups.

Doctors in the United States need to be on the lookout for patients with chikungunya virus, a commentary in a major medical journal says. The virus originated in Africa. It spread to the Caribbean in 2013. Cases also have become widespread in parts of Central and South America. More than 8,000 confirmed cases have been seen in the current outbreak. More than 751 cases have been reported within the United States, the commentary notes. Most had traveled to affected regions. But several cases in Florida are thought to have received the infection locally. Two species of mosquito that can spread chikungunya are found in the southeastern United States. One of them is found farther north as well. So the virus “may spread further within the United States,” the authors say.