Category: news-perspectives

Breastfeeding leads to fewer ear, throat and sinus infections. But it doesn’t lead to fewer colds, lung or urinary infections. And it doesn’t necessarily protect children from developing food allergies. So says a series of studies in the journal Pediatrics. They were done as a follow-up to the Infant Feeding Practices Study II, sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The original study examined infant feeding practices, from birth through 12 months. The new studies followed up with the same moms and children 6 years later. Other interesting findings include: Although breast-fed babies have slightly healthier diets later in childhood, they are just as likely to eat sweets and snacks as babies who were bottle-fed; if babies don’t eat many fruits and vegetables, they are less likely to do so at age 6.

Osteoporosis drugs do reduce the risk of fractures. But there’s no evidence that one drug is clearly better than others, an evidence review concludes. Osteoporosis causes bones to become thin and brittle. They are more likely to get broken. This condition is most common in older women. The pills prescribed most often are bisphosphonates. They include Actonel (risedronate), Boniva (ibandronate), Fosamax (alendronate) and others. Denosumab (Prolia) and teriparatide (Forteo) are given as injections. The new study combined results from 294 prior studies. These studies compared osteoporosis drugs to placebo. The new analysis found that various drugs cut the risk of a spine fracture by 40% to 60%. They lowered the risk of hip and other fractures by 60% to 80%. There were few studies comparing drugs to each other. However, raloxifene (Evista) appeared to prevent only spine fractures.

People with the least common blood type may have a higher risk of dementia than those with other types, a new study suggests. The study included more than 30,000 people, ages 45 or older. They were given a series of tests of memory and thinking skills. About 500 people had low enough scores to show some impairment. Researchers compared the blood types of this group with almost 600 people who had normal test scores. People with type AB blood were 82% more likely to have impaired thinking skills than those with type O blood. Only 4% of people in the study had type AB blood. O is the most common type. Researchers said the increased risk for those with type AB was relatively small. Smoking, lack of exercise and obesity are linked with much greater risks of dementia. The journal Neurology published the study online. HealthDay News wrote about it September 10.

Taking statin drugs to lower cholesterol can raise blood sugar in some people. But these drugs may actually reduce the risk of diabetes-related problems such as eye and nerve damage, a study suggests. The study looked at records in a Danish clinical registry of people with diabetes. Researchers compared 2 groups. One group included 15,679 people who had used statins before diagnosis with diabetes. The other 47,037 people had not taken statins. Researchers looked at their records for a median of 2.7 years after diagnosis. People who had used statins were 34% less likely to be diagnosed with diabetes-related nerve damage than those who had not used these drugs. They were 40% less likely to develop eye damage. Their risk of gangrene was about 12% lower than for those who had not taken statins. Kidney damage occurred at equal rates in both groups.

A new drug may reduce flu symptoms faster than current treatments, two studies suggest. The new drug is peramivir. It is given as a single injection. The studies included a total of 427 adults. They were randomly assigned to receive either peramivir or a placebo (fake) injection. Those who got the real drug were symptom-free 22 hours sooner than those who got the placebo. They were fever-free 24 hours sooner. They were also less contagious than the other group within 2 days after treatment began. The most common current influenza treatment is oseltamivir (Tamiflu). Oseltamivir is a pill taken twice a day. It shortens symptoms by about 12 hours. Both of these flu drugs must be given within 48 hours of when symptoms start. Study results were presented at a conference. HealthDay News wrote about them September 6.

A healthy lifestyle may help to prevent dementia as well as problems such as heart disease and diabetes, a new report says. The report comes from Alzheimer’s Disease International. It is being issued in advance of World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21. The report focuses on factors related to dementia risk that people can control. The main message: “What is good for your heart is good for your brain.” Some of the strongest links between health conditions and dementia include high blood pressure in middle age and smoking and diabetes at any age. For example, diabetes may increase the risk of dementia 50%, the report says. Quitting smoking lowers risk. The report’s authors reviewed research on smoking and dementia. They found that ex-smokers have a dementia risk similar to those who have never smoked.

Women who consume more potassium have a lower risk of stroke, a study has found. The study followed 90,000 women for an average of 11 years. All were between ages 50 and 79, and had gone through menopause. The average daily intake of potassium was about 2,600 milligrams (mg) per day. Nutrition recommendations say adults should get 4,700 mg per day. Women in the study who consumed the most potassium were 12% less likely to have a stroke, compared with women who consumed the least. The risk reduction was limited to ischemic strokes, which happen when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked. The risk for hemorrhagic strokes – when a blood vessel bursts – was not affected. Women who consumed the most potassium also were 10% less likely to die during the study period, compared with those consuming the least.

At least 160 cases of a sometimes severe virus have been confirmed in 22 states, U.S. health officials say. The cause of the confirmed cases is enterovirus D68. It is part of a family of germs that cause the common cold. Most cases in this new outbreak are mild, with cold symptoms. But other people, especially children, have developed breathing problems. Many children have ended up in hospitals. The illness has been most severe for children with asthma. No one has died. Enterovirus D68 is spread by close contact with an infected person, or touching the same surfaces and then the nose or mouth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the latest numbers on September 19. The number of states and cases has expanded rapidly since the CDC first reported an outbreak at one Midwest hospital on September 8.

Giving patients with chronic lung disease 2 drugs provides slightly better results than a single drug, a new study suggests. The study looked at drug treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disease includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Most cases are caused by smoking. Current guidelines call for prescribing a long-acting beta agonist first. These drugs relax and widen airways. If that is not enough, guidelines suggest adding a corticosteroid. These drugs reduce inflammation. All of these drugs are inhaled. Some inhalers combine both types of drugs. The new study looked at “real world” practice. It included more than 12,000 patients over age 65. Contrary to guidelines, only 3,160 people were treated first with beta-agonists only. The other 8,712 got combination drugs. Death rates were 37.3% with beta agonists only and 36.4% with combination drugs.

Adults age 65 and older should get 2 vaccines to prevent pneumonia, U.S. health officials say. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued the new advice September 18. The CDC already recommends another pneumonia vaccine for older adults. That vaccine is called PPSV23 (Pneumovax). Now the CDC also recommends PCV13 (Prevnar 13), for extra protection. Both vaccines help to prevent pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumonia(pneumococcus) bacteria. These bacteria also can cause bloodstream infections and meningitis. The PCV13 vaccine already is recommended for children and certain high-risk adults. An expert panel that advises the CDC on vaccines voted in August to recommend this vaccine for older adults, too.  The new advice calls for everyone age 65 and older to receive both vaccines, but not at the same time.