Category: news-perspectives

A “frailty score” may help doctors predict which older patients are most likely to have serious problems after surgery, a new study says. Researchers developed the scoring system based on a series of questions about people’s everyday life and state of health. They tested it on 275 patients, age 65 or older, who were scheduled for surgery. After surgery, 10.5% had at least 1 serious problem (complication). These included blood clots in the lungs, infections, pneumonia and delirium. After hospital discharge, 8.7% needed to spend time in a nursing home. In the year after surgery, 9.1% died. People with higher frailty scores were more likely to die or have complications. They had longer hospital stays. They also were more likely to need nursing home care. Researchers said the frailty score was more accurate than another scale used now to predict surgical risk.

Improving indoor air flow might help reduce the risk of spreading tuberculosis (TB), a new study suggests. The study was done in Cape Town, South Africa. TB is common and increasing in that area. Researchers measured carbon dioxide in the air of Cape Town high schools. They calculated that 1,000 parts per million of carbon dioxide indicates a high amount of rebreathed air. Researchers found that students spent almost 60% of their day in rooms with air like this. The high level of rebreathed air was caused by poor ventilation. It also showed an increased risk of spreading TB through the air. The journal PLOS ONE published the study online May 7.

Older adults who keep up or increase their exercise may have improvements in a measurement of the heart’s electrical health. That’s the conclusion of a study of 985 adults. Their average age was 71 when the study began. Everyone in the study wore a monitor to record the heart’s rate and rhythm for 24 hours. People wore the monitor again for a day 5 years later. They also answered detailed questions about physical activity at the start of the study and 3 years later. Researchers focused on a measurement called heart-rate variability. This is the name for differences in the time between one heartbeat and the next. The heart rate tends to become less variable as people get older. But this study found better heart-rate variability among older adults who got more exercise. This was especially true for those who increased their exercise over time.

A landmark study that found hormone therapy may harm rather than help women after menopause cost the U.S. government $260 million. But the study results transformed medical practice. And that saved the health care system $37 billion, a new analysis concludes. That’s $140 for every dollar spent. The National Institutes of Health funded the study, called the Women’s Health Initiative. Older women, average age 63, were randomly assigned to receive either hormone treatment or placebo (fake) pills. The study was halted early, in 2002. Women taking estrogen plus progesterone had higher rates of heart attack, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer than those who got the placebo. There was no effect on heart attack or breast cancer rates in a second group of women who were given estrogen only. But they also had higher risks of stroke and blood clots.

Many parents are still following infant sleep practices that could put their babies at risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), two new studies conclude. One study looked at survey data for nearly 400,000 infants. About two-thirds of the babies born at term were put to sleep on their backs. This position reduces the risk of SIDS. Preterm babies, born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, have a higher risk of SIDS than those born at term. But the survey showed they were less likely than full-term infants to be put on their backs to sleep (60% to 63%). The second study included 1,250 mothers of babies 2 months to 6 months old. They were interviewed about sleep practices for their babies. Overall, 72% of the babies were put to sleep on their backs. But 22% of black mothers put babies to sleep on their stomachs. About 28% of Hispanic mothers put the baby to sleep in the parents’ bed.

Women who sleep too little or too much in middle age or later may be more likely to have memory problems, a new study suggests. The study included more than 15,000 women, ages 70 or older. All of them were part of the long-term Nurses’ Health Study. Women in this study answered questionnaires at regular intervals. Therefore, researchers knew a lot about their health and habits over time. Women who slept fewer than 5 or more than 9 hours each night had worse results on memory tests than those who slept 6 to 8 hours a night. The difference in memory was about equal to another 2 years of aging. Women whose sleep changed by more than 2 hours a night after middle age also had poorer memory than those who slept about the same amount over time. The study results show a link between sleep patterns and memory problems. They do not show that either one caused the other.

Low vitamin D levels may increase the odds of developing aggressive prostate cancer, especially for black men, a new study finds. The study included 667 men. All of them were having their first prostate biopsy after an abnormal prostate exam or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Researchers tested the men’s blood for vitamin D. Normal levels are 30 to 80 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml). Most of the men, both white and black, had vitamin D deficiency. Black men with the lowest levels, less than 12 ng/ml, were 5 times as likely to have aggressive prostate cancer as those with normal levels. White men with the lowest vitamin D levels were 4 times as likely to have aggressive disease. Black men also were more than twice as likely to have any type of prostate cancer if their vitamin D levels were 20 ng/ml or lower.

Many people treated for kidney stones may have problems afterward that send them to the hospital, a new study finds. Researchers looked at data on 93,000 U.S. patients who received treatment for kidney stones. About 14% had problems that required a hospital stay or emergency room treatment during the next 30 days, the study found. The average cost of treating these problems was $30,000. The study looked at 3 types of treatment. Shock-wave lithotripsy uses shock waves, applied outside the body, to break up the stones. The pieces then pass out of the body through urine. Uteroscopy uses instruments attached to a long tube to find the stone and break it up. The pieces are removed with a tiny basket or through the urine. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is used for larger stones. Instruments inserted into a small incision in the kidney are used to break up and remove the stone.

Having diabetes or high blood pressure in middle age may increase the risk of memory and thinking problems later, new research suggests. The study included more than 1,400 people. Their average age was 80. They had either normal brain function or mild cognitive impairment. This is a milder form of thinking and memory problems that can lead to dementia. People received MRI scans and tests of their memory and thinking skills. Researchers also looked at medical records. They noted who had been diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes or both during middle age (40 through 64). On average, people who developed diabetes in middle age were twice as likely to have mild cognitive impairment as those without the condition. Their brains were about 2.9% smaller. The hippocampus, a part of the brain important in memory, was 4% smaller.

Specific training methods can reduce the risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in children by up to 72%, a new report says. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published the report. ACL tears are common knee injuries in sports. Rates have been rising among child and teen athletes, especially girls. ACL injury risk increases at age 12 for girls and at age 14 for boys. Female athletes ages 15 to 20 account for the largest numbers of these injuries. Training programs that involve repeated jumps and strengthening exercises for the legs can help prevent ACL tears, the report says. Teaching players how to avoid risky knee positions also helps, the AAP says. The AAP urges coaches to learn about these types of training and use them to protect young athletes. The report also discusses treatment. New techniques have helped make surgery an option for more young athletes.