Harvard Health Content API

A new study adds to the evidence that hormone therapy increases the risk of ovarian cancer. The study included 900,000 Danish women. Their ages ranged from 50 to 79. Women who took hormones after menopause had a 38% higher risk of ovarian cancer. But the overall risk of this cancer is low. The researchers said hormone therapy would lead to 1 extra case per year for every 8,300 women. The form of hormones and how long they were used did not affect the risk. Risk returned to normal two to four years after the women stopped use. The study confirms results of earlier research. It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Reuters Health and HealthDay news services wrote about it July 15.

Arthritis may keep many diabetics from getting exercise, a study finds. Exercise helps to control blood sugar. In a U.S. government survey, about half of diabetics said they also had arthritis. They were less likely to exercise than other diabetics. People over 65 had the highest rate of both diseases. The study was done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Associated Press wrote about it May 9.

Exercise seems to help prevent milder problems with thinking and memory. And it may bring improvements to people who do have the condition, called mild cognitive impairment. These are the findings of two new research studies. The first study included 1,324 people who did not have dementia. This is a serious problem with thought and memory. But 198 people had mild cognitive impairment, which can lead to dementia. This condition was less common among people who said they had done moderate exercise in middle or later life. The second study included 33 people with mild cognitive impairment. They were randomly assigned to an exercise program. People who followed the more intense program for six months showed improvement in their brain function. The studies appeared in the journal Archives of Neurology. HealthDay News wrote about them January 8.

People who drink more alcohol also are more likely to eat poorly, says a study. Adults who drink more alcohol also eat less fruit. They also take in more calories, compared with people who don’t drink. The study also found that men who drink more alcohol eat fewer whole grains and milk products. The study was done by groups at the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It was published in the April 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. United Press International (UPI) wrote about it March 29.

Breathing polluted air for a long time may increase the risk of blood clots in the legs, a study suggests. The study looked at data on 870 people who had been diagnosed with these blood clots. They were compared with 1,210 people who did not have a clot. Researchers collected data on air pollution in areas where the people lived. Blood clots were more likely in high-pollution areas. For every 10-unit increase in soot particles, the risk rose 70%. The study was published May 13 in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Pediatricians have a role to play in guarding the dental health of children, a new policy says. The policy comes from the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is the nation’s largest group of children’s doctors. Children should have their first dental visit by age 1, the policy says. But pediatricians also should assess children’s risk of cavities. Some children don’t have a dentist. In this case, the pediatrician can apply fluoride varnish to the teeth of a child with a high cavity risk. The policy was published December 1 in the journal Pediatrics.

People age 60 or older should get a shot to help prevent a painful skin disease called shingles, U.S. health officials say. People who get the shot are half as likely to get shingles as people who don’t, studies show. Shingles produces a severe rash. It is caused by the same virus as chickenpox. Older adults are most likely to get it. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially decided this week to recommend the shot. The Associated Press wrote about it May 16.

One “superbug” seems to be declining in U.S. hospitals. But another may be increasing, a new study finds. Hospitals have struggled in recent years to combat bacteria known as MRSA. This stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It’s called “resistant” because most antibiotics can’t kill it. But a new study of hospitals in four states found that the rate of another infection was higher. Researchers counted infections acquired in the hospitals in a two-year period. There were 680 cases of MRSA and 847 cases of Clostridium difficile. This colon infection is also known as C. diff. The study also found that MRSA cases were falling but C. diff was rising. Researchers presented study results at a conference March 20. The Associated Press (AP) wrote about the study. A U.S. health official told AP that C. diff is rising in some hospitals but not others.

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to have small babies or give birth by cesarean section, new research finds. But they don’t have a higher risk of other pregnancy problems, the study says. Researchers looked at a database that covered 18.8 million U.S. births. About 10,000 of the babies were born to women with MS. About 2.7% of these women had babies with restricted growth. This compares with 1.9% of other women. The cesarean section rate was 42% for women with MS and 33% for other women. Women with MS had average rates of preeclampsia. This is a potentially dangerous problem that occurs in some pregnancies. Women with MS also had average rates of early membrane rupture and high blood pressure. The journal Neurology published the study online. HealthDay News wrote about it November 18.

An older cholesterol drug may help to reduce amputations for people with diabetes, researchers say. They focused on fenofibrate. This drug lowers high cholesterol. But today most people with this problem take statin drugs instead. Researchers used data from a 2005 study. It included 10,000 older adults with type 2 diabetes. People who took fenofibrate had a 36% lower risk of a first amputation below the ankle than those who got fake pills. This means that the fenofibrate group had 64 amputations for every 100 in the other group. The rate of amputations above the ankle was the same for the two groups. The journal Lancet published the new study. The Associated Press wrote about it May 22.