MEDICAL NEWS BRIEFS AUGUST 5, 2023
COVID-19 May Have Contributed to Rise in Precocious Puberty Among Girls
HealthDay—During the COVID-19 pandemic more than the normal number of 8 year old girls started puberty. Proposed factors are increased sitting in front of a computer and lack of exercise.
Women With History of Infertility More Likely to Experience Severe Menopausal Symptoms in Midlife
HealthDay says research has shown women with infertility are more likely to experience severe menopausal symptoms at midlife. 695 midlife women were followed for 18 years. At age 45, or after one year of no periods, those with infertility issues had increased odds of having depression and sleep disorders.
Higher Fiber Intake Tied to Lower Risk For Inflammatory Bowel Disease
This is not new information, but for years a diet high in fiber has correlated well with a lower risk of acquiring inflammatory bowel disease.
Early Menopause and Vascular Processes Together Contribute to Increased Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease in Women
Women with early menopause were at greater risk of cognitive decline while those who experienced late onset menopause were at decreased risk for cognitive decline. Vascular disease of the brain featured prominently in the conclusion of this Canadian study.
By Age 75, About Half of All People Will Develop a Mental Illness
According to The Lancet Psychiatry, by age 75 half of all men will have “alcohol use disorder” or “major depressive disorder,” and similarly, half of all women will have “major depressive disorder” or a “specific phobia.” These conclusions came from studying 150,000 adults age 18 and older, from 39 countries over a 30 year time period. In reality, I think the percentage is actually higher.
People With Type 1 Diabetes Who Live in Areas With Little Green Space are More Likely to Have High Blood Pressure
The Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists presented this information to physicians. No reason for this was given.
Foods High in Sugar May Increase Likelihood of Developing Kidney Stones
Health Day—a study of 28,000 U.S. adults showed those who ate foods with added sugar had a 39% greater chance of developing kidney stones compared to those who consumed the least sugar. The conclusion is a sugar-laden diet has consequences—obesity, type 2 diabetes, and now kidney stones!
Moderna mRNA-COVID-19 Vaccine Has Lower Risk of Adverse Events
The JAMA Network Open reports Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine has “a lower risk of adverse events” compared to Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine, and has better protection against COVID as well.
Many Babies in the U.S. are Eligible for RSV Prevention Shot this Fall
The CDC is recommending infants up to 8 months of age receive a single shot of nirsevimab, a newly approved monoclonal antibody, for the prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus. These babies are entering their first season of exposure to RSV, and it is hoped this will have the same benefit as the RSV vaccine has in the older adult population. Other children up to 19 months of age and with chronic lung disease are candidates during their second season of exposure.
Dominant COVID-19 Strain Currently is the EG.5 Variant
The CDC reports the EG.5 variant currently makes up the largest portion of cases of COVID-19 in multiple parts of the country. 17.5% of cases were EG.5, and variants in the XBB family were each another 10%-15%. This is interesting, but to most patients means nothing. The symptoms caused by the EG.5 variant are no more severe than previous strains.
Annual Probability of an Overweight Person Losing at Least 5% of Their Body Weight is One in Ten. Weight Loss to a Normal Range is Even Less Common
JAMA Network Open reports that overweight people with higher BMI’s had greater odds of losing at least 5% of body weight than those with lower BMI. Women had better success than men. 18 million electronic medical records were examined. Achieving a normal BMI (between 18.5-24.9) was less attainable than losing 5%, however.
Arm Cuff Size Effects Accuracy of BP Measurement
JAMA Internal Medicine reports that for people with a big arm, a regular-sized BP cuff will record an abnormally high BP unless a larger, thigh cuff is used. Always use a large thigh cuff for BP on folks with big arms.
Older Women Screened for Breast Cancer are at Risk of Overdiagnosis
The Annals of Internal Medicine reports that older women have a high frequency of false positive mammograms. For women age 70-74, a 31% false positive rate was found. Women age 75-84 had a 47% rate, while women age 85 and older had 54% false positives. That’s a lot! That tells me radiologists who read these are very concerned about missing a cancer and being sued later.
Walking 4000 Steps Per Day is Associated with Lower Risk of Death
In the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology appeared a report stating that walking 4000 steps per day reduced the risk of death from any cause. “Each extra 1000 steps per day was associated with a 15% reduction in a person’s overall risk of death.” The 4000 steps level was seen in “the least active people.” That’s good news for people who take a walk every day.
Heart Disease Death Rates in the U.S. have Fallen Significantly in the Past 30 years
The American Heart Journal reports that fatal heart disease in the U.S. decreased 4% a year from 1990 to 2019. Among people ages 25-84, deaths dropped from 397,000 in 1990 to 237,000 in 2019. The declines slowed significantly between 2011 and 2019. Americans still need to quit smoking and drinking, and lose weight or the gains will be erased.
Antidepressants Have Higher Risk for Somnolence and Insomnia
The journal Sleep reports that compared to placebo, antidepressants have a high frequency of causing either sleepiness or insomnia.
References: AAFP Family Medicine Today; 2023 August 4.
AAFP Family Medicine Today: 2023 August 7.
AAFP Family Medicine Today: 2033 August 8.
AAFP Family Medicine Today: 2023 August 9.
