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This Week in Health |
Our weekly round up of the latest news in the world of health. This week we look at how exercise can help teenage girls avoid breast cancer in the future, at disappointing news about popular pain relievers and Alzheimer's risk, and at new guidelines on follow-up care for people with implanted heart devices. We also look at the future of a controversial anti-bleeding drug. This Issue: Exercise and Future Breast Cancer Risk NSAIDs Don't Prevent Alzheimer's Guidelines for Heart Device Patients Trasylol Likely Staying Off Market In the News: Exercise and Future Breast Cancer Risk Exercising in their teen years can help protect girls from developing cancer later in life. A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that women who were physically active between the ages of 12 and 22 had a 23% lower risk of developing premenopausal breast cancer compared to women who were more sedentary in their teens, the researchers found. The study involved nearly 65,000 nurses ages 24 to 42, who answered detailed questionnaires about their physical activity dating back to age 12. Within six years of enrolling in the study, 550 women were diagnosed with premenopausal breast cancer. Women at lowest risk for breast cancer were those who reported doing 3 hours and 15 minutes of running or other vigorous activity per week, or 13 hours a week of walking. The researchers suggest that regular exercise in teenage girls will likely decrease risk of postmenopausal breast cancer as well, the AP says. NSAIDs Don't Prevent Alzheimer's Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) don't appear to help prevent mental decline or Alzheimer's disease in older people. A study to be published in the July Archives of Neurology finds that neither prescription Celebrex nor over-the-counter Aleve had a beneficial effect on thinking skills and didn't prevent Alzheimer's disease, at least in the short term. The study was halted early in 2004 when reports of surfaced of heart risks linked to Celebrex use. Previous studies suggested the drugs might lower the risk for Alzheimer's disease, the Associated Press reports. Researchers previously theorized that the medications might reduce inflammation in the brain, the AP says. The new study looked at more than 2,000 people ages 70 and older with a family history of Alzheimer's. The participants were randomly assigned to take standard daily doses of Celebrex, Aleve, or a placebo. They were given mental function tests at the start of the study and then every three years. Over time, those taking Aleve and Celebrex started to score slightly lower on the tests compared to people taking the dummy pill. The researchers say the findings suggest that NSAIDs should not be prescribed as a preventative for Alzheimer's, the AP says. Guidelines for Heart Device Patients Doctors should schedule regular follow up visits for patients who have implanted heart devices, according to new guidelines from an international panel of heart specialists. The guidelines, presented this week at a meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society in San Francisco, offer recommendations on what should be done to ensure good care for patients and guidance for ethical dilemmas, such as when to turn off a device, the Associated Press reports. The guidelines call for assigning the doctor who implants the device to be responsible for follow-up care, unless another specialist takes over; issuing an ID card for each patients including details on the device to help emergency workers; encouraging checkups every three to 12 months, with at least one in-person (rather than remote) exam per year; limiting the role of manufacturer representatives in the process; and asking the government to call device problems "safety alerts" rather than "recalls" so patients are not alarmed. They also endorse new wireless technology that makes it possible for patients to be monitored remotely. At the San Francisco meeting, researchers presented a five-year study on home monitoring that remote monitoring increased the number of checkups significantly without putting major pressure on clinic staff, the AP says. Trasylol Likely Staying Off Market An anti-bleeding drug given to surgical patients will likely remain off the market, the Associated Press reports. A Canadian study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people given the drug Trasylol during heart surgery had a higher risk of dying than people given other drugs. The study involved more than 2,300 patients at high risk of bleeding or who had multiple health problems. The patients received either Trasylol or two other anti-bleeding drugs. Preliminary results showed a 54% higher rate of death among those in the Trasylol group compared to the group of patients taking other drugs, and a much higher proportion of heart complications after surgery. The difference was dramatic enough that the researchers halted the study early, citing ethical concerns about giving patients Trasylol. Drug manufacturer Bayer temporarily pulled the drug off the market. Previous studies had already raised concerns about the safety of the drug, which has been linked to a higher risk of death, heart attack, stroke and kidney failure, the AP says. The Food and Drug Administration is waiting for details from the Canadian study before deciding whether to continue allowing the drug to be used in research studies. Used with the permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. The above summaries are not intended to provide advice on personal medical matters, nor are they intended to be a substitute for consultation with a physician. |
