Friday, March 1, 2013

Health roundup: Breast cancer up among younger women

Women ages 25 to 39 might be developing advanced breast cancer at a slightly higher rate, according to an analysis published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The report, led by a Seattle doctor, noted that young women who get breast cancer tend to have a more aggressive form of the disease than older women, with a lower chance of survival.

The incidence of breast cancer in the 25-to-39 group rose from 1.53 per 100,000 in 1976 to 2.90 in 2009. That's an increase of 2.07 percent a year over 34 years, but "the trend shows no evidence for abatement," the authors wrote.

What's worse, the increase is happening in an age group that already has a poor prognosis for recovery, has no "routine screening practice" ? mammograms generally aren't recommended for women younger than 40 ? and whose members often don't have health insurance.

The analysis found much smaller increases among older age groups, and there was no statistically significant increase in any group over 55.

Drug restraint urged for ear ills

Parents who have kids with ear infections want something to just make it stop ? the child's pain and discomfort, as well as the sleepless nights.

The feeling that doctors too often give in to desperate parents and overprescribe antibiotics for such infections seems to be at the heart of new guidelines issued this week by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The new guidance, published in the journal Pediatrics, urges doctors to avoid giving antibiotics unless they're sure there really is an infection. Overprescribing drugs to fight bacteria could result in the drug losing its effectiveness the next time, as the bug develops a resistance.

About 70 percent of kids with ear infections get better on their own in two to three days, and about 80 percent recover in seven to 10 days, said Dr. Richard Rosenfeld of the State University of New York's Downstate Medical Center, who helped craft the new guidelines, on National Public Radio.

Weight surgery safety rule studied

In 2006, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began restricting bariatric operations to medical facilities that had the credentials to become "centers of excellence," often a hospital. The institution must perform at least 125 weight-loss procedures a year, as well as meet other benchmarks.

The goal was to improve the quality of care, but the shift hasn't improved outcomes for those patients, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

A University of Michigan doctor led an analysis of hospital discharge data from 12 states between 2004 and 2009, covering more than 321,000 patients. There was no "measurable improvements" in outcomes after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services put its national coverage decision in place.

Among those studied before the 2006 decision, 3.3 percent had serious complications, compared with 3.6 percent after. Exactly 1 percent of patients underwent a re-operation before the 2006 move, compared with 1.1 percent after.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2221 or lhall@ocregister.com


Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/percent-497635-new-breast.html

Jenny Johnson olivier martinez ny lottery Ohio Lottery Colorado Lottery Pa Lottery Ebates

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.