Here are the top medical news for the day:
Menopause Exhaustion Mimics Everyday Tiredness, Finds Study
Multiple menopause symptoms can make women feel fatigued. Hot flashes, sleep problems, pain, and depression are just a few. A new study suggests that heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding may increase fatigue, which helps to explain why midlife women are two-to-four times more likely to experience debilitating forms of syndromic fatigue. Results of the study are published in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society.
Most women transitioning through menopause experience changes in the amount and duration of menstrual flow, with many reporting episodes of prolonged (PMB) or heavy (HMB) menstrual bleeding that meet the criteria for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) revealed that one in three women transitioning through menopause had episodes of AUB.
In this new large-scale study, daily menstrual calendar data from more than 2,300 midlife women were assessed to determine whether HMB or PMB recorded during the 6 months before a follow-up visit were associated with the reporting of four specific symptoms of fatigue (feeling worn out, feeling tired, not feeling full of pep, or not having energy). Based on the results, the researchers concluded that HMB and PMB during the menopause transition were associated with an increased risk of fatigue, even after adjusting for other causes. They suggest that greater clinical awareness is required of bleeding changes during this life stage, especially when fatigue is also reported.
“This study highlights the need for greater clinical awareness of abnormal uterine bleeding, particularly given the increased frequency during the menopause transition and its association with low energy or fatigue symptoms. Educating women about the possibility of prolonged or heavy menstrual bleeding during the menopause transition and the potential health consequences is also needed,” says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society.
Ref: Harlow, Siobán D, Gold, Ellen B. et al. Abnormal uterine bleeding is associated with fatigue during the menopause transition. Menopause ():10.1097/GME.0000000000002525, March 11, 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000002525
Asthma Tests Found Most Accurate at Dawn with Seasonal Variations, Reveals study
Cambridge researchers have found out that a lung function test used to help diagnose asthma works better in the morning, becoming less reliable throughout the day.
Using real world data from 1,600 patients, available through a database created for speeding up research and innovation, the team also found that its reliability differs significantly in winter compared to autumn.
Asthma is a common lung condition that can cause wheezing and shortness of breath, occasionally severe. Around 6.5% of people over six years old in the UK are affected by the condition. Treatments include the use of inhalers or nebulisers to carry medication into the lungs.
The majority of asthma attacks occur at nighttime or early in the morning. Although this may in part be due to cooler nighttime air and exposure to dust mites and allergens, it also suggests that circadian rhythms – our ‘body clocks’ – likely play a role.
In findings published in Thorax, the researchers found that starting at 8.30am, with every hour that passed during the working day, the chances of a positive response to the test – in other words, the patient’s lungs responding to treatment, suggesting that they could have asthma – decreased by 8%.
The researchers also discovered that individuals were 33% less likely to have a positive result if tested during autumn when compared to those tested during winter.
Dr Akhilesh Jha, a Medical Research Council Clinician Scientist at the University of Cambridge and Honorary Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at CUH, said that there may be a combination of factors behind this difference.
“Our bodies have natural rhythms – our body clocks,” Jha said. “Throughout the day, the levels of different hormones in our bodies go up and down and our immune systems perform differently, for example. Any of these factors might affect how people respond to the lung function test.
Ref: Knox-Brown, B et al. The effect of time of day and seasonal variation on bronchodilator responsiveness: The SPIRO-TIMETRY study. Thorax; 12 March 2025; DOI: 10.1136/thorax-2024-222773
Combining Smoking Cessation Support with Therapy Boosts Quit Rates, Study Finds
Research from the University of Bath, shows that integrating smoking cessation support into Talking Therapies for depression and anxiety increases quit rates. This is an important step in addressing the high rates of smoking in this population.
The study published in Addiction also found that adding smoking support to mental health treatment didn’t disrupt therapy. Instead, it offered a practical way to tackle mental and physical health together.
For the research, a total of 135 people were included who were split into two groups- One group received 12 sessions of smoking cessation support as part of their CBT session and the other group had standard CBT and were given information about quitting smoking after treatment.
Researchers followed up at three and six months to measure engagement, satisfaction, smoking habits, and mental health outcomes.
The findings of the study revealed that at six months, 15% of the combined treatment group had quit smoking entirely – more than two and a half times the quit rate of the control group (6%).
A Cochrane review reported an 8.8% quit rate for standard smoking cessation treatments among individuals with depression. Findings from the ESCAPE trial reveal that incorporating cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) nearly doubles this rate.
The researchers think this study could open the door to bringing smoking cessation support into more mental health services. Therapists are backing the intervention, saying it is both helpful and easy to use, improving clients' mental and physical health.
This study provides a practical and novel way to address high smoking rates in this population and improve physical health inequalities experienced by people with depression and anxiety.
Ref: Taylor GMJ, Sawyer K, Jacobsen P, Freeman TP, Blackwell A, Daryan S, et al. intEgrating Smoking Cessation treatment As part of usual Psychological care for dEpression and anxiety (ESCAPE): A randomised and controlled, multi-centre, acceptability and feasibility trial with nested qualitative methods. Addiction. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16718
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