Medical Bulletin 17/August/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Certain acid reflux drugs long term use linked to higher risk of dementia

People who take acid reflux medications called proton pump inhibitors for four-and-a-half years or more may have a higher risk of dementia compared to people who do not take these medications, according to new research published in the online issue of Neurology. Proton pump inhibitors reduce stomach acid by targeting the enzymes in the stomach lining that produce that acid.

Reference: Kamakshi Lakshminarayan et al, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY, NEUROLOGY

Young vapers at risk of bronchitis as well as shortness of breath even if they also smoke

Young vapers are at risk of bronchitic symptoms and shortness of breath, even if they, or others around them, smoke cigarettes or cannabis, suggests research published online in the journal Thorax. The researchers tracked the respiratory health of participants in the Southern California Children’s Health Study between 2014 and 2018.

Some 2097 students completed a survey on their use of tobacco products and respiratory symptoms in 2014 (wave 1). Further survey information was collected from 1609 of them in 2015 (wave 2), from 1502 in 2017 (wave 3), and from 1637 in 2018 (wave 4).

Reference: Prospective study of e-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms in adolescents and young adults, Thorax, DOI 10.1136/thorax-2022-218670 

Up to 40% lower risk of 9 cancers in people with good cardiorespiratory fitness

Good cardiorespiratory fitness when young is associated with up to a 40% lower risk of developing 9 specific cancers later on—at least in men—suggests a large long term study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The researchers drew on linked Swedish registry data up to the end of 2019, covering background information, medical diagnoses, and deaths for conscripts who started their military service between 1968 and 2005.

Conscripts with a low level of cardiorespiratory fitness were slightly more likely to be obese, more likely to have a history of alcohol and substance misuse, and to have parents with lower educational attainment than conscripts with a higher fitness level.

Reference: Associations between cardiorespiratory fitness in youth and the incidence of site-specific cancer in men: a cohort study with register linkage, British Journal of Sports Medicine, DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2022-106617 

Cognitive decline may be hastened by extreme heat in vulnerable populations

A new study finds that ongoing extreme heat can worsen cognitive decline among vulnerable groups—particularly Black older adults and those living in poor neighborhoods.

As heat waves become more frequent and intense due to climate change and urban heat islands, the researchers sought to understand the connection between extreme heat exposure and cognitive decline. They analyzed data from nearly 9,500 U.S. adults ages 52 and older surveyed over a 12-year period (2006-2018) as part of the Health and Retirement Study conducted by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, which measures participants’ cognitive function over time.

Reference: Cumulative exposure to extreme heat and trajectories of cognitive decline among older adults in the USA, Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, DOI 10.1136/jech-2023-220675