Medical Bulletin 23/August/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Long-term benefits of weight loss surgery in the prevention of cancer proved

After adding follow-up years, increased sample sizes and examining multiple surgical procedures, new research shows bariatric surgery is associated with lower all-cancer and obesity-related cancer incidence among females. The research also found that cancer mortality was significantly lower among female surgical patients compared to non-surgical subjects.

Although population studies have established a positive association between body mass index and cancer incidence, less clear is whether voluntary reduction in body weight leads to reduced cancer risk because significant and sustained weight loss in large populations is difficult to achieve.

Reference: “Long-Term Cancer Outcomes After Bariatric Surgery,” is online and will be published in the print issue of Obesity in September 2023. (https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23812)

Aspirin should be taken daily by Heart attack patients to avoid a new heart attack, stroke and death

Heart attack patients who do not take daily aspirin have an elevated likelihood of recurrent myocardial infarction, stroke or death compared with those who consistently take the drug, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2023.

Because aspirin prevents the formation of blood clots, it also increases the risk of bleeding, and the balance between the cardiovascular benefits and bleeding changes with time after a heart attack. The study used data from Danish nationwide health registries. It included patients aged 40 years and over who had a first-time heart attack from 2004 through 2017, were treated with a coronary stent, and took aspirin as prescribed during the first year after their heart attack.

Reference: Dr. Anna Meta Kristensen et al, European Society of Cardiology

Most common form of arthritis affects 15% of the global population over the age of 30

A new study projects nearly 1 billion people will be living with osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, by 2050. Currently, 15% of individuals aged 30 and older experience osteoarthritis. The research, published in The Lancet Rheumatology, analyzed 30 years of osteoarthritis data covering more than 200 countries and was led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).

The study found that cases increased rapidly over the past three decades because of three main factors: aging, population growth, and obesity

Reference: Global, regional, and national burden of osteoarthritis, 1990-2020 and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, The Lancet Rheumatology, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2665-9913(23)00163-7