Medical Bulletin 25/November/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Iron infusion before bowel surgery reduces the need for blood transfusion

Change in clinical practice would have clear benefits for patients undergoing major bowel surgery, according to analysis conducted by researchers from UCL and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

The study, published in The British Journal of Surgery, provides evidence that giving iron intravenously before colorectal surgery improves outcomes for patients, reducing the need for blood transfusion by 33%.

Anaemia is a common problem in patients undergoing bowel surgery due to bleeding from the gut and blood loss during the operation. Anaemia is also associated with feeling tired and unwell, a slower recovery and other complications after surgery.

Reference: Iron infusion before bowel surgery reduces need for blood transfusion; BJS (British Journal of Surgery), DOI: 10.1093/bjs/znad320

Adding a few servings of whole grains linked to slower memory decline in black people

Black people who eat more foods with whole grains, including some breads and cereals, quinoa, and popcorn, may have a slower rate of memory decline compared to Black people who eat fewer whole grain foods, according to a study published in the November 22, 2023, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The researchers did not see a similar trend in white participants.

The study does not prove that eating more whole grains slows memory decline; it only shows an association. The study found that among Black people, those who ate the most whole grains had lower levels of memory decline equivalent to being 8.5 years younger than those who ate small amounts of whole grains.

Reference: Adding a few servings of whole grains linked to slower memory decline in Black people; AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY, Neurology

COVID vaccination before infection strongly linked to reduced risk of developing long covid

Receiving at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine before the first infection is strongly associated with a reduced risk of developing post-covid-19 condition, commonly known as long covid, finds a study published by The BMJ on 22nd November.

The findings, based on data for more than half a million Swedish adults, show that unvaccinated individuals were almost four times as likely to be diagnosed with long covid than those who were vaccinated before first infection.

The researchers stress that causality cannot be directly inferred from this observational evidence, but say their results “highlight the importance of primary vaccination against covid-19 to reduce the burden of post-covid-19 condition in the population.”

Reference: COVID vaccination before infection strongly linked to reduced risk of developing long covid; BMJ; DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-076990