Medical Bulletin 27/ February/ 2025
Here are the top medical news for the day:
Predicting Future Health: Organ Age Biomarkers Foretell Disease Risk Decades Early
Our organs age at different rates, and a blood test determining how much they’ve each aged could predict the risk of conditions like lung cancer and heart disease decades later, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers.
The findings, published in The Lancet Digital Health, show how accelerated ageing in specific organs can predict not only diseases affecting that organ, but diseases across the rest of the body as well.
Lead author Professor Mika Kivimaki (UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences) said: “Our organs function as an integrated system, but they can age at different rates. Ageing in particular organs can contribute to numerous ageing-related diseases, so it’s important for us to take care of all aspects of our health.
“We found that a quick and easy blood test can identify whether a specific organ is ageing faster than expected. In years to come, blood tests like this could play a crucial role in preventing numerous diseases.
The researchers analysed blood samples collected from over 6,200 middle-aged adults to determine the biological age of nine organs (heart, blood vessels, liver, immune system, pancreas, kidneys, lungs, intestines, and the brain) and for the entire body. They measured the gap between a person’s chronological (actual) age, and the assessed biological age of each of their organs as determined by markers of ageing specific to that organ, finding that organs often aged at different rates in the same person.
Follow-up data revealed that accelerated organ ageing predicted the risk of 30 different diseases over the next 20 years in initially healthy people.
The researchers found that kidney health was particularly linked to other organs, as people with accelerated kidney ageing were more likely to later develop vascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver diseases, while biological ageing of nearly all organs predicted increased risk of kidney disease.
The researchers say that as our organs function in close coordination, accelerated ageing in one organ can impair the function of others, which may explain why people with a rapidly ageing organ were particularly prone to experiencing multiple age-related diseases across different organs.
Ref: Mika Kivimäki, Philipp Frank et al. Proteomic organ-specific ageing signatures and 20-year risk of age-related diseases: the Whitehall II observational cohort study, The Lancet Digital Health,Volume 7, Issue 3,2025,Pages e195-e204, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landig.2025.01.006.
AI-Powered ECGs: Identifying Heart Disease Risk in Women
A new AI model can flag female patients who are at higher risk of heart disease based on an electrocardiogram (ECG). The researchers say the algorithm, designed specifically for female patients, could enable doctors to identify high-risk women earlier, enabling better treatment and care. The research has been published in Lancet Digital Health.
An ECG records the electrical activity of the heart and is one of the most common medical tests in the world. In their study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, the researchers used artificial intelligence to analyse over one million ECGs from 180,000 patients, of whom 98,000 were female. the researchers developed a score that measures how closely an individual's ECG matches ‘typical’ patterns of ECGs for men and women, and which showed a range of risk for each sex. Women whose ECGs more closely matched the typical ‘male’ pattern – such as having an increased size of the electrical signal – tended to have larger heart chambers and more muscle mass.
Crucially, these women were also found to have a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease, future heart failure, and heart attacks, compared to women with ECGs more closely matching the ‘typical female’ ECG.
Previous evidence has shown that men tend to be at higher risk of heart disease - more accurately called cardiovascular disease - which may be due to differences in hormone profiles and lifestyle factors. Because of this, healthcare professionals and the public believe that women’s risk of cardiovascular disease is low. This is even though the risk for women is also high, with women twice as likely to die of coronary heart disease, the main cause of heart attack.
Ref: Artificial intelligence-enhanced electrocardiography for the identification of a sex-related cardiovascular risk continuum: a retrospective cohort study . Sau, Arunashis et al. The Lancet Digital Health, Volume 7, Issue 3, e184 - e194. 10.1016/j.landig.2024.12.003
UK Innovation Revolutionizes Global Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
Millions of people with type 2 diabetes could receive better treatment thanks to a new, simple low-cost tool, according to groundbreaking research announced at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference 2025 and published in the Lancet.
Researchers at the University of Exeter have developed an innovative way of identifying the most effective glucose-lowering drugs for a person with type 2 diabetes. By predicting which drug will lead to the largest reduction in blood glucose levels, the easy-to-use tool could pave the way for better health for millions, at the push of a button. Careful management of blood glucose levels is essential for reducing the risk of serious diabetes complications. However, keeping blood glucose levels in a safe range can be challenging, with only about a third of people with type 2 diabetes meeting targets. With diabetes-related complications devastating lives there is an urgent need for new approaches to improve blood glucose management.
The research revealed that only 18% of people with type 2 diabetes in the UK have been treated with the most effective glucose-lowering drug for them
Professor Andrew Hattersley from the University of Exeter, added: “Critically, our model can be implemented in clinical care immediately and at no additional cost. This is because it uses simple measures such as sex, weight and standard blood tests that are performed routinely. We hope that we can roll out the model quickly to make it available to help people with type 2 diabetes in the UK and across the world.”
Ref: A five-drug class model using routinely available clinical features to optimise prescribing in type 2 diabetes: a prediction model development and validation study. Dennis, John M et al.The Lancet, Volume 0, Issue 0. 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02617-5
Study Links Synthetic Opioids in Surgery to Worsened Pain Experiences
The use of powerful synthetic opioids, such as sufentanil and remifentanil, during surgery is linked to a subsequent poor ‘pain experience’---a composite of emotional, cognitive, and physical aspects of pain— suggests research published in the open access journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.
The findings highlight the need to reassess intraoperative pain relief strategies to reduce complications after surgery and improve the quality of patient care, say the researchers.
Most patients experience moderate to severe pain after surgery, which is not only unpleasant for them, but can also hinder their recovery and increase their chances of subsequent complications, explain the researchers.
Recent research suggests that the experience of pain encompasses more than intensity alone, and includes emotional and cognitive dimensions, they add.
The trial involved 1062 adults under the age of 70 at 5 French teaching hospitals. Preoperative anxiety was assessed using a validated scale (APAIS), which measures anxiety about anesthesia and surgery as well as the patient’s desire for information about the procedure. For the current study, 971 patients with EVAN-G scale scores were included in the analysis. This showed that 271 (28%) reported a poor pain experience on the first day after surgery.
“While opioids are central to perioperative analgesia, their intraoperative administration—especially of potent agents like remifentanil and sufentanil—may paradoxically contribute to heightened postoperative pain,” note the researchers, by way of an explanation for their findings.
They concluded that Aspects of pain beyond its intensity “are often overlooked, but…are critical in predicting the transition from acute to persistent postsurgical pain.
Ref: Maurice-Szamburski A, Rozier R, Gridel V, et al. Factors associated with poor pain experience after surgery. Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine Published Online First: 25 February 2025. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2024-106095
Our comments section is governed by our Comments Policy . By posting comments at Medical Dialogues you automatically agree with our Comments Policy , Terms And Conditions and Privacy Policy .
Disclaimer: This website is primarily for healthcare professionals. The content here does not replace medical advice and should not be used as medical, diagnostic, endorsement, treatment, or prescription advice. Medical science evolves rapidly, and we strive to keep our information current. If you find any discrepancies, please contact us at corrections@medicaldialogues.in. Read our Correction Policy here. Nothing here should be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We do not endorse any healthcare advice that contradicts a physician's guidance. Use of this site is subject to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Advertisement Policy. For more details, read our Full Disclaimer here.
NOTE: Join us in combating medical misinformation. If you encounter a questionable health, medical, or medical education claim, email us at factcheck@medicaldialogues.in for evaluation.