Medical Bulletin 19/September/2022 - Video

Published On 2022-09-19T17:30:59+05:30 | Updated On 19 Sept 2022 5:30 PM IST

Overview

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Combined birth control pill may increase blood clots risk in obese women

Obese women who use oral contraceptives containing oestrogen and progestin have a 24-fold increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared with non-obese women not using the drugs, according to a review paper published today in ESC Heart Failure, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

This review article highlights the latest evidence on the independent effects of obesity and contraceptives, and their synergistic effects, on VTE risk and provides clinical recommendations. VTE refers to a blood clot in a vein and includes two life-threatening conditions: deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Reference:

Rosano GMC, Rodriguez-Martinez MA, Spoletini I, Regidor PA. Obesity and contraceptive use: impact on cardiovascular risk. ESC Heart Fail. 2022. doi:10.1002/ehf2.14104.

Passive smoking may increase risk of asthma across generations

Children are more likely to develop asthma if their father was exposed to second-hand smoke when he was a child, according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal. The study also shows that children's risk of asthma is even higher if their father was exposed to second-hand smoke and went on to become a smoker.

The researchers say their findings highlight how smoking can damage health not only for smokers and their children, but also their grandchildren.

The research was led by Mr Jiacheng Liu and Dr Dinh Bui from the University of Melbourne, Australia. It was based on data from the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS), led by Professor Shyamali Dharmage. TAHS began in 1968 and is one of the world's largest and longest ongoing respiratory studies.

Reference:

Mr Jiacheng Liu et al, Pre-pubertal smoke exposure of fathers and increased risk of offspring asthma: a possible transgenerational effect, European Respiratory Journal,DOI 10.1183/13993003.00257-2022

Treatment cost can impact health of cancer survivors

A significant number of people who have survived cancer are living in poverty, which can have negative effects on their physical and mental health, according to researchers at the Medical College of Georgia and the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University.

Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which contains data from people across the US regarding health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions and their use of preventive services, they found that 12% of some 28,000 cancer survivors were living in poverty.

Many cancer treatments now total $100,000 or more annually, and without health insurance, those costs can be entirely out-of-pocket.

Reference:

Dr. Jorge Cortes et al,JCO Oncology Practice, Characteristics of Cancer Survivors Living in Poverty in the United States: Results From the 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey.

Speakers

Isra Zaman

B.Sc Life Sciences, M.Sc Biotechnology, B.Ed

Isra Zaman is a Life Science graduate from Daulat Ram College, Delhi University, and a postgraduate in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a flair for writing, and her roles at Medicaldialogues include that of a Sr. content writer and a medical correspondent. Her news pieces cover recent discoveries and updates from the health and medicine sector. She can be reached at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.