Reuters Health News Summary

08/23/2016 16:56

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Heavy lifting by young workers linked to low back pain in midlife

Young adults with jobs that involve heavy lifting and forceful movements might be at higher risk for back pain later in life, a study from Finland suggests. "When you're young, you do things your own way, you muscle your way through it, but sooner or later, that behavior can cause problems," said Michael Timko, a physical therapist and instructor at the University of Pittsburgh who was not involved with the study.

Texas, four other states sue over U.S. transgender health policy

Texas and four other states sued the Obama administration on Tuesday over extending its healthcare nondiscrimination law to transgender individuals, saying the move "represents a radical invasion of the federal bureaucracy into a doctor's medical judgment." Texas, along with Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kentucky and Kansas sued on behalf three medical organizations, two of which are affiliated with Christian groups.

Florida announces Zika case hundreds of miles from Miami

Florida officials on Tuesday announced the first case of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes in Pinellas County, located some 265 miles (425 km) from Miami, where the first locally transmitted U.S. cases were reported. Steve Huard, acting spokesman for Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County, said the case involves a woman without a significant travel history, indicating the virus was contracted locally.

Gum disease linked to heart disease

A report from The Netherlands adds to the evidence tying chronic gum disease to heart disease and stroke. In a study of more than 60,000 dental patients, those with gum disease were twice as likely to have had a heart attack, stroke or severe chest pain.

WHO emergency committee on yellow fever to meet on Aug 31

The World Health Organization's (WHO) emergency committee on deadly yellow fever will meet on Aug. 31 to review outbreaks in Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, a spokesman said on Tuesday, as a major vaccination campaigns continues. Addressing a United Nations media briefing, Tarik Jasarevic said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan had asked the independent experts to meet and analyze the situation and response to the outbreak.

Chile issues health alert after faults found in condoms

Chile's health authorities on Tuesday issued an alert and said they were investigating reported problems with Chinese-made condoms distributed for free in family health centers nationwide. The public health institute ordered that three batches of approximately 1.7 million Kaiju condoms be withheld from distribution while it investigated reports that they broke during use and were too small.

Study shows extent of brain damage from Zika infections

A report released on Tuesday shows in graphic detail the kind of damage Zika infections can do to the developing brain - damage that goes well beyond the devastating birth defect known as microcephaly, in which the baby's head is smaller than normal. The current Zika outbreak was first detected last year in Brazil, where the virus has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, which can cause severe developmental problems.

Social class may influence multiple myeloma survival

Household income and education levels may play a bigger role than race or ethnicity in whether patients survive the bone marrow cancer multiple myeloma, a U.S. study suggests. Lots of previous research points to worse cancer survival odds for people of color. But this disparity might be due in large part to class issues like the type of insurance and access to care, the current study concludes.

Can anything contain U.S. drug costs?

The U.S., which spends more on drugs than any other country, might contain costs by limiting market exclusivity for brand name medicines and changing coverage requirements for government health plans, some doctors argue. Although brand-name drugs account for only 10 percent of all dispensed prescriptions in the U.S., they make up 72 percent of drug spending, doctors note in a paper in JAMA.

Women with dense breasts may need annual mammograms

While most older women might not need breast cancer screening with mammography more often than every three years, some women with dense breasts may need mammograms every year, U.S. research suggests. Among women aged 50 to 74, those without a high risk for breast cancer or dense breast tissue didn't have an increase in breast cancer deaths if they went for mammography every three years instead of every two years.

08/23/2016 16:56