Extending annual screen for diabetic eye disease to 2 years could risk treatment delays

Early treatment vital to stave off blindness; extension delays critical hospital referral Those at either end of the age spectrum and/or of Black ethnicity most at risk Extending the annual screen by a year for people in England considered to be at low risk of diabetic eye disease (diabetic retinopathy) ...

Surgery more effective than nasal sprays for symptoms of a crooked septum

Adults with at least moderate symptoms can reliably be offered surgery, say researchers Surgery to straighten a crooked septum (the thin wall of bone and cartilage dividing the space between the two nostrils) is more effective than nasal sprays, and should be offered to adults with at least moderate symptoms ...

2024-06-04T10:23:27+00:0019 October 2023|Press release, The BMJ|

Renting rather than owning a private sector home linked to faster ‘biological ageing’

Renting rather than owning a private sector home linked to faster ‘biological ageing’ Impact of renting vs outright ownership double that of being out of work vs employment Effects reversible, emphasising role of housing policy in health improvement Renting a private sector home, falling repeatedly into arrears, and exposure to ...

Flawed body of research indicates true ‘long covid’ risk likely exaggerated

Flawed body of research indicates true ‘long COVID’ risk likely exaggerated Overly broad definitions and lack of comparator groups have distorted risk, say researchers Leading to increased public anxiety and healthcare spend; misdiagnoses; diversion of funds Major flaws in the current body of published research on ‘long COVID’ have likely ...

2024-06-04T10:23:28+00:0026 September 2023|BMJ Evidence Based Medicine, Press release|

Doctors with long covid deserve more support

Doctors who risked their lives for others say “we’ve been left to rot” Calls for long covid to be recognised as an occupational illness Doctors and other healthcare workers whose lives have been destroyed by long covid deserve more support from the government and NHS, reports The BMJ today. Freelance journalist Adele ...

2024-06-04T10:23:28+00:0021 September 2023|Press release, The BMJ|

Shorter white blood cell telomeres linked to higher dementia risk

Associated with smaller total and white matter brain volume; may be predictor of brain health Shorter telomeres on the ends of white blood cell chromosomes may signal a heightened dementia risk, suggest the results of a large long term study, published online in the journal General Psychiatry. They are associated with smaller total and white ...

2024-06-04T10:23:28+00:0012 September 2023|General Psychiatry, Press release|

Certain gut conditions may be early warning signs of Parkinson’s disease

Constipation, difficulty swallowing, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among them Certain gut problems, such as constipation, difficulty swallowing, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), may be early warning signs of the neurological condition Parkinson’s disease, suggests research published online in the journal Gut. Gastrointestinal symptoms are thought to precede the development of cerebrovascular ...

2024-06-04T10:23:29+00:0025 August 2023|Gut, Press release|

New risk score strongly predicts dementia chances within 14 years

UKBDRS outperforms 3 widely used options; draws on 11 mostly modifiable factors A new dementia risk score, which draws on 11 mostly modifiable risk factors, identifies people at risk—from mid-life onwards—of developing the disease within the next 14 years, suggests a large long term study published in the open access ...

2024-06-04T10:23:29+00:0025 August 2023|BMJ Mental Health, Press release|

Alarm as FDA fast-tracks first antipsychotic for dementia agitation

Investigation raises serious questions about the harm-benefit balance of Rexulti Decision may reverse efforts to reduce use of antipsychotics in US care homes In trials, the antipsychotic drug brexpiprazole (Rexulti) failed to provide a clinically meaningful benefit and increased the risk of death. Yet the US Food and Drug Administration ...

2025-06-25T13:21:06+00:0018 August 2023|Press release, The BMJ|

High level of heart attack protein linked to heightened risk of death

May have role as more general indicator of medium term survival, say researchers  A high level of troponin—a protein normally used to exclude the possibility of a heart attack in patients with chest pain—may signal a heightened risk of death from any cause within the next couple of years, even ...

2024-06-04T10:23:32+00:008 August 2023|Heart, Press release|
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