Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
IBS Linked To Allergic Response After Abdominal Infection
Fox News: Irritable Bowel Syndrome May Not Be All In Your Head
Irritable bowel syndrome, otherwise known as IBS, may be the result of an abdominal infection that triggers an allergic response, according to The New England Journal of Medicine. The journal noted gastrointestinal infections often cause abdominal pain after eating in both children and adults, with millions diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome after a negative workup, frustrating patients because of the very few effective treatments that are available. "Moreover, clinicians often have the impression that the disease is all in the head," added Dr. Marc E. Rothenberg, the director of the division of allergy and immunology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. (Sudhakar, 12/5)
In news about the flu —
CIDRAP: CDC: Flu Rising, But Still Below Baseline
Flu activity in the United States continues to rise slowly, mostly involving the H3N2 strain and more than 80% of cases in people ages 5 to 24, the CDC said today in its weekly update. Flu markers—such as outpatient visits for flulike illness—are still below baseline, and activity is low but slowly increasing, the CDC said. (12/3)
Health News Florida: Florida's Recent Low Flu Vaccination Rates Raise Concerns
Flu season is in full swing and cases are on the rise in Florida. With the holiday season upon us, concerns grow about the state’s flu vaccination rate and the unwillingness of some to get a shot. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41.7% of Florida’s population ages 6 months and older received a vaccine during the 2020-21 flu season — the most recent data available on a statewide basis. That’s the lowest rate nationwide, followed by Mississippi at 42.1% and Wyoming at 42.6%. (Alvim, 12/3)
In other public health news —
Fox News: Stroke Contributing Factors May Include Losing Temper, Extreme Exercise: Study
Losing one's temper or exercising too rigorously could be contributing factors for a stroke, according to new research. In a study published Wednesday in the European Society of Cardiology's "European Heart Journal," a team of international researchers looked at more than 13,000 stroke patients in 32 countries as part of the INTERSTROKE study. Using a "case-crossover approach," the team determined whether a trigger within one hour of symptom onset was associated with acute stroke, versus the same time period on the previous day. (Musto, 12/4)
Stat: Patients, Doctors Are Clashing About Side Effects Of Hormonal Birth Control
When a pediatrician put Maya Prokupets on the birth control pill at age 15 to prevent pregnancy, she doesn’t remember being given any information on possible side effects. But they soon appeared: weight gain and anxiety. Switching to different versions — Apri, Alesse, Desogen, Yasmin, and finally Yaz — only brought new side effects, such as constant nausea and vomiting. She told her clinicians, but none recommended she stop taking hormonal contraception. She chose to do so anyway at age 21 — and her symptoms subsided. “My experience with the medical system as a young woman was very minimizing,” says Prokupets, now 35 and working in health tech in Los Angeles. “I was always being told it was something else. No one would ever acknowledge it could be the pill that I was on.” (Cravatts, 12/6)
USA Today: Pregnancy Over 35: Study Finds Better Prenatal Care, Better Outcomes
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says pregnant people in this age group are at higher risk of gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. They’re also more likely to have a low birth weight baby and premature birth, and need a C-section. Despite these risks, a study published Friday in JAMA Health Forum shows patients just over the age of 35 had better prenatal care and pregnancy outcomes compared to those who were a few months shy of the cutoff age. “There’s so many of these arbitrary guidelines and cutoffs in medicine," said study senior author Jessica Cohen, an associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan. School of Public Health. "The label of ‘advanced maternal age’ makes you feel really old when you’re just 35.” (Rodriguez, 12/3)
