CHRONIC CONDITIONS DECREASE CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING
A large proportion of women with health insurance and access to regular healthcare, who reported having one or more chronic conditions, were less likely to receive recommended cervical cancer screening, according to Anatasha Crawford from the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Cervical cancer screening can save lives when abnormal cervical lesions and early cancers are detected and treated; however, many women are not screened as recommended. Over half of all new cervical cancers are estimated to occur in women who have never or rarely been screened," state Crawford and colleagues.
Researchers used data from the 2014 nationwide Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System telephone survey to investigate nonfinancial barriers to cervical cancer screening. Women aged 40 to 65 years, with medical insurance and at least one regular healthcare provider, were included in the analysis.
Women who never or rarely received cervical cancer screenings more often reported one of seven chronic conditions than women who were regularly screened. These conditions are: heart disease (4.9%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (13.7%), arthritis (38.1%), depression (31.4%), kidney disease (3.8%), or diabetes (15.4%), (p < .01). These women also had a higher incidence of heart attack (4.2%) or stroke (4.5%). Cervical cancer screening was more common among women with skin cancer, although women with other types of cancer did not differ significantly regarding screening frequency.-http://www.healio.com/internal-medicine/gynecology-obstetrics/news/online/%7B6df Accessed 4/15/2017
WHY SEARCH IN VEIN?
Finding a vein isn't always easy. And no one likes being poked more than once! Although there isn't an app for that, there is a new product. Intravenous nurses at St. Anthony's Medical Center in St. Louis recently incorporated vein-finding glasses. The glasses, made by Vino Optics, are designed to amplify perception of the oxygenation signal coming from the blood under the skin.
One nurse said of the glasses, "As a seasoned IV nurse, I don't normally have difficulty spotting veins, but some skin tones make the process more difficult. After having the glasses on, and letting my eyes adjust, the veins become more apparent. It's nice to be able to visualize the veins, instead of holding a light over the arm for illumination. I think the glasses would be especially beneficial to new nurses or medics training their eyes to pick up on finding veins."-Vino Optics Press Release, March 29, 2017
POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME
Approximately 12% of U.S. women have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a hormone disorder that causes irregular periods, acne, weight gain, and difficulty getting pregnant. Most women with PCOS have multiple cysts on their ovaries. They're also at increased risk for insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome.
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Endocrine Society recently recommended that women with PCOS get screened every 2 to 5 years with a glucose tolerance test and every 2 years with a fasting lipid profile. Recognition of the problem can allow early intervention with diet, exercise, weight loss, and medications where appropriate.-http://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(16)30478-1/abstractAccessed 4/23/2017
TEENS WITH TINNITUS
The World Health Organization warns that 1.1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss because of the volume of digital music players and damaging levels of sound at entertainment venues.
Larry Roberts, from the department of psychology, neuroscience and behavior at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues interviewed and performed detailed hearing tests on 170 students, ages 11 to 17. It's not uncommon to experience temporary tinnitus after being exposed to loud music or noise-that usually lasts a day or two. However, the Canadian study reported 28.8% of teens with ringing or buzzing in their ears, a sign that the condition had become persistent. "Our results indicate that tinnitus persisting a few days or longer is alarmingly prevalent among adolescents who make extensive use of personal listening devices."
Although the teens with tinnitus showed no hearing loss during testing, they were more sensitive to loud noises than others, a sign that the auditory nerves had been damaged. Other research indicates that people who develop this kind of sensitivity are likely to develop hearing problems later in life.-http://www.today.com/health/it-s-going-get-worse-nearly-30-percent-teens-have-t9 Accessed 4/18/2017
-PulseBeats compiled by Cathy Walker