People who are obese double their lifetime risk of having osteoarthritis of the knee, according to a new arthritis study
“The main message is that symptomatic knee osteoarthritis is very common — and is going to be more common — and that obesity really increases that risk immensely over the lifetime,” said Dr. Joanne Jordan, director of the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
She is the senior author of the study, which appeared in Monday’s edition of the journal Arthritis &Rheumatism.
Osteoarthritis is a painful and potentially life-altering disease in which cartilage breaks down and deteriorates. It is the most common kind of arthritis and can be aggravated by injury as well as obesity.
“One piece that sometimes gets forgotten is that obesity is occurring at younger ages,” she said. “We may start seeing osteoarthritis at younger ages. It’s a ticking time bomb.”
Extra weight not only causes stress on joints but can also disturb the body’s alignment, Jordan said.
“If people actually lose weight, they can improve their pain and symptoms, as well as their functioning, and keep from becoming disabled,” she said.
Leg pain could be deadly blood clot, doctors say
Far too many Americans are dying of dangerous blood clots that can masquerade as simple leg pain, says a major new government effort to get both patients and their doctors to recognize the emergency in time.
“It’s a silent killer. It’s hard to diagnose,” said acting Surgeon General Dr. Steven Galson, who announced the new campaign Monday. “I don’t think most people understand that this is a serious medical problem or what can be done to prevent it.”
At issue are clots with cumbersome names: A deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, forms in large veins, usually a leg or the groin. It can quickly kill if it moves up to the lungs, where it goes by the name pulmonary embolism, or PE.
While there aren’t good statistics, the new surgeon general’s campaign estimates that every year, between 350,000 and 600,000 Americans get one of these clots — and at least 100,000 of them die.
There are a host of risk factors and triggers, including recent surgery or a broken bone; a fall or car crash; pregnancy or taking birth control pills or menopause hormones; and being immobile for long periods. The risk rises with age, especially over 65, and among people who smoke or are obese.
And some people have genetic conditions that cause no other symptoms but increase their risk, making it vital to tell your doctor if a relative has ever suffered a blood clot.
People with those factors should have “a very low threshold” for calling a doctor or even going to the emergency room if they have symptoms of a clot, Galson said.
Symptoms include swelling; pain, especially in the calf; or a warm spot or red or discolored skin on the leg; shortness of breath or pain when breathing deeply.
Anti-nausea patch for chemo patients OK’d
Cancer patients will soon be able to use a medication patch to ease the debilitating nausea that often accompanies chemotherapy.
The Food and Drug Administration said Monday it has approved the first anti-nausea patch for chemotherapy patients, intended to provide relief for up to five days. The patch, called Sancuso, is worn on the arm and delivers a widely used anti-nausea medicine, known as granisetron, through the skin.
It is expected to be available by the end of the year. A spokeswoman for the company said no information on pricing is available.
About a million people undergo chemotherapy every year and as many as 70 percent develop nausea. If the problem occurs at the hospital, it can be dealt with immediately. But many patients suffer from nausea after being sent home.
Anti-nausea pills are available, but some cancer patients have difficulty swallowing.
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