NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

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Charity calls for ban of 'face-down restraint'

19th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

The use of physical restraint in psychiatric hospitals has been widely reported after the publication of a report by the mental health charity MIND on the use of the practice in England. The report said that last year almost 40,000 incidents of physical restraint were recorded, with almost 1,000 cases of physical injury after a patient had been physically restrained. MIND is particularly concerned about the use of "face-down restraint", which it says can be life-threatening and was used more than 3,000 times last year. The government is said to be considering a ban on the practice and has reportedly ...

Is road traffic pollution really a cause of autism?

19th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

“Severe air pollution ‘can double risk of having autistic child’,” reports The Times. If you’re a parent-to-be you shouldn’t be unduly worried by this story, as the science it’s based on cannot and does not show a definite link. And other than moving house or changing jobs, avoiding environmental pollutants is likely to prove difficult. This frightening headline was based on research into the exposure to environmental pollutants of mothers with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study compared women in the highest 20% pollution exposure category with those in the lowest 20% of pollution levels. It found ...

'Universal' colour-coded food nutrition labels

19th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

A radical overhaul of how nutritional information is displayed on the front of the packaging of many food products has been announced. The government, food makers and food retailers have agreed the new standardised front-of-pack labelling to help make it easier for people to make healthier choices about what they buy and eat. The Department of Health has today set out what the new food labels will look like and outlined how a colour-coding scheme of energy, salt, sugar and fat will look and how their levels are set. Currently, food and drink labels often differ in the range of ...

Health claims about vitamin D examined

18th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

Rarely a month goes by without the papers reporting at least one health news story related to vitamin D. In recent weeks the media has reported that vitamin D can help relieve the symptoms of asthma and lower blood pressure. There have been long-standing claims that vitamin D brings a wide range of benefits, from preventing cancer risk to improving mental health, or even reducing your risk of getting multiple sclerosis. But is there good evidence to back up the claims? And do you need to change your diet or take vitamin D supplements to reduce your risk of disease? ...

Misguided claims alcohol in pregnancy helps baby

18th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

“A glass of wine every day in pregnancy could be good for your baby,” is the entirely incorrect headline in The Daily Telegraph today. Other newspapers reported that drinking while pregnant does ‘no harm’, these claims are also misleading. The news is based on a new study investigating the link between alcohol exposure before birth and childhood balance, which is considered an important sign of children’s development. Previous research has found that alcohol consumption during pregnancy is linked to poorer outcomes on several markers of neurodevelopment, but the effect on balance is uncertain. Researchers found no evidence of an adverse ...

Baldness drug finasteride 'cuts men's drinking'

17th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

“Anti-baldness drug can cause men to lose interest in alcohol,” reports the Mail Online. This report is based on a small survey of young men who had been taking the drug, finasteride, for hair loss. Impotence and decreased libido are recognised side effects of this anti-male-hormone drug, and all 83 men in this study had experienced sexual side effects that lasted at least three months after they stopped taking it. The survey found that the men reported drinking less at the time of the survey than before they started taking the drug. However, this was on average five years earlier, ...

Earlier breast screening in high-risk women shows 'encouraging' results

17th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

"Women with a family history of breast cancer should be screened in their thirties," says The Daily Telegraph. The news relates to an ongoing study that aims to look at the effects of mammography screening in women with a family history of breast cancer when they are between the ages of 35 and 39. National guidelines currently recommend that women identified as being at increased risk of breast cancer because of a family history of the disease are offered annual mammography screening from the age of 40. Women at very high risk, such as those with BRCA1 or 2 mutations, ...

Are men's sex drives to blame for the menopause?

14th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

“'Cradle snatchers' cause menopause, says biologist,” is the bizarre headline in The Guardian today. The menopause has always been a bit of an evolutionary puzzle. Evolution is about one thing only – reproducing genes. So why would genes that cause a woman to lose fertility halfway through her life survive? Two main theories have been previously suggested: one theory suggests the menopause is a trade-off in increased fertility versus prolonged survival the second theory is known as the “grandmother effect”, whereby older, post-menopausal women are no longer fertile so they can instead help out with raising their grandchildren A new ...

Tenofovir halves HIV risk for injecting drug users

14th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

“New AIDS prevention pill could cut infection rates in IV drug users by 50%,” the Mail Online reports, as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to approve the medication for injecting drug users. The drug proved its worth in a large, well-conducted randomised control trial in Thailand. In this study, over 2,000 injecting drug users were given either placebo tablets or the ‘new’ drug tenofovir – which has been used to treat HIV since 2006. The participants also attended monthly clinics to have blood tests to check for HIV infection, assess adverse events and to ...

Claims angry Lego faces could upset children

13th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

“Lego characters are getting angrier – and could be harming children's development,” reports the Daily Mail. Its report is based on a study that asked over 250 adults in the US to rate the emotion on the faces of more than 600 different Lego minifigures (affectionately known as "minifigs"). It found that most faces are happy, but that anger is also a common expression. Initially very different heads were produced, with the first face from 1975 being rated as sad, and the next few produced in the late 1970s and early 80s rated as happy. Over time, the proportion of ...

Childhood obesity-related hospital visits quadruple

13th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

'Generation XXL' is the headline on the front page of the Metro, as the results of a new study show that hospital admissions related to obesity in children have soared in recent years. The study looked at English hospital admissions over a 10-year period for obese children and teenagers. It found that hospital admission rates for obesity and obesity-related health problems among children and young people have risen more than fourfold in the last decade, particularly among girls and teenagers. Most admissions were not for obesity itself but for complications of obesity, including asthma, sleep apnoea (disturbed breathing during sleep), ...

No link between going grey and stress

12th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

“If you’re worried about going grey – try to relax”, the Daily Mail advises its readers, adding, “scientists have found that too much stress really does turn our hair white”. However, the claim is simply not true. The research this story is based on actually involved mice and human scalp cells in a lab. It looked at a group of cells known as melanocyte stem cells (McSCs) – a type of stem cell that produces melanin, a pigment responsible for skin and hair colour. Stem cells can develop into many different cell types in the body and play a crucial ...

No proof heading footballs causes brain damage

12th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

'Headers can damage a footballer's brain, study finds,' is the worrying warning in The Daily Telegraph. Football is one of the world's biggest participation sports, so it's important to know if it has any adverse health consequences. Fortunately for budding Rooneys and Ronaldos, the risks of heading balls may have been hyped in the headlines. The news is based on a US study that tested whether regular "heading" of a football led to brain changes that could indicate traumatic brain injury, a type of injury usually only seen after a severe blow to the head. Researchers gave 37 amateur players ...

Decision over e-cigarettes and 'vaping' imminent

11th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

An announcement is expected soon about whether electronic cigarettes are to be licensed and regulated as an aid to quit smoking. Medical experts and trading standards officials have urged the government to classify e-cigarettes – battery-operated devices that mimic cigarettes – as a form of nicotine-replacement therapy, which would mean stringent checks by medicine regulator the MHRA. At the moment, e-cigarettes are only covered by general product safety legislation, meaning they can legally be promoted and sold to children, and we cannot be sure of their ingredients or how much nicotine they contain. Are e-cigarettes safe? We don’t really know ...

Breast cancer screening 'may not reduce deaths'

11th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

The findings of a study examining 39 years of breast cancer death rates have hit the headlines, with The Guardian reporting that, 'Breast cancer screening not shown to reduce deaths.' The value of breast cancer screening has been the subject of debate for many years. Every time it seems the question has been settled – as some presumed was the case after the publication of a 2012 review into screening – new evidence emerges that reignites the debate. The latest study by researchers at Oxford University found that declines in mortality rates over time were highest in women under the ...

'Early death map' shows English health inequality

11th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

“North and South health divide: Chilling study reveals premature death is 'postcode lottery',” the Daily Mirror reports. The news is based on a new interactive map showing the variation in premature death rates across England. The Longer Lives map, created by the new organisation Public Health England, ranks 150 local authorities by their premature death rates (deaths occurring before age 75). The interactive map also enables users to compare these areas by five common causes of premature (and potentially preventable) deaths: cancer heart disease stroke lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease liver diseases such as cirrhosis The simple, ...

No evidence speed cameras raise crash risk

10th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

'Speed cameras 'increase risk of serious or fatal crashes,'' the Daily Mail tells us, while The Guardian, covering the same report, says 'Speed cameras reduce serious road accidents'. So you could be forgiven for being more than a little confused. So what is the picture – do they increase or decrease injuries and fatal crashes? The main objective of the report published last month by the RAC Foundation was to provide guidance on how speed camera data (which has been publicly available since 2011) should be analysed and interpreted. And not, despite the media’s take on the report, to provide ...

Diabetes drugs may be linked to pancreatic cancer

10th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

A British Medical Journal (BMJ) investigation into two classes of type 2 diabetes drugs has prompted headlines in the Daily Mail. The newspaper claims, 'Diabetes drugs taken by thousands linked to cancer of the pancreas and other serious health problems,' going on to allege that drug manufacturers may be trying to hide potentially harmful side effects. It is important to stress that there is no evidence of any legal or regulatory wrongdoing by any of the drug companies mentioned in the BMJ article. The BMJ investigation focused on two relatively new classes of type 2 diabetes drugs collectively known as ...

Scientists identify gene pattern linked to autism

7th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

The Independent reports that "Scientists have identified a genetic pattern common to people with autism that is linked to the way messages are sent in the brain". These findings come from a study that looked at genetic variations – alterations in the genetic code that can sometimes have serious effects on the body. The researchers were looking at the genes affected by one specific group of rare genetic variations that had been found in 181 people with autistic spectrum disorder. Autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a range of disorders that affect behaviour, social interaction and language and communication skills. The ...

New Down’s syndrome blood test 'more reliable'

7th June 2013

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

“A new test can reliably tell if an unborn baby has Down’s syndrome without putting it at risk,” Metro reports. Screening for Down’s syndrome is currently offered to all pregnant women. However, the current screening test has a false positive rate (that is, the results suggest a problem when the foetus is in fact healthy) of around 3-4%. This means many women have needless invasive testing, using chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis. Both of these procedures carry around a one in 100 risk of causing a miscarriage. If the false positive rate of the screening test could be reduced ...