Colonoscopy starting age changed to 45

In response to an increase in colorectal cancer rates in younger people, the American Cancer Society released a change in its screening guidelines to recommend adults at average risk begin CRC screening starting at age 45 instead of 50. Not all health societies, government models, or payors have responded yet. However, the news does reflect

Young, obese African-Americans have more severe NAFLD

Obese African-American youths had more severe nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, but overall NAFLD was more common among obese white or Hispanic youth, according to a study in Hepatology. Earlier studies have shown Hispanic adults and children had the highest rates of NAFLD, while African-Americans have a lower likelihood of developing hepatic fat accumulation. See the

Few with celiac indications get tested

About 38% of 400 patients with undiagnosed celiac disease had one or more indicators for testing, but only 4.4% received testing, according to a study in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. “Gastroenterologists should think about celiac disease more broadly — not just as a gastrointestinal condition but also as a systemic disorder with multiple

Couldn’t we do so much more with a truly integrated EHR?

One of the great promises of the push to EHR’s was the integration of risk across multiple related people. Sure, it’s nice to not have medical errors come up due to bad handwriting, and even nicer to have a linear record of your health–we won’t get started on the idea of being able to access

US cancer incidence, mortality rates decreasing

The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer found cancer diagnoses and deaths in the US overall have been decreasing for men and women, mainly due to better treatments, prevention and screening in colorectal, lung and breast cancers. Prostate cancer death rates stabilized, however, after years of decline, and cases of oral

Biosimilars in Europe lead to lower prices

Dr. Jonathan Kay of the University of Massachusetts Medical School told the 2018 Interdisciplinary Autoimmune Summit that biosimilar competition in Europe has reduced drug costs, made biosimilars more available and increased market share for some bio-originators. The European Union has approved 41 biosimilar drugs while the FDA has approved nine. Biosimilars in Europe lead to

Online reviews influence patients’ choice of physicians

An Oliver Wyman survey of 4,000 consumers, presented at the Health Datapalooza conference, showed that 83% use online patient-generated reviews to choose a physician. Respondents said the medical practice qualities they look for the most are professional skill, shared decision-making, respectful treatment of patients, responsiveness to phone calls and acceptance of insurance. Online reviews influence

Study links high BMI to failures with UC

Research published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics found ulcerative colitis patients with higher BMIs had a greater likelihood of biologic treatment failure. Increases in BMI also were associated with a higher risk of surgery or hospitalization. The reasons might be related to endogenous steroid production, misuse of medical steroids, or underdosing of conventional