GERD affects 10% to 20% of adults in Western populations and has been known to be an increased risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma. Research on the association between antireflux medication or surgery and risk for esophageal adenocarcinoma has remained limited, although the typical approach has been to treat reflux aggressively when there are precancerous changes like
The Liver Frailty Index can give physicians better data about the mortality risk of cirrhosis patients than just subjective data, according to a study led by Dr. Jennifer Lai of the University of California at San Francisco. In the study, published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 529 patients were tested on grip strength, balance
Almost 1 in 5 patients with symptomatic inflammatory bowel disease also had non-Clostridium difficile enteric infection, according to a study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology. Although the infections had an effect on treatment, there was no long-term effect. See the article on MedPage Today here.
While using the internet for a diagnosis is not recommended, there’s great power in finding other patients willing to share their own stories. Doctors may be too busy to properly inform or empathize on the level that patients need to hear. They may speak at a technical level well out of reach for most. Besides,
A retrospective study in the journal Liver International found use of direct-acting antivirals may be associated with the reduced number of patients on a waiting list for a liver transplant for decompensated hepatitis C virus cirrhosis. Researchers found an increase in HCV patients whose indication for liver transplant was hepatocellular carcinoma during the study period,
An analysis of data from the VICTORY consortium through the University of California at San Diego, as published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, found vedolizumab effective in ulcerative colitis. Cumulative rates of endoscopic remission and clinical remission were the main effectiveness outcomes of the review. Researchers analyzed secondary outcomes measures of cumulative rates of
Almost half of Americans are extremely or very concerned about their healthcare data security, such as diagnoses, health history, and test results, according to a survey of more than 2,000 US adults by The Harris Poll on behalf of healthcare marketing firm Scout. The survey also found that US adults are most concerned about previously diagnosed medical
An analysis of data from the TREAT Registry found that babies born to women who continued to treat their Crohn’s disease with infliximab during pregnancy had outcomes similar to those who did not take the drug. “The majority of both maternal pregnancies and partner outcomes resulted in live births of healthy infants across exposure groups”
Patients with detectable fecal hemoglobin or a positive guaiac fecal occult blood test result face a higher risk of dying from colorectal cancer, compared with those who had a negative test result, according to a study in Gut. This is as expected, as blood in the stool is a well-known sign of potential colon cancer.
A study of Medicaid patients showed that those who received fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) in the mail were more likely to complete colorectal cancer screening than those who were just reminded. Colorectal cancer is more treatable if caught early, but only about 63% of the population is screened, and the rate drops further among vulnerable
