QUICK STUDY : A weekly digest of new research on major health topics

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

prostatitis

Aspirin may help thwart urinary woes.

· THE QUESTION Taking an aspirin a day may help the heart and ease the aches of arthritis. Might it also keep the prostate gland from enlarging and causing the urinary problems that plague so many older men?

· THIS STUDY analyzed medical data on 2,447 men older than 40, about a third of whom took a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) each day. About 80 percent took aspirin; the others took ibuprofen, naproxen or diclofenac sodium. During a 12-year period, men who took an NSAID daily were half as likely to develop an enlarged prostate and 35 percent less likely to develop moderate to severe urinary problems as those who did not take an NSAID each day. The benefit was somewhat smaller for aspirin use than for non-aspirin NSAIDs.

· WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? Men. Past age 50, prostate problems become increasingly common. An estimated half of all men in their seventies have an enlarged prostate.

· CAVEATS Findings were based on the participants' reporting of their NSAID use. The study did not determine whether dose affected risk, nor did it explain how NSAIDs affect the prostate gland. NSAIDs can cause stomach ulcers; anyone thinking of using them daily should consult a doctor.

· FIND THIS STUDY Online issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology; abstract available at http://aje.oxfordjournals.org (click on "Advance Access," search for "Protective").

· LEARN MORE ABOUT prostate problems at http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov and http://www.familydoctor.org .

BIRTH DEFECTS

Two tests now seem to carry equal risks.

· THE QUESTION People considering prenatal testing for birth defects generally have two options: amniocentesis during the second trimester of pregnancy, which tests amniotic fluid in the uterus for chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus, or chorionic villi sampling (CVS) in the first trimester, which tests cells from the lining of the uterus. Both increase the likelihood of a miscarriage, but might that risk differ?

· THIS STUDY analyzed data on 40,779 women who had had amniocentesis or CVS tests with normal results during a 20-year period. Overall, about 3 percent of the women who had a CVS test miscarried, compared with about 1 percent of those who had amniocentesis. Over the years, the rate of miscarriage fell in both groups. In the most recent five-year period, no difference was found in the rate of miscarriage, which occurred once in about every 370 pregnancies among women who had had either test.

· WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? Pregnant women.

· CAVEATS The study may not have accounted for all conditions that could have contributed to miscarriages.

· FIND THIS STUDY September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology; abstract available at http://www.greenjournal.org .

· LEARN MORE ABOUT prenatal testing at http://www.marchofdimes.com and http://kidshealth.org/parent .

--Linda Searing

The research in Quick Study comes from credible journals. Nonetheless, conclusive evidence about a treatment is rarely found in a single study. Anyone considering changing or beginning treatment should consult a doctor.