#osteoarthritis #corticosteroids #OrganDonation #OrganTransplant #SexuallyTransmittedInfections #ContactTracing
>> Treatment may worsen arthritis
>> Organ donation linked to large events
>> Contemporary contact tracing: dating apps
The Med & Mic™ 11.29.22
MED NEWS blog post from Dr. Maria ON Speaking, LLC
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Steroid injections linked to hastened wear and tear
Injections of corticosteroids, one of the most common treatments for osteoarthritis, has been linked to more rapid progression of the disease. Osteoarthritis is a wear and tear kind of arthritis often affecting the knees, hips, and hands. Two, small, unpublished studies being presented at a conference show that knee arthritis advanced more quickly among patients who got corticosteroid injections compared to those who didn’t. People who got hyaluronic acid injections, another type of treatment less likely to be covered by insurance, progressed more slowly. The two studies followed the imaging of study participants receiving steroids, hyaluronic acid, or nothing over two to four years. This type of study can’t establish cause and effect. Prior research on the subject has had mixed findings. (Source: NBC News, A, Yang, 11.29.22)
Motorcycle rallies and organ donations
A study has linked surges in organ donation and transplants with large motorcycle rallies. These gatherings attract thousands of people from long distances. In an analysis of U.S. regions where seven annual motorcycle rallies took place from 2005 to 2021, the daily number of organ donors increased 21% during the events compared to the four weeks before and after. The daily number of organ recipients also rose 26% during the rallies. For every two major gatherings, the data show one additional person becoming a donor and six people receiving transplants in the regions around the events. (Source: The Seattle Times via Bloomberg, I.J. Milton, 11.28.22)
Dating Apps and STIs
Dating apps can be a novel way to inform users that people they met on the site may have exposed them to a sexually transmitted infection. Contact tracing has traditionally been done by phone, but public health staff have found this to be a difficult way to get hold of people. Instead, they have created individual profiles on sites such as Grindr or Snapchat, and then contact the sex partners of infected people. This works 75% of the time on the first try. The apps have also helped with public health campaigns in targeted ways using geolocation. (Source: CBS News via Kaiser Health News, D. Tahir, 11.28.22)
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