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EVERYTHING
Alcohol-Related Liver Disease on the Rise in US
What: Yet another study has found alcohol consumption has more than doubled the risk of liver disease in Americans over the past 20 years. There are four key demographics partly driving this trend, including women, adults 45 and older, those in poverty, and people with metabolic syndrome.
Key Line: “Additionally, the study showed that the average drinking rate in America was unchanged over the last 20 years before the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that factors beyond alcohol quantity, such as changing health and demographic profiles, may be contributing to the rise in liver disease. 'Our results show that the makeup of the American public with heavy alcohol consumption has changed compared to 20 years ago,' said Lee."
Source: USC Keck School of Medicine
MENSTRUATION
Existential Threat for Flo Health?
What: Reuters reports that the first femtech unicorn, Flo Health, is facing a potentially existential class action lawsuit in San Francisco this week, for allegedly violating the privacy of millions of users, along with Meta. The lawsuit claims that the companies shared users' sensitive health information without proper consent, leading to serious concerns about privacy violations and legal consequences.
Key Line: "Facebook parent Meta is defending against claims of violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act, which carries statutory penalties of $5,000 per violation. That would add up to $190 billion in damages if, as plaintiffs have previously suggested, there are 38 million class members...using the worst-case scenario, Flo calculated that if each app entry is treated as a separate violation, the combined total damages could be quadrillions of dollars — 'a sum so large it may as well be infinite,' as Flo put it — though it's hard for me to fathom a judge or court of appeals would let such a verdict stand."
Source: Reuters
BIRTH CONTROL
Why Birth Control Misinformation Spreads Online
What: Sarah Varney and Shrai Popat have a deep dive on birth control for PBS Newshour. They look at how anti-abortion groups have seized on birth control misinformation to convince women to give up contraceptives, while social media algorithms promote the most difficult or unusual experiences -- even if birth control has been proven safe for the vast majority of users over decades of use.
Key Line: "Chris Choglueck, New Mexico Tech: People are making money off of spreading this information as well, especially. When these individuals have no medical sort of expertise, when they don't have scientific credentials, it's especially worrisome that they're able to build up any sort of career or any sort of like professional clout, because these individuals very likely shouldn't be trusted."
Source: PBS News Hour
MENOPAUSE
Women Should Prioritize Hormone Therapy over Antidepressants During Menopause
What: USA Today has the story of one woman who was given an antidepressant to treat symptoms of perimenopause, such as fatigue and brain fog, instead of hormone therapy. A recent push for better perimenopause treatment advocates for prioritizing hormone therapy over antidepressants for more effective symptom relief.
Key Line: “'Clinicians can be defensive and women can be gaslit and misdiagnosed,' says Heidi Flagg, an OB-GYN, menopause specialist and clinical assistant professor at NYU Grossman School of medicine. 'With perimenopause, hormone therapy should always be considered first. We see a profound change in women with their brain fog and feelings of depression and improvements in hot flashes and other symptoms.'”
Source: USA Today
ONCOLOGY
Young Women with Breast Cancer Have Low Risk of Isolated Recurrence
What: A study of over 1,000 young women diagnosed with breast cancer found a low risk (5.6%) of cancer reoccurring in the same region over the next ten years, with no significant differences among more aggressive cancers versus less aggressive.
Key Line: "Although young age has historically been associated with higher risk for local recurrence, the rates of LRR we observed were comparable with rates observed in contemporary studies inclusive of women of all ages. ...Reassuringly, in this large contemporary study of women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 years and undertreated with modern local and systemic therapy, we observed overall low rates of isolated LRR in long-term follow-up, with no significant differences by local therapy strategy when compared within tumor subtype."
Source: JAMA Network
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