'Virtual' Colonoscopy Safe, Effective for Medicare Patients: Study

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PTSD and Heart Patients: More Common Than Once Thought

Yahoo! Contributor Network – 6 hrs ago

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is something we associate with military veterans and civilians who have been the victims of violet crimes.

New research, however, is finding that this disorder is actually quite prevalent among those who have experienced a heart attack or other significant cardiac event. Having this disorder can actually increase the risk of a subsequent heart attack or significant cardiac event, making this research critical for protecting patients.

The study "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Prevalence and Risk Recurrence in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: A Meta-analytic Review" was conducted by Columbia University Medical Center and headed by Dr. Donald Edmondson. The results were submitted on February 20 and published on Wednesday.

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Pre-op Treatments Boost Survival for Esophageal Cancer Patients: Study

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Soy may pose risks to breast cancer patients: study

"A farmer harvests a soy bean field. Eating soy could pose risks to some women who begin consuming it as adults by making breast cancer tumors resistant to treatment, US researchers said on Monday. (AFP Photo/Darren Hauck)" title

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Thyroid Surgery Riskier for Older Patients: Study

HealthDay – 1 hr 17 mins ago FRIDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- Seniors who have thyroid surgery are much more likely than younger patients to suffer serious heart, lung and infection-related complications, according to a new study.

The findings challenge the widely held belief that thyroid surgery (thyroidectomy) is a low-risk operation for older patients, the researchers said.

They analyzed data from 7,915 patients in the United States who had all or part of their thyroid gland removed. The risk of postoperative complications was five times higher in patients 80 and older and two times higher in patients ages 65 to 79, compared to younger patients.

The study appears in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The number of elderly patients in the United States undergoing thyroid operations is increasing due to an aging population, and rising rates of thyroid cancer and benign thyroid conditions, the researchers said.

"It is important to understand that our study emphasizes the importance of the entire medical system that cares for these elderly patients, not just the surgeon," study lead author Dr. Raymon Grogan, of the University of Chicago, said in a journal news release.

"In our study, elderly patients were susceptible to life-threatening, nonsurgical complications. Thus it is important that an elderly patient undergoing thyroid surgery have an experienced team of primary care physicians, surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses who handle these types of surgeries on a routine, daily basis," Grogan said.

More information

The American Thyroid Association has more about thyroid surgery.

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