Written by Thu Tran, MD,FACOG
September 11, 2014
1. Untreated Hot Flashes Could Cost the Economy Hundreds of Millions of Dollars.
The Wall Street Journal, in the August 27 issue, reported a new study in the Menopause journal showing how untreated hot flashes can cost the economy a lot of money!
Dr. Philip Sarrel, one of the study’s authors and professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale School of Medicine, believes the problem has worsened since the Women’s Health Initiative Study released in 2002, showing a possible link between hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer. Since then, the number of women using hormone therapy to treat their hot flashes, or the number of prescriptions written for hormone therapy, has drastically gone down. Many women are living with their hot flashes without treatment.
The authors in this study examined health insurance claims for more than 500,000 women who worked for Fortune 500 companies between 1999-2011. About half of these women experienced hot flashes but did not get treatment. The other half did not have symptoms of hot flashes.
The researchers showed how, over 12 months, the women with hot flashes had 1.5 millions more visits to the doctors, costing about $340 million to the healthcare system, and another $27.7 million in lost work. Women with hot flashes, the study found, had 82% more outpatient visits for any health reason than those without hot flashes, with the mean direct cost of $1,346 a year.
The authors in the study reminded us that society as a whole is paying for the costs of the women with hot flashes not receiving treatment, not just the women and their employers themselves. For more about menopause and treating hot flashes, see Linda’s 2014 review.
2. Oral Contraceptive Pills as Effective as Antibiotics in Acne Treatment at Six Months
A systematic literature review of 32 studies by Dr. Eubee Baughn Koo from Harvard University showed equal effectiveness between oral contraceptive pills (OCP) and antibiotics in treating acne. Both routes are more effective than placebo in reducing acne lesions. The study and results were published in the September issue of the American Academy of Dermatology.
The author concluded that OCPs should be the first line treatment for long term treatment of acne. Consider how the CDC has been warning us about the potential problems caused by unnecessary use of antibiotics, patients with acne should have a discussion with their dermatologists about the best route of treatment.
3. WHO Recommends Banning Electronic-Cigarette Use Indoors.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently recommended more regulations on E-cigarettes and ban of its indoor use until further studies. WHO also recommends ban of E-cigarette sale to minors and banning or minimizing the promotions of its use.
The American Heart Association (AHA) gave similar recommendations to the U.S. government. AHA asked for further and more thorough research on E-cigarette use and its potential harm. AHA believes E-cigarettes should be under the same regulations as tobacco and the sale and promotion to minors should be banned. For more about e-cigarettes, see Marsha’s review.
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