- Double Mastectomy May Offer No Survival Benefit to Women With Breast Cancer
- Toxic Lead Found in Cinnamon Product, FDA Says
- Certain Abbott Blood Sugar Monitors May Give Incorrect Readings
- Athletes Can Expect High Ozone, Pollen Counts for Paris Olympics
- Fake Oxycontin Pills Widespread and Potentially Deadly: Report
- Shingles Vaccine Could Lower Dementia Risk
- Your Odds for Accidental Gun Death Rise Greatly in Certain States
- Kids From Poorer Families Less Likely to Survive Cancer
- Tough Workouts Won’t Trigger Cardiac Arrest in Folks With Long QT Syndrome
- At-Home Colon Cancer Test Can Save Lives
Health Highlights: March 11, 2014
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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
7 Million Americans Have Artificial Joints: Study
More than two percent of Americans, or seven million people, have artificial hips or knees, a new study says.
Among people over age 50, five percent have a new knee and more than two percent have a new hip, according to the findings presented Tuesday at a meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Associated Press reported.
Each year in the U.S., people receive more than 600,000 knee replacements and about 400,000 hip replacements. However, this is the first study to examine how many Americans currently have joint replacements.
“They are remarkable numbers,” study leader Dr. Daniel Berry, chairman of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic, told the AP.
The number of Americans with joint replacements is expected to rise as the population ages. One reason for the increase is that people have become less willing to put up with painful joints and know that joint replacements can help them, Berry said.
The number of knee replacements among Americans ages 45 to 64 more than tripled over the last decade, and nearly half of hip replacements now are in people younger than 65, according to federal government data.
Joint replacement is not for “anybody who has pain in the joint,” Berry told the AP. He explained that it won’t help people who have arthritis-related pain and stiffness but no joint damage.
People need to try exercise, medicines and weight loss before they consider joint replacement, Dr. Joshua Jacobs, chairman of orthopedic surgery at Rush University Medical Center and president of the orthopedic surgery association, told the AP.
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Medicare Drug Plan Changes Withdrawn by White House
Proposed changes to the Medicare prescription drug program have been withdrawn by the Obama administration after strong opposition from patient groups.
The changes would have included removal of three classes of drugs — antidepressants, antipsychotics and immune system-suppressing drugs used in transplant patients — from a special protected list that guarantees seniors access to a wide number of important medications, the Associated Press reported.
It was estimated that the changes would save a total of $729 million by 2019. However, the proposal met heavy resistance from patient groups such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the National Kidney Foundation.
In a letter to Congress on Monday, Medicare administrator Marilyn Tavenner said the White House will not proceed with the changes, the AP reported.
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