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SA specialists argue for bladder sling surgery despite NICE ban recommendation
The UK’s health watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) this week issued a recommendation that vaginal mesh operations be banned...
Special journal issue on new approaches to treating HIV
Although some 19.5m HIV-infected people are receiving antiretroviral treatment, a substantial treatment gap leaves many millions of people at risk of Aids-related diseases and,...
If you want a heart, get a dog
A team of Swedish scientists has used national registries of more than 3.4m Swedes aged 40 to 80 to study the association between dog...
NHI risks 'extreme destabilisation’ and accelerated emigration of doctors
The South African government is 'proceeding by trial and error' with the implementation of the National Health Insurance proposal 'irrespective of the massive damage that...
Davis Tax Committee warns NHI may spark e-toll style resistance
Uncertainty around how South Africa’s National Health Insurance will work is cause for concern, says a report by the Davis Tax Committee. And if...
'Torture and contempt that defy comprehension'
“There is a trail of events in this situation that defies comprehension. Vulnerable, dependent, poor people were virtually tortured to death. And if that...
Guptas' Dubai medical facility linked to SA health tenders
The Gupta family set up a Dubai-based project for the supply and running of mobile clinics in the Free State and the North West,...
Statins have positive impact on patients with heart disease
A ten-year decline in the blood cholesterol of heart attack patients in Malaysia suggests that statins are having a positive impact, according to an...
IUDs may cut cervical cancer risk by a third — US systematic review
Considered a safe and highly effective contraception method, intrauterine devices (IUDs) may also be quietly offering protection against the third-most common cancer in women...
The Tricky Trio: Gauteng Health officials duck and dive
Top Gauteng Health officials who have so far avoided giving evidence before the Life Esidimeni inquiry into the deaths of 144 mental patients are...
Gauteng Health loses landmark case to pay awards in portions
In a case which highlighted the growing burden of medical negligence payouts on state entities, Gauteng Health didn’t help its cause when it failed...
SA begins roll-out of improved GeneXpert MTB/RIF Ultra
The roll-out of the GeneXpert Ultra has started. With its increased sensitivity and capacity to more accurately identify rifampicin resistance, it is expected to improve...
Life-saving ischaemic stroke treatment rarely used
Only 10% of ischaemic stroke patients receive intravenous (IV) alteplase, a clot-dissolving medication. After one year, the patients who did not receive IV alteplase...
Every extra kilo overweight cuts two months of life — UK longevity study
People who are overweight cut life expectancy by two months for every extra kilogram of weight they carry, a large UK genetic analysis of...
Vitamin D protects against severe asthma attacks
Taking oral vitamin D supplements in addition to standard asthma medication could halve the risk of asthma attacks requiring hospital attendance, according to research...
Most new cancer drugs don't work — 5-year European study
More than half (57%) of cancer drugs authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) between 2009 and 2013 came onto the market without any...
Gauteng Health's top brass pushed implementation of 'irrational' plan
While NGOs leaders will have to explain at the Life EsidImeni arbitration why more than 140 patients died under their watch, the former Gauteng...
Sweating it out might be the key to a healthy heart
Frequent sauna bathing reduces the risk of elevated blood pressure and is linked to a lower risk of pulmonary diseases, according to an extensive...
Parkinson's breakthrough: New disease-causing mechanism found
A Korean research team has identified a new mechanism that causes the hallmark symptoms of Parkinson's disease, namely tremors, rigidity, and loss of voluntary...
Esidimeni hearing – horror stories of incompetence, ignorance and greed
The alternative dispute resolution process relating to the deaths of mentally ill patients in the Life Esidimeni scandal, led by retired Deputy Chief Justice...
GPs prescribe costly 'rubbish' homeopathic treatments
More than 700 GPs in the UK are prescribing millions of pounds worth of useless homeopathic and herbal treatments, an Oxford University study has revealed....
When it comes to blood transfusions, 'fresh is not best'
A landmark Australian-led five-country research trial has found the transfusion of older stored red blood cells is safe and, surprisingly, associated with fewer side...
NHI legal framework will take 'twice as long as planned'
Developing the legal framework for the National Health Insurance (NHI) policy is likely to take twice longer than by the 2022 deadline government has...
UK fails to reduce maternity medical negligence by analysing incidents
UK attempts to reduce maternity medical negligence leading to cerebral palsy or brain injuries by learning from incidents have failed, reports the NHS body...
Steroid inhalers in COPD management must be 'carefully weighed' — large study
Older people who use steroid inhalers for asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more likely to suffer particular bacterial infections, according to...
Myth of 'tongue swallowing' is costing lives of athletes through SCA
An analysis of video footage showing top athletes suffering sudden circulatory arrest (SCA) found a 'very disturbing' picture of teammates responding incorrectly. Prevention of...
SA's great misalignment between development and health – Global Burden of Disease study
South Africa has one of the greatest misalignments in the world between development and health progress. It is one of only a handful of...
No increased mortality risk from HRT — 18-year study
Among postmenopausal women in the Women’s Health Initiative trials, use of hormone therapy (HRT) for five to seven years was not associated with risk...
HPCSA ups the battle against bogus medical practitioners
A Health Professions Council of SA unit is conducting about 400 investigations into bogus medical practitioners, with more than 40 arrests to date. Data from the...
Elite athletes especially excel at beating the drug tests
A scientific study has found that doping is far more common in professional sport than the rates suggested by blood and urine tests of...
Statins cut heart disease mortality by 28% — 20-year UK study
Previous research has shown the benefit of statins for reducing high cholesterol and coronary heart disease risk amongst different patient populations. However, until now...
Widely used diabetes test may not be suitable for Africans
People of African descent may mistakenly get the all-clear from a widely used type 2 diabetes test called HbA1c, according to an international study. The...
Penile transplant surgery in SA questioned – Stellenbosch study
Roughly 250 traditional circumcisions lead to penile amputation every year in South Africa, with one response being penile transplantation, as carried out in 2014...
New studies show critical impact of behaviour on dementia risk
17A wealth of new data, assembled in a Lancet Commission report, suggests that behaviour can have a significant impact on the risk of getting...
Moderate consumption of fat and carbs is best for good health
Research with more than 135,000 people across five continents has shown that a diet which includes a moderate intake of fat and fruits and...
Caution urged over 'new frontier' anti-inflammatory that slashes CVD and cancer risk
A pioneering drug, currently used to treat juvenile arthritis, has been found in a trial to also to cut the risk of heart attack...
The Tobacco Papers: How Nicotine Replacement Therapy was hijacked
The tobacco industry first viewed nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers and nasal sprays – called Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) - as a threat, but...
SA's weak economy threatens gains made in public health sector
Our weak economy threatens to undermine the significant progress made in the public health sector over the past decade, including a 10-year increase in...
Peanut allergy may be cured with probiotics and peanut oral immunotherapy
An oral treatment for one of the most deadly allergies, to peanuts, is still effective four years after it was administered, a study has...
SSRIs: Media claims that antidepressants don't work is rebutted
The theory that antidepressant drugs, such as the SSRIs, do not work, which has gained considerable international media attention, has been rebutted by an...