Early Menopause More Likey for Twins
Oct. 23, 2006 <p> -- EARLY MENOPAUSE MORE LIKELY FOR TWINS A study of more than 800 pairs of twins in the United Kingdom and Australia finds that premature ovarian failure, occurring between age 40 and 45, was three to five times more common among twins than in the general population. While the rate of premature menopause from ovarian failure among the general population is around one in 100 women, the rate among the twins in the study was around three to five out of 100 women. The finding held for both fraternal and identical twins. However, the twins did not necessarily go through menopause at the same time.. These findings were published this week in the journal Human Reproduction.
FLU SHOT APPEARS SAFE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN Beginning two years ago, the flu shot has been recommended for children between the ages of 6 to 23 months, but the safety of the vaccine in kids this young has not been systematically evaluated. In a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine looked at vaccination records for more than 45,300 young children under age 2 and found that the flu shot did not appear to cause any major side effects. In fact, vaccinated kids were less likely to suffer bronchitis, ear infections and asthma attacks after getting the shot.
NEW ASTHMA SURGERY IMPROVES SYMPTOMS A new type of surgery that reduces the amount of smooth muscle in the airways of the lungs decreases the symptoms of asthma. The surgery, called bronchial thermoplasty, uses heat to reduce the muscles in the airway so that asthma spasms aren't as likely or as severe. Researchers in Canada presented results from 108 patients Tuesday at the annual CHEST meeting in Salt Lake City. Patients who had undergone the new procedure had about a 50 percent reduction in asthma progression over the course of a year as compared to control patients.
STAT is a brief look at the latest medical research and is compiled by Joanna Schaffhausen, who holds a doctorate in behavioral neuroscience. She works in the ABC News Medical Unit, evaluating medical studies, abstracts and news releases.
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