Medical Monday : Two Week Catch Up

Happy Easter and Happy Passover. We have two weeks to cover. Thanks for reading ! 

Policy News

Much of the National Health Policy News this week deals with contraception and reproductive health. Can anyone remember any time in this or any other country when these private matters were ever so much on the national stage ? The politically conservative aspects of my nature questions why this degree of government intervention in private lives is necessary. My medical qualifications and medico-legal experience cause me to classify some of this meddling as practicing medicine without a license. 

Title X is a federal grant program whose purpose it is to promote positive birth outcomes and healthy families. It provides grants for family planning and health services. So here’s my first question: Why is it not run by health care professionals ? Trump administration officials are now contemplating new wording which would add additional criteria for clinics to receive Title X funding, namely the provision of primary preventive services. Sounds good right ? Well many clinics offer only reproductive health services. These clinics would have to expand or close. This measure seems like just another way of closing family planning clinics.  Now whether pap smears would qualify as preventive health is unclear, or whether paps would be classified as reproductive health, I don’t know. 

Texas is challenging the federal government’s withholding of funds for its family planning programs. They were withheld several years ago based on the fact that these providers, many of them through Planned Parenthood, also provided abortions.

Planned Parenthood itself is challenging the Federal Government on its withdraws of funds from the teen pregnancy program. Between this and two other plaintiffs, the Department of Health and Human Services has partially and temporarily restored some of the funding until litigation can be completed. 

Idaho has failed to solve the problem of insurance for those whose income falls between Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act coverage criteria. A proposal called Plan First Idaho would have funded family planing services for women in the gap. My question is, what rocket scientist designed the State’s the two programs such that their income qualifying criteria do not meet seamlessly ? This is a problem of their own making and it needs solving. Republicans in the Idaho House stalled this measure. 

Idaho Governor “ Butch” Otter has approved a measure by which prospective abortion patients must a told about “ abortion reversal” a procedure that does not exist. Additionally, he has signed legislation which will require abortion providers to collect personal and demographic information which, in de-identified form they intend to make public. I don't know what they think this will accomplish, but I have a feeling it may backfire, since they will be able to see how many and how diverse a group of women utilize the procedure.

The Supreme Court is hearing a case between the State of California and a group of "crisis pregnancy centers”, an actual chain of 130 outlets run by “ The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates”. These centers are anti-abortion counseling facilities, however they are licensed as family planning providers. California has a law requiring that all licensed family planning facilities to post notices of the availability of free or low cost birth control and abortion services and they are challenging it. They are arguing that this posting requirement violates their free speech.  So far the Court has expressed concern that these clinics not be singled out from other clinics. California has argued that their staff, many of whom are not medically qualified, present medical misinformation as truth, all to the end of dissuading patients from abortion. Apparently theses non-credentialed counselors actually wear white coats. 

Along with the opioid epidemic has come a hepatitis C epidemic. Kentucky, having seen a surge of the disease, has passed a law now requiring all pregnant women to be tested for it. Hepatitis C used to be very hard to treat. However, patients have much more hope nowadays due to the availability of effective therapy. 

Missouri has expanded Medicaid for pregnant women in drug abuse treatment. Their continued coverage will be contingent upon them staying in treatment, and could under those conditions, be continued up to 12 months.  

And now for more of a purple to blue state review:

Florida is considering a bill requiring HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccination to be required as part of the vaccinations required of children attending public school. Human papilloma virus causes multiple illnesses most notably cervical cancer and genital warts, and the vaccine has not demonstrated any conclusive evidence of harm.

It is interesting to note that physicians are not prescribing HPV vaccine equally for female and male children. Doctors recommend the vaccine twice as often for girls as they do for boys. This puts the boys at increased risk for HPV disease, and puts all their future partners at increased risk too. 

Mississippi passed a law banning abortion after 15 weeks Of course this is unconstitutional based on Roe V. Wade which is still on the books. A Federal Judge over turned Idaho's ban. 

New Hampshire has passed a bill which will allow pharmacist to prescribe birth control. No doctors visit will be necessary. The medical establishment has concluded that vast majority of the birth control methods are safe for the vast majority of women. They certainly are when compared to pregnancy for those same women. Authorities believe this will eliminate yet one more barrier to contraception. Utah signed a similar law into place earlier in the week. 

On the other coastline, the state of Washington now has a bill that will require insurance to cover contraception, abortion and maternity care. Additionally, after the first of the year, all contraception has to be co-pay and deductible free. This includes voluntary sterilization. 

The new budget has failed to shore up the ACA ( Affordable care Act) marketplaces. States will have to tighten their belts and work on their budgets one by one. 

ProPublica has reported that the “US is the most dangerous country in which to give birth”. States all over the US are creating programs to quantify and address the problem of maternal morbidity and mortality, even as the Federal government under Trump is dismantling reproductive and maternal health care piece by piece. 

Do you ever get the feeling that the various States in America are becoming like the countries of the European Union with different values, cultures budgets and laws ? 

Medical News: 

Obstetrics: 

Striking research findings presented at Lancet Global Health conference have shown that the death risk is double among pregnant women who are anemic compared with those who are not. The lead study author also found the correcting anemia is not a sufficiently high enough priority among physicians. 

Research presented at Diabetes UK conference has shown that excess weight gain incurred during pregnancy by  gestational diabetics is associated with greater risk of cesarean section.

Women who exercise in pregnancy have shorter labors. This interesting news was published in the May issue of European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. The study group attended a professionally led session of moderate exercise three days per week. Labor was shortened about one hour, mostly in the first stage, or dilating phase. ACTIONABLE ! 

Children who were breastfed exclusively for at least 6 mores were less likely to become overweight to obese than their counterparts. The conclusions were drawn by analyzing over 38,000 records from children South Korea. The finding were presented at the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting. 

Gynecology/General Medical News: 

There may be a male birth control pill on the horizon. Research at the Endocrine Society's annual conference has presented information on a new male birth control pill called DMAU. It contains androgen and progestin,  which is analogous to the contents of the female birth control pill, estrogen and progestin. Once daily tablets appear to be safe and effective. No period required. 

Menopause and aging in general is characterized by a loss of muscle mass and bone density as well as the deposition of fat. As suspected, the Mediterranean diet may have a positive impact on bone mineral density and muscle mass in postmenopausal women. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes the eating of high quality protein, large volumes of fruit and vegetables, healthy fats such as olive oil and a modest amount of complex carbohydrates such as whole grains. As a whole, the diet is lower in simple carbohydrates than the typical American diet and is also higher in protein and antioxidants.

There are now over 400 cases of a rare lymphoma which are linked, epidemiologically, to breast implants. Breast implants are not new. Lymphoma is not new. However our ability to collect and parse data is better than it has ever been. The FDA it's taken this ability and created a meaningful database for this type of information. While an association between breast implants and this rare lymphoma is being established through data collection, a causality between the two is not necessary implied. That said, nothing is more likely to lead us to understand the causes of this problem than amassing quality data about it. 

Federal funding support for cancers is disproportionately low for gynecologic cancers if you rank them by lethality. Cancer of the ovary and the uterus ranked near the bottom of the funding list. Contact your elected officials ! 

A new modification of the current device used for pap smears can identify cells from endometrial (uterine lining) and ovarian cancer. The investigational PapSEEK uses an analysis of 18 genes and analysis similar to that used in prenatal screening for Down’s syndrome to identical the genetically abnormal cancer cells. THIS IS SO COOL ! 

A new study on postmenopausal hormone therapy has shown that it does help maintain thinking and memory skills. This is the case IF it is initiated shortly after the onset of natural menopause. This study was presented in the Journal Neurology and was a high quality randomized controlled trial of 75 women between the ages of  42 and 56. 

In my mountain state, there is not a great deal of sunlight or seafood. As a result we have a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. New research indicates that vitamin D deficiency increases a post menopausal women’s risk of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome includes the unholy triad of diabetes, high blood pressure, and abnormal serum lipids ( cholesterol and triglycerides) which together increase cardiovascular risk. Vitamin D levels are checked by a simple blood test. Ask your doctor about this ! 

Stay tuned for more news from the exciting world of Obstetrics an Gynecology, next week, here on Medical Monday ! 

Medical Monday: Breaking News from the World of Obstetrics and Gynecology

I spent this week at Stanford MedX Conference. This conference covers some of my fondest professional interests. In particular, we covered various themes of technology in medicine, such as the use of devices and apps for patients to use to follow chronic disease conditions like diabetes. We covered the increasingly important role of apps in research. 

We explored the phenomenon of peer to peer connections among patients and discussed how it is especially helpful with rare or undiagnosed conditions. 

Another prominent theme at the conference was design in health care. We heard lectures and  participated in workshops in human centered design, or more particularly patient centered design. We used design thinking to create maps of the patient experience, then took that information forward to inform features as disparate as language used in phone notifications, seating in exam rooms, and interior decor. 

One theme of the conference was “everyone included”. I already knew this meant the voices of all genders. I also learned it meant all those in health care, not just patients and caregivers. Namely, it also included family members, medical researchers, device makers and all those who design and evaluate the health care experience. 

The genius of the conference in my mind was that it brought together those who were traditionally separate. In my two years of attending the conference it became readily apparent that fantastic synergies were possible by bringing together people from these varied  backgrounds. Patients, physicians, scientists, designers and computer scientists, sat around around common tables to learn methods to solve vexing problems in health care. And yes, we were given large sheets of paper, colored markers and sticky notes. 

But... the people ! This was the best part of all. I am here to report that there are plenty of good and brilliant people in the world with the ability to conceive of solutions to serious problems. At this conference, they came in all shape, sizes, ages, nationalities and genders. You could not pick them out at a grocery store. But if they had a conversation at your dinner table, you would quickly learn how special they were.  

On to policy. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) continues to predict a 15 percent rise in premiums for policies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). They have reported that this will likely be the case due to uncertainty over the Federal government’s willingness to pay subsidies to defray the cost of health care. Also likely contributing might be reduced  number of enrollees now that the individual mandate is not being enforced. 

GOP Senators have pared their efforts down to a one point bill. This final attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare basically takes Medicaid expansion money and shifts it to block grants administered by States. 

At the same time, Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed a near opposite. He has proposed retooling Medicare in the image of Obamacare and providing it to everyone. This is the so called “Medicare for all” proposal. While this has no likelihood of passing this Congress, it is espoused by most of the potential upcoming Democratic candidates for President. The rationale here is that such a plan would save money in the long run. The reasons for this being conceivable have been discussed before and elsewhere. In a nutshell, it has to do with people’s willingness to keep up on their prevention, screening, contraception and prenatal care, thus avoiding costlier more severe phenomena. 

The Senate Finance Committee has obtained an easy bipartisan agreement to refund CHIP, the children's health insurance program,

In another strikingly bipartisan move, Congress has rejected deep cuts to the National Institute of Health. Indeed lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have defied the Commander in Chief and increased spending on biomedical research. 

In medical news, HPV vaccination rates continue to be sub par. However new data shows that vaccinations that have been given may be conferring a herd immunity as HPV infections have decreased 32% between 2009 and 2014. 

Vaping is viewed as a safe alternative to smoking in pregnancy. There is NO data to support this. In fact, newer data show an association between maternal vaping and asthma in the offspring.

Marijuana is viewed as safe in pregnancy. However, it is associated with learning difficulties in grade school  offspring. The State of Nevada is beginning a program to educate about this. 

In concerning but unsurprising News, pregnant women’s exposure to pesticides appears to be associated with premature delivery and low birth weight. 

 A recent study shows a faint correlation between two flu shots in row and miscarriage. Ever hear of signal to noise ratio ? This is probably noise. ACOG continues to reiterate the real demonstrated need for flu vaccine in pregnancy. 

Belly fat; it’s always the last weight to come off. However, it is well worth the effort. We’ve known for some time that belly fat was associated with increased rates of cardiovascular disease. However, new research indicates that central obesity is associated with increased rates of several cancers. Moreover, in the case of breast cancer, it is more closely associated with higher risk forms of hormone receptor negative cancer. 

As data science improves, so do our results. New research published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical  Association, constitutes the largest longest and best designed trials on the safety of postmenopausl a hormone replacement therapy. Happily, it does not increase the risk of premature death. This is medicine’s way of saying that the therapy is safe. 

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned next week for more exciting news from the world of Obstetrics and Gynecology.