Health Report

Rachel has lived experience of an eating disorder and came across ads for a telehealth weight loss company on a podcast. The ads continue in their podcast feed, more than a year after they lodged a formal complaint with AHPRA. Rachel hasn't been updated on the status of the complaint.Disrupted sleep during pregnancy and the post partum period can increase the risk of cardiovascular events for mothers, and it's now understood these risks can be transferred to the baby as well.PBS listings for medications for three separate conditions have run up against President Trump’s most favoured nation pricing policy this year. New research on this policy and its impact shows there will likely be more of these disruptions to come.ReferencesWhy is it so easy to get weight loss injections, if they could cause you harm?GLP-1 drug prescribed to woman with eating disorder via telehealth sparks calls for regulationThe implications of maternal sleep disruption on cardiovascular adaptations and cardiometabolic outcomesMost-favoured-nation pricing for prescription drugs in US Medicare: a cohort studyBetter transparency and choice in health careMedical Costs FinderBlood test to detect Alzheimer's disease will be trialled in AustraliaSocial Media Claims About Blood Tests for Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Content Analysis

A study looking at step intensity and step count provides helpful advice for those who are limited in their time and ability to increase the number of steps and their pace.The pharmaceutical company closest to getting a drug to market to reduce Lipoprotein (a) levels announced that while it reduces levels of these molecules, that didn’t translate into fewer cardiovascular events. A gene study provides further evidence that cerebral palsy may be a collection of symptoms, rather than a disease and indicates doing a genetic panel early on could improve treatment of affected children.ReferencesCombinations of stepping intensity and daily step counts against all-cause and cardiovascular diseasemortality: insights from a device-based prospective studyNovartis announces Lp(a)HORIZON Phase III topline results for pelacarsen in patients with elevated Lp(a) and established cardiovascular disease (CVD)A phenotypic paradigm for cerebral palsy geneticsSalpingectomy for the Prevention of Epithelial Ovarian CancerOvarian cancer doesn't start in the ovariesStudy on degenerative brain disease finds CTE in 31 former rugby league playersBMJ: Prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy at death in National Football League players: retrospective population based cohort study, 2008-21Brisbane Coroner's Court: Non inquest findings into the death of Conor Dean

An international study of the genes of 2.5 million people confirms fibromyalgia as a nervous system disorder. A rheumatologist explains the relationship to other disorders including CFS/ME and long COVID.Women of reproductive age are getting iron infusions at an increasingly high rate. What’s causing the numbers to rise so sharply and who is missing out?Cuts to USAID are having big impacts on spread of HIV in Africa, according to a leading South African expert. What can we learn from their experience about how to manage the growing spread of the disease in Fiji and elsewhere in our region?ReferencesNature Medicine: The genetic architecture of fibromyalgia across 2.5 million individualsIncreasing utilisation of intravenous iron among Australian women of reproductive age, 2013–2024: an Australian population-based studyPacific Beat: Australia boosts Fiji's HIV crisis response with new $8 million fundingMaternal RSVpreF Vaccine Effectiveness Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Hospitalized InfantsNew England Journal of Medicine: Atorvastatin, Cardiovascular Events, and Disability-free Survival in Older AdultsThe BMJ: Measles: CDC refuses to record Pennsylvania fatalities in “measles associated deaths” row

It's become harder for medical students to qualify as a fully accredited specialist. This delay is having a profound impact on the wellbeing of doctors and on access to specialists across Australia. A new study shows people experiencing 'gout flares' more frequently have a higher likelihood of developing heart disease.In the news:Twenty years ago, the first dose of the HPV vaccine developed to prevent cervical cancer was administered. What's the impact of the research that led to this, from University of Queensland's Emeritus Professor Ian Frazer AC and his colleague Dr Jian Zhou?A Select Committee on Women's Health will look for the first time at post-partum care and pregnancy, amongst other issues that will support women. Submissions close on October 9.Genetic markers for stress have been investigated in donated brain tissue of people with schizophrenia, showing stress genes had been turned on.Two more people have died of measles in the United States ReferencesRoyal Australasian College of Surgeons 2026-2030 Surgical Pathways StrategyDepartment of Health: Whole of Medical Workforce Supply and Demand StudyAnnual gout flare frequency as a marker of sustained cardiovascular risk: a clinical threshold for risk stratification20 years. Millions of lives saved. One revolutionary vaccineSelect Committee on Women's HealthAssociation Between Age-Dependent DNA Methylation Changes at FKBP5 Enhancer Sites and Increased Cortical Gene Expression in SchizophreniaPennsylvania Department of Health Confirms Two Measles-Associated Deaths

New clinical guidelines for early detection of prostate cancer make big changes to screening, with an end to the digital examination and more frequent PSA tests in older age groups.A new global study suggests people over sixty may face serious health risks from heat at much lower temperatures than previously understood.Overuse of active skincare is one of the causes of peri-orificial dermatitis. We ask a dermatologist about the best way to treat it.ReferencesGuidelines for the early detection of prostate cancerLancet Planet Health: Exceeding human heat tolerance in a warming, ageing world: a global projection modelling studyABC Health: People over 60 face heat exposure danger at lower temperatures, study suggestsNational Drug Strategy Household Survey 2025: Tobacco, e-cigarettes and other nicotine insightsWHO Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the CongoTGA flexes its muscle against illegal peptides and steroidsMelanotan II tanning peptide products found to be inconsistently dosed