What’s New In Primary Care - Fall 2023
Hello everyone! We at Coeur Vitality hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful fall weather and colors. The following is a summary of some interesting topics that appeared in the primary care literature over the last 6 months:
There were three very interesting studies on Vitamin D: in the first study it was shown that Vitamin D levels over 50 protected patients with a diagnosis of “pre-diabetes” (this is patients with mildly elevated blood sugars not high enough to be in diabetes range) from getting full blown diabetes by 75 percent. In the second study patients with adequate Vitamin D levels (over a level of 30) consistently were shown to have a lower risk of developing dementia in their later years. The third study revealed a relationship between low Vitamin D levels (less than 20) and a higher tendency to develop colon cancer. So with the above information it appears to be a good target to have a Vitamin D level consistently above 50 and if the levels are lower than that to supplement with Vitamin D to get the level to that target.
There were two good research findings regarding the health benefits of the “Mediterranean” diet; we advocate such a diet at CoeurVitality and have a handout available to patients. The first study showed a relationship between the Mediterranean diet and lower mortality in patients between the ages of 40-75 who adhered to the diet. And the second study showed a lower incidence of dementia in patients who followed the diet over a period of years.
Can undiagnosed sleep apnea be a cause of lower leg swelling? The answer is yes. Approximately 25% of adults have sleep apnea (they have episodes at night when they either stop breathing or have very shallow breathing). As the condition progresses many patients will develop lower leg swelling. Therefore patients with lower leg swelling should in many cases be screened for sleep apnea. In our office we have a device you would wear on your finger while you sleep that enables us to do such a screening.
Can cranberries help prevent urinary tract infections? Two research projects recently completed suggest they can. In the first study patients were asked if they consumed any type of cranberry containing products regularly (such as juice or capsules). Those that did had a 50% reduction in the number of UTI’s they experienced. A second study broke down the patient groups who had the best success in preventing UTI’s while regularly taking cranberry products. The groups having the greatest risk reduction were women with a history of several UTI’s per year as well as children and men with a history prostate interventions for cancer (such as radiation therapy).
Daylight savings time and the effects on sleep quality: In this interesting study researchers questioned patients about the effects of seasonal clock changes on their bodies (“Fall back and Spring forward”) for the first week after the time change. As could be expected, participants had higher rates of sleep dissatisfaction and insomnia as well as excess sleepiness during the day that first week of the time change.
The new RSV vaccine: There was a new vaccine approved and recommended for patients over 60. RSV is a virus that can cause severe cases of bronchitis and/or pneumonia in individuals as they grow older. Especially patients who have underlying conditions such as congestive heart failure, diabetes, and lung diseases (such as asthma and COPD). The vaccine has been demonstrated to reduce severity of the respiratory illness that accompanies RSV. The vaccine is given once (not yearly).