October - 2020

Obesity on the rise among reception-aged children in England, statistics show

Statistics have revealed obesity is on the rise among reception-aged children in England. NHS Digital data shows 9.9% of youngsters aged four to five were carrying a dangerous amount of weight in 2019/20, up from 9.7% in 2018/19. Obesity is more common among boys, affecting 10.1% of male reception children, compared with 9.7% of girls. Children living in the most deprived areas of England are more than twice as likely to have a dangerously high body mass index (BMI) than youn

GP demonstrates how to check breasts for signs of cancer

Checking your breasts for lumps just once a month could be life-saving. One in eight women in the UK and US will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. The disease is more common among females aged 50 to 70, hence why the NHS invites these women for mammograms. It can strike at any age, however, with two in five diagnoses coming about after a woman notices a lump herself. A survey by the private clinic Pall Mall Medical has revealed more than half (52%) of women

Skin cancer: How do I check my moles for signs of melanoma?

Social media influencer Molly-Mae Hague, 21, has been raising awareness about the importance of young people getting moles checked for potential skin cancer. Melanomas can occur relatively frequently among younger age groups, so what are the signs to look for? "I never knew the word melanoma before," Darcy Shaw, 22, tells the BBC. "I didn't know what the doctor meant when he said it. "I went to the appointment by myself because I wasn't expecting to get news like that. It's n

Boots to offer 12-minute Covid nasal swab test

A Covid test that can provide a result in 12 minutes will be made available at high street pharmacy Boots. The nasal swab test, which will cost £120, will be available in selected stores in the UK to people who are not showing symptoms. The company says the aim is to offer customers peace of mind. Anyone in the UK who thinks they have symptoms should stay at home and contact the NHS to book a Covid test in the usual way. The technology has been developed by LumiraDx, which ha

Dental check-ups not needed every six months for healthy adults, report suggests

Not everyone requires a dental check-up every six months, a report suggests. Dentists generally recommend adults book an appointment twice a year to ensure their teeth, mouth and gums are healthy. To better understand the optimal check-up interval, medics from the University of Dundee analysed two studies with more than 1,700 participants between them. They found “there was little to no difference” in the oral health of adults who had an appointment every six, 12 or 24 months

Quitting smoking, lowering blood pressure and wearing a hearing aid could cut dementia rates

Programmes addressing the lifestyle habits that may contribute towards dementia could cut rates of the disease by 8.5%, research suggests. Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of conditions that cause a decline in brain function, with Alzheimer’s being the most common. The cause is often complex and unclear, however, it has been linked to smoking, high blood pressure and hearing loss. In July, scientists from University College London (UCL) identified modifiable risk fact

Endometriosis patients wait eight years to be diagnosed, UK report finds

Endometriosis takes on average eight years to be diagnosed in the UK, a report has found. The disorder affects one in 10 women of a reproductive age. It occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other parts of the body, usually the ovaries or fallopian tubes. Each menstrual cycle, these cells break down and bleed, much like a period, except the blood has no way of leaving the body. As well as reduced fertility, the main symptom is pain, which may be felt i

Covid: England boosting plasma stocks for patients

NHS Blood and Transplant is boosting stocks of blood plasma for very ill coronavirus patients ahead of winter. It wants more people who have recovered from Covid-19 to become donors. Their plasma contains antibodies that are believed to help other sufferers fight the virus. Fourteen new donation centres will open in November and December, to bring the total in England to 42. The blood plasma will be used to treat patients in Covid trials. Mother-of-seven Ann Kitchen, from Lon

Watershed for junk food adverts could save 40,000 UK children from obesity, study suggests

Introducing a stricter watershed on junk food advertisements could help curb childhood obesity, research suggests. One in 10 (9.5%) four to five year olds in England are obese, rising to one in five (20.1%) among those aged 10 to 11. Carrying an excessive amount of weight at a young age is associated with obesity in later life, raising the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even certain cancers. Childhood obesity has also been linked to bullying and low self-esteem. T

'Come forward to GP about cancer symptoms', experts say

Anyone with symptoms that could be cancer must talk to their GP, even as Covid cases increase across the country, cancer experts say. Thousands fewer people than normal are being referred for hospital tests - particularly for lung and prostate cancer, Cancer Research UK says. Although numbers are improving, they are still lower than before lockdown in March. But GPs say delays in getting tests, scans and X-rays haven't improved. "There has been a really devastating impact on

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