What the papers say – weekly digest (11/08/23)

Your weekly digest of the top healthcare stories, covering news published from 07/08/2023 – 11/08/2023.

The Telegraph

• Robots may be as good as radiologists at spotting signs of breast cancer, according to a Lancet study. Researchers found ‘AI-Supported’ mammography screenings are as effective as two radiologists in identifying the disease.
• Pfizer is preparing a cost-cutting programme should demand for Covid-19 vaccines and pills continue to wane. Sales from the antiviral medication came in  at $1.6 billion in the last quarter compared with $11.3 billion from a year earlier.
• A Russian social media influencer who promoted a fruit only diet has died aged 39 – reportedly of malnutrition, exhaustion and infections. Zhanna Samsonova also claimed to have not drunk water for six years.

Daily Express

• Research by the Personalised Care Institute (PCS) and the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) found that nurses are seeing more patients with health conditions that have been made worse by money worries.
• The Department Of Health and Social Care and NHS England have sent out a warning regarding a shortage of chemotherapy drugs. Hospital drug buyers have been urged to place orders for unlicensed imports due to licensed drugs being unavailable until at least September.
• A Home Office report reveals that staff shortages in the NHS are undermining a ten year Government plan to fight rising drug issues with use among children and young people increasing at a faster rate than other age groups.
• Vapes are better at helping pregnant women quit smoking, according to scientists at Queen Mary University, London.

Daily Mail

• Edmund Greaves, a personal finance blogger, writes that he has been declined life insurance due to his obese weight. Insurer Vitality won’t insure anyone with a BMI score over 40.4 – Mr Greaves’ reading registers at 49.3.
• A report into Isotretinoin (Roaccutane) discusses whether prescribing the drug to under 18s should be banned due to poor mental health amongst some users.
• Research by Nottingham University says a one week course of antibiotics can banish stomach bleeds triggered by low dose aspirin.
• A study at Georgetown University shows that drinking Kombucha may help to reduce blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
• A twice daily helping of grape seed extract soothes pain and reduces swelling in varicose veins, according to a South Korean study.

The Times

• The number of children and young people starting treatment for eating disorders has more than doubled in seven years, according to an NHS study.
• A study at Boston University suggests there is no safe limit for alcohol consumption and that not drinking at all is the best way to look after your heart.
• Researchers at Imperial College suggest supermarkets should be banned from displaying e-cigarettes to keep vapes out of sight and reach of children.
• England Rugby Union scrum coach, Tom Harrison, says he views his dyslexia as a positive and how it feeds his creativity.

The Guardian

• With a seven fold rise in diagnoses of autism in the past twenty years in the UK, studies at Cambridge University show that one in 56 children could be on the spectrum with waiting lists for help and support at record highs.
• Half of all children suffered a setback to their emotional and social development during the first year of the pandemic, according to researchers at the Institute for Fiscal Studies.