diseases | MY SPECIAL DOCTOR

Sexually transmitted diseases on the rise among young people

22 February 20246 January 2024 by rosanna.feroldi

In recent weeks, there has been much discussion of regional and national initiatives directed toward offering free condoms and other contraceptives to youth and disadvantaged populations. As is often the case when it comes to sexuality, the proposed measures have elicited divided opinions, based more on ideological considerations and political expediency than public health protection, underestimating the seriousness of the situation.

Epidemiological reality says that among Italian under-25s. sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are clearly on the rise, creating not only serious discomfort for those who experience them, but also entailing non-negligible risks to fertility and reproductive health (especially women’s) and an additional cost to the National Health Service (NHS), which has to bear the burden of their treatment.

The most recent data on STDs published by theNational Institute of Health indicate that:

Between 2010 and 2015, the number of people with a confirmed STD increased, while the number of foreigners in Italy with a confirmed STD has stabilized over the past decade (in essence, new infections mainly affect Italians);
Between 2004 and 2015, reports of ano-genital condylomas (caused by Human Papilloma virus, HPV, against which an effective vaccine has been available for a decade) increased by 153 percent;
Since 2008, cases of Chlamydia trachomatis infection have steadily increased, especially among adolescent girls and young women (15-24 years old);
Since 2000, stage I-II syphilis cases have increased by 350% since the 1990s (meaning they have more than tripled);
Between 2010 and 2015, cases of latent syphilis (i.e., without obvious symptoms) and gonorrhea also increased slightly;
Between 2008 and 2015, the proportion of HIV+ people among people with a confirmed STD increased (it should be remembered that the presence of an STD facilitates further HIV infection during risky relationships);
In 2015, the prevalence of HIV infection among people with a confirmed STD was about sixty times higher than that estimated in the general Italian population.

Additional data collected by the AIDS Operations Center (AOC) of ISS related to HIV infection, updated in 2017, report that:

3,443 new diagnoses of HIV infection were reported in 2017, representing an incidence of 5.7 new cases per 100,000 residents (similar to other European countries);
The incidence of new HIV+ diagnoses declined slightly between 2012 and 2015, stabilizing thereafter for all modes of transmission;
In 2017, the highest incidence of HIV infection involved young adults (25-29 years old);
In general, new HIV+ diagnoses were mainly related to transmission of the virus during heterosexual intercourse, while new infections during homosexual intercourse prevailed in the male population;
In recent years, the number of women newly diagnosed with HIV+ has remained constant, as did the number of new diagnoses among foreign persons between 2012 and 2017.

What do these data tell us as a whole? First, that some severe STDs that had become “niche” infections in the late twentieth century (syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, etc.) have once again become a serious public health problem, especially among young people. Second: that information/education about STDs and associated risks coupled with active prevention interventions, such as promoting condom use during all types of sexual intercourse, can substantially reduce their prevalence, as the case of HIV infection shows.

Reliable information on STDs and prevention can be obtained from the websites of the Ministry of Health (http://www.salute.gov.it/portale/news/p3_2_6_1_1.jsp?lingua=italiano&menu=campagne&p=dacampagne&id=120), COA-ISS (http://old.iss.it/ccoa/index.php?lang=1) and EpiCentro (http://www.epicentro.iss.it/temi/ist/aggiornamenti.asp).

Sources

Salfa MC et al. Sexually Transmitted Infections: update of data from the two Sentinel Surveillance Systems active in Italy as of December 31, 2015. Not Ist Super Health 2017;30(7-8):3-27
Istisan Newsletter 2018; Vol. 31(9):Supplement 1
Suligoi B, Salfa MC. Sexually transmitted infections. How to recognize and prevent them. Editorial Pathways by Carocci publisher, Rome – 2018).

The benefits of red wine

22 February 20246 January 2024 by Alessia Giannino

According to research conducted by theUniversity of Alberta in Canada, drinking one glass of wine a day is equivalent to one hour of physical activity. Researchers have found that red wine contains a substance known as resveratrol, through which it provides benefits similar to those obtained after an hour at the gym. It’s not about giving up sports for good, but taking advantage of the properties of grapes without overdoing it. In fact, just drinking one glass of red wine a day can prevent heart disease, increase muscle strength and regulate blood circulation.

Despite being one of the oldest beverages in the world, the benefits of red wine have only recently been discovered. In the past it was mainly used for entertainment, relaxation and accompanying meals. Today it is also used to treat diseases and disorders such as diabetes, dementia, and osteoporosis. Wine also serves to regulate tobacco-induced damage to blood vessels, either through relaxation or vasodilation

The leader of the research team, Jason Dyck, recommended having a glass of wine to accompany lunch or dinner, without overdoing it with the excuse that it is good for your health. Moreover, experts point out that these kinds of benefits come only from red wine, which could become a complement to the exercise program.

Red wine is made from the must of dark grapes, which are harvested from the vines during the grape harvest. Wine processing is completed with maceration, must, fermentation, filtration, clarification and finally bottling. It is also good for health because it contains polyphenols, which come from the grape skin and seeds, which protect the heart.

One idea might be to alternate gym days with wine drinking days. Research also establishes that drinking a glass of wine every night and continuing to lead a sedentary life does not help the body or the organism at all.

Smokers are increasing among young people : here’s the data

23 February 20246 January 2024 by Alessia Giannino

According to recent research, it appears that since the 1990s there has been a sharp increase in the number of young smokers between the ages of 11 and 15 in both Italy and much of Europe.

The alarm was raised by a team of researchers involved in the ALEC (Ageing lungs in European cohorts) project, a study aimed at testing risk factors on respiratory diseases, paying particular attention to smoking. The scholars, coordinated by Professor Deborah Jarvis of the National heart and lung Institute at the influential Imperial College London, obtained such a high percentage from data on some 120,000 European citizens from 17 countries involved in six separate epidemiological studies conducted between 1970 and 2009. The researchers, through the number of nations and participants, obtained a rather detailed overview. In fact, they divided Europe into four parts (North, South, East and West), in which there are major differences.

Scientists are most concerned about the number of adolescent smokers, in fact from what was indicated by Alessandro Marcon, professor of the Department of Diagnostics and Health at the University of Verona, a +50% relative to very young smokers has been recorded.

“In the 11-15 age group – said the scholar – an increase in new smokers has been observed since 1990, with rates reaching 40 new smokers per 1,000 young people per year in Western Europe, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, and about 30 per 1,000 per year in Southern Europe: Italy, Spain and Portugal.”. For the 16-20 age group, however, there has been a decrease throughout Europe, except in the South, which includes Italy. For Marcon, it is crucial to reduce the number of young people exposed to nicotine addiction, as health problems such as cancer and cardiovascular disease also result.

The enemies of male sexuality

17 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

How is your sex life going? Do you feel confident and in tune with your body? Are you satisfied? Or do you feel that something is not working as it should? If this is the case, perhaps the less-than-stellar performance could be trivially related to advancing age or lifestyle errors. In some cases, however, new-onset defaults could be the telltale sign of as-yet undiagnosed ailments or diseases that deserve to be investigated and treated. Here is a
minimum essential list of the main enemies
of sexual serenity and sometimes overall health, which it is good not to overlook.

Diagnose and treat skin diseases without incising it, new technology from Canada

16 February 20246 January 2024 by Renato Torlaschi

Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, have developed a very special microscope that has the potential ability to diagnose diseases such as skin cancer and perform extremely precise surgeries, all without incising the epidermis.

“Our technology,” explained Yimei Huang, one of the authors of the study, published in Science Advances – allows us to rapidly scan tissues, and when we see a suspicious or abnormal cell structure, we can perform ultra-precise surgery and selectively treat the unwanted or diseased structure within the tissue, without cutting the skin.”

The device is a type of multiphoton excitation microscope that allows imaging of living tissue down to about one millimeter depth using an ultrafast infrared laser beam. What distinguishes the microscope from previous technology is that it can not only digitize living tissue, but also treat it by intensifying the heat produced by the laser.

The researchers wanted to make the multiphoton microscope technology more versatile while increasing its accuracy, being able to identify what is happening under the skin from different angles.

When applied to the treatment of skin diseases, the microscope enables doctors to pinpoint the exact location of the abnormality, diagnose it and treat it immediately. It could be used to treat any structure in the body that is reached by light and requires extremely precise treatment, including nerves or blood vessels in the skin, eyes, brain, or other vital structures.

“We are able to change the path of blood vessels without affecting any of the surrounding vessels or tissues,” said Harvey Lui, another author of the study and a professor in the Department of Dermatology and Skin Sciences at the University of British Columbia – For diagnosing and analyzing diseases such as skin cancer, this could be revolutionary.”

Huang Y, Wu Z, Lui H et al. Precise closure of single blood vessels via multiphoton absorption-based photothermolysis. Sci Adv. 2019 May 15;5(5):eaan9388.

Burning feet? Here are the causes

17 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Do you often experience an unspecified burning sensation or discomfort in your feet, even without having walked for a long time or worn uncomfortable shoes? Are the feet also swollen and/or red or do they have “strange” looking areas of skin? It is best to report this to the doctor, because these manifestations could be due to the presence of diseases that need to be treated early and well to avoid degenerative complications in nerves, blood vessels, and tissues. Here are
The conditions most often causing burning feet
.

Fine dust, even more dangerous than previously thought

11 February 20246 January 2024 by Renato Torlaschi

Extensive research has confirmed previously known links between short-term exposure to particulate matter and an increased risk of hospitalization and death from heart and lung disease, diabetes, and thromboembolism. But it also identified an increased risk of hospitalization for numerous conditions, ranging from sepsis to kidney failure.

These innovations are emphasized by Yaguang Wei, researcher at Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and first author of the study: ” We discovered previously unknown links between pollution and common diseases among older people, such as alterations in fluid volumes and electrolyte concentrations, septicemia, anemia, urinary tract infections and renal failure, even when daily PM2.5 concentrations were lower than the levels indicated in air quality guidelines issued by the World Health Organization.”

For these diseases, which are rarely studied in relation to pollution, each short-term increase of 1 microgram per cubic meter in average PM 2.5 levels was associated with an average of 2,050 additional hospitalizations per year, 12,216 total days in the hospital, and $31 million in hospital and post-acute costs.

Dust produced by pollution is classified according to its size: PM 2.5 has a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers and is the most dangerous to human health, being able to penetrate the pulmonary alveoli with eventual diffusion into the bloodstream. According to the aforementioned WHO guidelines published in 2005, people should not be exposed to 24-hour average levels of PM 2.5 exceeding 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

The team that conducted this new study examined hospital data of Medicare patients, the main medical insurance program administered by the U.S. government aimed at the elderly, from 2000 to 2012. They focused on 214 health conditions and analyzed data on average air pollution levels on the day of admission and the previous day in the location where the patients resided.

Often, people are unable to avoid exposure to air pollution, but they can still take some precautions.

Anyone, but especially those with health problems that can be exacerbated by air pollution, such as cardiovascular conditions, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), should inquire about local air quality levels and, on particularly critical days, follow the advice of experts, who suggest closing windows and avoiding outdoor exercise. “In addition,” it said in an editorial that presented the study by the U.S. researchers, “both patients and physicians should be aware of the impact that poor air quality can have on disease exacerbation in order to better understand and perhaps treat such flare-ups.

Source: Wei Y, Wang et al. Short-term exposure to fine particulate matter and hospital admission risks and costs in the Medicare population: time stratified, case crossover study. BMJ. 2019 Nov 27;367:l6258.

Useful strategies for taking the best care of yourself

12 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Having to take regular medication to keep under control one or more chronic diseases is a fairly common need, but equally common is to forget about it from time to time or to make some mistakes. These are rarely inconveniences that expose one to serious risks, but if forgetfulness and inaccuracies are repeated with some frequency the probability that the therapy loses some of its effectiveness is quite high. Here are a few pointers for adhering faithfully to medication schedules and dosages prescribed by the doctor without much effort, thanks in part to the help of technology.