Bone fracture ups risk of male breast cancer
While rare, breast cancer can occur in men and a new study suggests that the risk of developing male breast cancer is increased by having a close relative with breast cancer, being obese and physically inactive, and “somewhat surprisingly,” suffering a bone fracture after the age of 45.
Dr. Louise Brinton of the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues analyzed risk factors for male breast cancer among 324,920 men enrolled in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. A total of 121 men developed breast cancer during the study.
They found that men with either a sister, brother, or other “first-degree” relative with breast cancer had nearly a two-fold increased risk of developing breast cancer, compared with men without an affected first-degree relative.
Poor sleep may impact elders’ physical abilities
Poor quality sleep may lead to poorer physical function among otherwise healthy older men, study findings suggest.
“Men with poorer sleep quality, such as frequent awakening episodes, had weaker hand grip, slower walking speed, poorer walking balance, and were less likely to rise from a chair without using their hands,” Dr. Thuy-Tien L. Dam told Reuters Health.
However, “we don’t know what came first or what caused what,” noted Dam, who is currently associated with Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, in New York.
Most women satisfied with cosmetic breast surgery
In a survey of more than 300 women who had one of several cosmetic breast operations, nearly 97 percent of said that the results met or exceeded their expectations.
And while 43 percent of women said they experienced nipple numbness after cosmetic breast surgery, the problem persisted in only about 5 percent.
The survey included women who were treated over a 5-year period by Dr. Eric Swanson, a plastic surgeon in private practice in Leawood, Kansas.
Chronic lung disease common in older adults
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death globally, and one of every four men and one of every six women will develop COPD if they live to be 95 years old.
Those are the latest findings of the ongoing, population-based Rotterdam Study, presented here this week at the 18th Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society.
COPD is primarily cause by two principal diseases, emphysema and chronic bronchitis, both of which are strongly linked to smoking. A primary symptom is the difficulty and ultimately inability to move air through the lungs. The symptoms are severely disabling and have life-threatening complications. An estimated 12 million people in the United States have COPD.
