Health headlines

Costs quell IVF demand
Women are shying away from IVF after Medicare changes in January doubled out-of-pocket costs for some , the ABC reported.
Around 1000 fewer babies have been born using assisted reproductive technology compared with last year.

Alzheimer’s detected by LP
It might be invasive but researchers are claiming that detecting beta-amyloid in cerebrospinal fluid is up to 100% accurate when used to predict Alzheimer’s disease, The New York Times reported last week.

AMA renews call for MBS indexation
The AMA is calling for the government elected on 21 August to invest in the Medical Benefits Schedule by increasing patient rebates and indexing the schedule so fees paid to doctors are in line with practice costs.

Doctors play down sexual function loss with prostate cancer treatment
A Gold Coast conference has heard that doctors play down the risk of loss of sexual function arising from treatment because they fear it will put patients off, The Sydney Morning Herald reported last week.

Common drugs distort PSA levels
Taking thiazides, NSAIDs and statins regularly may artificially lower PSA levels according to a study from the Journal of Clinical Oncology reported in Business Week. The finding could have significant implications because the medications could either confound diagnosis or have a role to play in disease prevention.

Breath test for cancer
A prototype breath test which can detect and differentiate between bowel, prostate, breast and lung cancer has been successfully trialled in a group of 177 patients, the UK Guardian newspaper reported.

Doctors’ work on hold thanks to swamped national medical board
Since taking over from state registration boards six weeks ago, the Medical Board of Australia has been swamped in an administrative nightmare which has left many doctors waiting for their registration to be processed and unable to work, The Sydney Morning Herald reported last week.

Doctors unhappy about compulsory child checks
Parents who do not take their children for the pre-school health checks introduced by the Labor government in 2008 will not be eligible for family tax benefits, The Age reported.
Medical groups have been critical of the Prime Minister’s plan, including the AMA, which has raised concerns about the lack of evidence supporting the value of the checks.

Posted 16 August, 2010