Study briefs, 03-14: Osteroprosis, intestinal gas, back pain

 No comments  
 E-mail Story
 Print Story
  Share

 digg it!
 Facebook
 del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit

Text Size: 

Tools Sponsor

BY The Washington Post

Extra calcium, vitamin D may do little to prevent osteroporosis fractures

THE QUESTION By supplementing their diet with calcium and vitamin D, known to help build strong bones, many women believe they will be protected from the fractures that often occur as bones become more porous with osteoporosis. Is that a valid assumption?

THIS STUDY randomly assigned 36,282 post-menopausal women, who averaged 62 years old, to take a combination of calcium (1,000 milligrams) and vitamin D (400 international units) or a placebo daily. After about seven years, women who took the supplements had retained about 1 percent more density in their bones than had those in the placebo group. There was little difference between the groups in the rate at which broken bones had occurred. Kidney stones were more common among women who took calcium and vitamin D, as were constipation and bloating or gas.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? Post-menopausal women, who can lose 20 percent of their bone mass within seven years of menopause, increasing their susceptibility to osteoporosis. About 1½ million broken bones a year are attributable to the disease, which afflicts 20 million Americans, 80 percent of them women.

CAVEATS Slightly more than half of the women in the study also took hormone therapy, which may have affected the results. The study did not differentiate between the effects of calcium and vitamin D. About 41 percent of the participants were not taking the specified dosages at the end of the study. At the start of the study, participants did not have vitamin D or calcium deficiency; whether people with such deficiency should expect the same results remains unclear. Earlier studies, which yielded more positive results, involved higher doses (600 IU) of vitamin D.

FIND THIS STUDY Feb. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine; abstract available online at www.nejm.org.

LEARN MORE ABOUT osteoporosis at www.nof.org and http://nihseniorhealth.gov.

An antibiotic seems to help calm frequent discomfort from gas

THE QUESTION Uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing, intestinal gas can be hard to get rid of. Might a drug used to treat diarrhea provide relief?

THIS STUDY randomly assigned 124 adults with frequent symptoms related to intestinal gas, including bloating and flatulence, to take the antibiotic rifaximin or a placebo twice daily. After 10 days, 41 percent of those who took the drug reported fewer symptoms, compared with 23 percent of the others.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? People with chronic gas and bloating. Everyone produces gas in the intestinal tract, generally when bacteria in the colon ferment undigested carbohydrates, but some people produce excessive amounts. Chronic problems may stem from intolerance to certain foods, additives or antibiotics, or may indicate a more serious condition such as diverticulitis or inflammatory bowel disease.

CAVEATS The long-term effectiveness of rifaximin was not tested. The findings were based on participants’ assessments of their symptoms.

FIND THIS STUDY February issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology; abstract available online at www.amjgastro.com.

LEARN MORE ABOUT intestinal gas at http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov and www.gastro.org (click “Patient Center”).

Acupressure treatments appear to help an aching lower back

THE QUESTION Methods used to treat chronic pain in the lower back vary widely. Some people alternate cold and hot compresses. Some rely on bed rest, others on exercise. Medications, traction, ultrasound and acupuncture all have proponents. Might another option be acupressure, the application of thumb or fingertip pressure at points on the body that, in acupuncture, would be pierced and stimulated by needles?

THIS STUDY randomly assigned 129 middle-aged adults who had had low-back pain for more than four months to receive six treatments with acupressure or physical therapy (PT) within a month. PT techniques included pelvic traction, spinal manipulation, thermotherapy, electrical stimulation and exercise. At the end of treatment, both groups reported improvement, but scores on a 24-point scale were four points better for the acupressure group than the PT group. Also, the number of participants considered “significantly disabled” by their back pain was reduced 89 percent more in the acupressure group than in the PT group. When rechecked six months later, the improvements remained.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? Adults with low-back pain, which becomes more common with age and affects nearly everyone at some point.

CAVEATS Results may vary with acupuncturists and physical therapists who use different techniques or have different levels of experience.

FIND THIS STUDY Feb. 17 online edition of BMJ; abstract available at www.bmj.com (click “Online first”).

LEARN MORE ABOUT low-back pain at www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/backpain and www.neurosurgerytoday.org (double-click “What is Neurosurgery,” then “Patient Education Brochures”).