Health Highlights: May 29, 2003

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of The HealthScout News Service:

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Canada’s New SARS Cases Could Top 60

The number of new SARS cases in Toronto could top 60, a senior Canadian health adviser said Thursday, raising concerns about a possible new travel advisory.

The estimate from Dr. Donald Low, chief microbiologist at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, came a day after authorities quarantined 1,700 students and staff from a suburban high school, the Associated Press reports. At least 4,000 others have been quarantined in Toronto because of the recent resurgence of the deadly disease in the city hardest-hit outside of Asia.

Low said health officials were likely to designate more patients as probable cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome when they apply the international definition of the diagnosis to the new outbreak, which was first noticed last week.

Officials fear the World Health Organization could issue another warning against travel to the city, like one on April 23 that was lifted a week later. Dr. Colin D’Cunha, the Ontario commissioner of public health, said the criteria for such a warning are at least 60 probable cases, five new probable cases a day and proof the illness was being exported to other countries.

The Globe and Mail reports that two more people have died of the disease, bringing Canada’s toll to 29. Both were part of a newly discovered cluster in two Toronto hospitals that stemmed from a SARS infection in a 96-year-old patient.

Ontario nurses told The Globe and Mail they had complained in late March that patients in at least one of the two hospitals had SARS symptoms, but their complaints were ignored.

Meanwhile, Taiwan reported 50 new cases of SARS on Thursday — its biggest increase in nearly a week. But officials insisted the island’s outbreak is under control.

Thursday’s jump included 40 patients who earlier tested negative and were later reclassified as confirmed. The latest figures bring the total number of probable SARS cases on the island to 660, with the number of deaths remaining at 81.

BBC reports that, despite the new cases, WHO experts said Taiwan had “caught up” with the outbreak and was close to controlling the virus.

Mainland China reported two more deaths and three new SARS cases on Thursday, its lowest daily number of infections to date. Hong Kong reported three deaths and two new infections.

Worldwide, SARS has killed at least 753 people and sickened more than 8,200.

Some experts say that smoking links to memory problems because it contributes to narrowed arteries that restrict blood flow to the brain.

The latest finding stems from a broader study of thousands of people born in Britain in 1946. The researchers intend to track the participants as they age to see whether their midlife memory problems translate into full-blown dementia when they’re older.

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White House Seeks Changes in Food Pyramid

The White House is urging the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services to change the government’s dietary guidelines.

The Office of Management and Budget, in a letter to the two agencies, wants to revise the famous food pyramid, according to the Washington Post. The White House wants the guidelines to contain stronger warnings about dangerous fats and stronger recommendations to eat more healthful ones.

The OMB letter wants the pyramid to recommend less consumption of trans fatty acids like those found in margarines and baked goods and more consumption of omega-3 acids like those found in fish and canola oil, the Post writes.

“We encourage you to consider strengthening the language in the guidelines and to modify the food guide pyramid to better differentiate the health benefits and risks from foods,” the letter says.

The move was welcomed by consumer groups. “I think there is emerging evidence that omega-3 fatty acids help the heart, and I think the recommendation which is forthcoming from Health and Human Services, from the FDA, is that omega-3 fatty acids can help prevent a second heart attack,” Dr. Marvin Lipman, chief medical adviser for Consumers Union, told the Associated Press.

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Take That Marijuana Outside

It may be perfectly legal to smoke marijuana in a Dutch coffee shop today, but a new law takes aim at that custom. The marijuana will remain legal, but you’ll have to go outside to smoke it, reports the Associated Press.

The law, part of national health guidelines that ban smoking in public places, was aimed at tobacco smokers but ended up targeting marijuana users in the same sweep. Sale of marijuana is illegal in Holland, but its use is not.

For 30 years, Dutch authorities have allowed coffee shops to sell small amounts of what they term “soft drugs” to control, to a degree, what they contend would take place anyway, according to the AP.

Some 800 coffee shops have cropped up, offering patrons juices, board games and comfortable couches along with the marijuana. Annual taste-testing competitions attract thousands of tourists.

The public smoking ban won’t take effect for about 18 months, but coffee shop aficionados already are thinking of ways to get around it. One suggests adding heated, outdoor patios for smokers as coffee shop extensions.

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High Anxiety May Lead to High Cancer Risk

A new study from Norway suggests people who worry too much may put themselves at increased risk for cancer.

The controversial finding should stoke the debate on whether psychological factors may play a role in the development of cancer, says a report in Wednesday’s BBC News Online. Scientists are divided on the issue, with most saying there is not enough evidence to link stress, depression or anxiety to the disease.

In this latest research, scientists from the University of Bergen followed up on 62,591 people who had taken part in a medical survey between 1995 and 1997. The survey was originally used to draw up a national cancer register in Norway.

Those in the study also took a test to determine if they suffered from anxiety. The researchers found the people who scored high in this test were 25 percent more likely to have abnormal cells.

However, because of the large number of people involved they couldn’t say whether anxiety was actually a major risk factor for cancer. Also, the survey did not provide information on whether people smoked or led unhealthy lifestyles, which also increase the chances of developing the disease.

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