Diuretics reduce risk of death from congestive heart failure
...doctors question whether the benefits of the drugs outweigh the risks. Diuretics can have serious side effects such as depleting electrolytes (potassium and magnesium), which can contribute to irregular heartbeat and kidney disorders. "Diuretics are effective, easy to administer and inexpensive," said Clyde ...Race/ethnicity predict lipids, heart-disease risk in HIV-1 patients on protease inhibitors
...ral drugs, the benefits of the medicines still far outweigh the risks of serious side effects. "These drugs still work," says co-author Pablo Tebas, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Penn. "They prolong life." The data on which the study was based came from blood samples of a racially mixed group of 626 ...Vertebroplasty heals fractures but may cause others, Mayo Clinic study finds
...rtebroplasty and believes the potential advantages outweigh the risks. "I still have an open mind about the true risk of new fracture after vertebroplasty," he says. "Vertebroplasty most likely is a good procedure, and it is still probably prudent to help relieve pain with vertebroplasty. We need to be awar...Understanding fatigue in chronic liver disease
...at the risks of anti-TNF-alpha therapy most likely outweigh the potential benefits. They conclude: "It is to be hoped that a better understanding of these processes may lead to the development of more effective and rational therapies for this disabling symptom of cholestatic liver disease."...Light to moderate alcohol consumption not beneficial to health
...derate drinking will be very small and unlikely to outweigh the harmsDo not assume there is a window in which the health benefits of alcohol are greater than the harms there is probably no free lunch."...Aspirin may help the heart, but one in ten patients will also develop an ulcer, new research shows
...benefits of aspirin therapy for these patients far outweigh any side-effects. He advises concerned patients to discuss their circumstances with their GP or physician. But he says the findings are food for thought for otherwise healthy people with low-risk or no history of vascular disease, who might see aspir...Nearly half of people with diabetes are not using aspirin to reduce risk of heart attack and stroke
...ich the benefits of aspirin therapy are thought to outweigh the risks; the USPSTF recommendations also note th...he benefits of aspirin therapy have been proven to outweigh the risks in moderate to high risk populations, it is concerning that so many people with diabetes a...Study suggests that aspirin is under-prescribed
...atients except when the risk of side effects would outweigh the benefits (for example, if there is too much of a risk that the drug could cause internal bleeding). The new study therefore suggests that aspirin is being under-prescribed. People with diabetes are also at higher risk of cardiovascular disease...Statins reduce the risk of stroke and death after carotid artery surgery
...luding muscle and liver problems, the benefits may outweigh the risks for many people. "They really appear to be powerful drugs that have far-reaching effects beyond simply lowering cholesterol levels," Dr. Perler said....Mental illness exacts 'enormous toll' for US businesses and institutions
...the short term, but the long-term benefits clearly outweigh the initial treatment costs. "The old adage that you get what you pay for applies here," he said....Risks of taking sedatives for insomnia in older people may be greater than the benefits
For older people, the risks outweigh the benefits of taking sleeping pills and other sedatives, say researchers in this week's BMJ. Insomnia can often affect the quality of life for older people and between 5% and 33% of older people in the UK are prescribed sleeping pills such as benzo...HIV mortality in India drops with introduction of generic antiretroviral therapy
...tients from continuing ART? "No. Benefits of HAART outweigh the toxicities, based on our experience in our patients," said lead author Nagalingeswaran Kumarasamy, PhD, of the YRG Centre for AIDS Research and Education in Chennai. Along with the much cheaper price of ART--which can be expected to drop even fur...Cannabis smoke is less likely to cause cancer than tobacco smoke
...unds that the risks associated with the drug still outweigh its benefits....Model predicts risk of breast cancer for young women treated for Hodgkin lymphoma
...ovided by successful radiotherapy and chemotherapy outweigh the associated risks of breast cancer and other late sequelae. Moreover, current modifications in treatment will likely result in lower risks of breast cancer in the future," the authors write. In an editorial, Dan L. Longo, M.D., of the National In...Hepatitis C drug proves cost-effective in helping patients with treatment-induced anemia
...s expensive, so it is unclear whether its benefits outweigh its cost. UCLA researchers conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis and found that despite the high cost, co-therapy with erythropoietin proved more cost-effective compared to using the standard treatment in patients who experience treatment-induced a...Hopkins experts highlight strategies to raise levels of so-called good HDL cholesterol
...earchers caution that the potential risks here may outweigh the benefits in people with liver or addiction problems. For dietary control, the researchers recommend a diet low in saturated fat and rich in the polyunsaturated fatty acids found in foods such as oils (olive, canola, soy and flaxseed), nuts (almon...Doctors should stop prescribing antibiotics for the common cold, review advises
...hey stop other infections, and the benefits do not outweigh the risks, according to a new systematic review of current evidence. "Antibiotics appear to have no benefit in the treatment of acute upper respiratory tract infections," conclude Dr. Bruce Arroll and Dr. Timothy Kenealy of the University of Auckland...Three deadly parasite genomes sequenced
...etic level, the similarities among these parasites outweigh their differences. The shared genes give scientists a vastly expanded array of targets for development of new drugs that conceivably could work against all three parasites, explains Dr. Rogers. Conversely, he adds, analyzing the relatively smaller wa...ARRS president responds to NAS report on ionizing radiation
...graphy, should only be performed when the benefits outweigh the risk. Radiologists are trained in the use of medical radiation and committed to ALARA [as low as reasonably possible] dosing as a guiding principle for administering X-rays for necessary tests. Patients should consult with their doctors and seek ......pulation each year. However, this benefit does not outweigh the expected risk of a major gastrointestinal bleed at age 60 (1-2 per 1000 per year). "In my view, we should not contemplate an age threshold approach to primary prevention with aspirin until we have much better evidence of its benefits in older p...