Psoriasis is a chronic condition, which can have a devastating effect on a person's self-confidence.
New treatment for psoriasis
International studies have linked skin conditions such as psoriasis with significant levels of depression, social isolation and increased risk of suicide among sufferers. Now a new prescription-only ointment has been developed which combines two of the most effective psoriasis treatments, steroids and vitamin D analogues. Selling under the name Dovobet, it has shown good results in controlling the condition.
Pill and gene link to cancer
Women who carry mutations in the BRCA1 breast cancer gene and have taken the Pill may have an increased risk of early-onset breast cancer, according to a large scale Canadian study. Among women with BRCA1 mutations (a risk factor for breast tumours), those who used oral contraceptives for five or more years had a 33 per cent increase in the risk of breast cancer, compared to women who had never used oral contraceptives. The risk was elevated in women who used contraceptives before age 30, women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 40 and women who first used oral contraceptives before 1975.
Hearts helped by pet power
Research into the health effects of pet ownership has shown that people with pets had significantly lower heart rates and blood pressures, both at rest and when performing mental arithmetic, than people without pets. However, probably the most interesting finding of the study was that people who owned pets had the greatest increases in blood pressure and heart rate in the presence of their spouse and the lowest readings in the presence of their pets.
Correction
An incorrect website address for the bladder control information service Tirim was given in this column a fortnight ago. The correct address is www.tirim.com