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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
AI in health care: Hype and red flags to watch for
Some easy-to-understand advice for using A.I, tools safely and knowing when it's time to pick up the phone and call your doctor. With tens of millions of downloads, generative AI apps like ChatGPT are increasingly being used to seek out medical advice. A recent study by researchers at the University of Waterloo found that only a fraction of ChatGPT's responses to open-ended medical questions were considered correct or clear. Experts say large language models (LLMs) should be used with caution. Dr. Vera Kohut, national medical director at Serefin Health, spoke to CTV Morning Live on Thursday to discuss what's helpful, what's hype, and what red flags to look out for. 'It's here to stay and we've just got to understand that it needs to become more fulsome in its accuracy,' she said. Kohut says LLMs are designed to mimic conversations. 'When you understand that AI is really a machine that has been fed information by a human and it has learned from those human interactions, what happens is that it is not personal,' she said. 'It does not know anything about you, your personal history, your family history, your genetics. It doesn't know anything about the geography that you live in, your gender, your race, so as a result, it's giving you blanket information; it's not giving you personal information.' Generative AI tools have no capacity to assess risk or get into the nuances of your personal health situation, Kohut added. 'Therefore, it's likely to give you generalized information. It may be inaccurate,' she said. Red flags to watch for when using AI Kohut says if you should be skeptical whenever a chatbot gives you a diagnosis. 'If it suddenly gives you one diagnosis, or it starts giving you these vague diagnoses, or it says more research is needed, be careful,' she said. 'If it suddenly does not recognize, and it may not, the importance of what you are saying and therefore does not guide you, in a situation where your symptoms are increasing, to go and get further help, or frankly, doesn't talk about you doing that, beware. And if, in situations where you're talking to it and it suddenly starts giving you information about supplements or strange therapeutic interventions, beware.' The Ontario Medical Association recently raised concerns about a growing trend of self-diagnosis using online tools and said that while it's not always necessarily a problem, it can be risky and should be part of a broader conversation with a medical professional. Can AI be helpful? Kohut says there are ways AI tools can help. 'It allows you, for example, to track your symptoms. It allows you to take a look at what you're going through and ask AI what that might mean. It allows you to take medical information and make it more palatable,' she said. She said you can also use it to track medical appointments and medications. Kohut said, however, that it is important to consider privacy whenever you use AI tools. Earlier this year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned that there is no legal confidentiality when feeding personal information into ChatGPT. 'We need to be more aware of the need for privacy in the information that is being given,' she said.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
More women get Alzheimer's than men. It may not just be because they live longer
Working three full-time jobs, raising kids and tending her blooming garden: Angeleta Cox says her mother, Sonia Elizabeth Cox, never really slowed down all her life. Then, at the age of 64, a diagnosis of Alzheimer's slammed the brakes on the vibrant life she'd painstakingly built after immigrating to Canada from Jamaica in 1985. "The onset of the symptoms came on very fast," Cox said of her mother. "She forgot my dad first, and she wasn't able to respond to my brother, so I became a care provider for her," said Cox. Sonia Elizabeth died late last year, after years of battling Alzheimer's. More women get diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease than men. In developed countries, studies suggest about two-thirds of people with Alzheimer's are women. It's a pattern seen in Canada, too, where women account for almost two-thirds of people with dementia, according to the last count from Statistics Canada. Scientists long explained this with a simple demographic fact: women tend to live longer, and age is a strong risk factor for the development of dementia. But that understanding is now changing. While age is still considered an important risk, scientists are increasingly realizing other aspects — both biological and sociological — may play an important role in making women susceptible to developing Alzheimer's. WATCH | Alzheimer's in women linked to early menopause, say scientists: Early menopause linked to Alzheimer's risk, say scientists 1 day ago Early menopause under the age of 40 could raise the risk for women to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's, according to several recent studies. The disease disproportionately affects women over men, and scientists say further investigation into the causes needs to be done. "I think we're beginning to be at an inflection point," said Gillian Einstein, who studies how sex and gender can influence an individual's risk for developing dementia, as part of the Canadian Consortium on Degeneration and Aging. "I think you can feel it here," she said, gesturing around at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where leading Alzheimer's researchers gathered for the annual Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) in late July. "There's so many more sessions on sex differences, or women's health." Hormones, babies and menopause Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia in the world, according to the World Health Organization. It causes symptoms like memory loss, confusion and personality changes. In Canada, Alzheimer's is also the ninth leading cause of death, according to Statistics Canada. One factor scientists now know about: the timing of key hormonal changes, like when women first get their periods, how long they are fertile for, and the age they reach menopause. "There are a lot of studies in the UK Biobank, for example, showing that the longer the reproductive [period] women have, the lower the risk is of late-life Alzheimer's disease. Having [one to] three children also seems to lower the risk of Alzheimer's," said Einstein, referring to a large database containing the health and genetic information from 500,000 volunteers. Premature menopause, which happens before the age of 40, and early menopause (between the ages of 40 and 44) are also key risk factors, said Dr. Walter Rocca, who studies the differences in the way men and women age at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "So these women should be treated appropriately to avoid these deficiency of hormones," said Rocca, who presented research on the topic at the AAIC conference. What that treatment looks like could vary widely, Rocca said, based on the patient, as well as the cost and availability of the drug. Some main treatment approaches include pills, patches, gels and creams containing the hormone estrogen, which has been shown to have neuroprotective effects but naturally declines during menopause. The risk of cognitive decline with early or premature menopause exists whether the menopause happened naturally, or caused by their ovaries being removed, says Einstein. She pointed to a study she co-authored, which analyzed data from over 34,000 women from the UK Biobank. "Women who had their ovaries removed prior to the age of 50 will also have an increased risk of Alzheimer's," she said. More inclusive research Researchers are playing catch-up, when it comes to understanding women's risk for Alzheimer's, says Natasha Rajah, a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Sex, Gender and Diversity in Brain Health, Memory and Aging at Toronto Metropolitan University. "Not only have we not been included in the research, but even in the clinical trials, we're not represented," she said. "It makes no sense when you think this disease affects more females than males." She's hoping to fill in some of those blanks. She's currently conducting the Canadian Brain Health at Midlife and Menopause study (BHAMM), which searches for early signs of the disease through brain scans and blood samples at mid-life. "We're trying to understand whether or not menopause is a window at which some females might be showing early signs of Alzheimer's disease," she said. If they are identifiable, those showing early signs of disease could get treatment or alter their lifestyles to better age, according to Rajah. There is no cure for Alzheimer's, but treatments include drugs that can help manage symptoms. Lifestyle changes, like physical exercise and a brain-healthy diet have also been shown to help brain health in older adults at risk of cognitive decline. She's also hoping to capture a more diverse population group in her research to better understand risk factors associated with race. Alzheimer's research in Western countries like the U.S. and Canada hasn't always been diverse, says Rajah. "With the BHAMM study, we're trying to reach out to as many communities as possible because we want to be more representative in our research." Different choices Looking back, Cox says she now realizes surgically induced menopause was a risk factor for her mother, who had a full hysterectomy after having fibroids in her 30s. The knowledge has led her to make different choices for herself — like reducing stress and taking care of her mental health. She's also now aware of how her own hormones can interact with Alzheimer's risk. "When it came time for me to deal with my fibroids that I had, I chose not to have a full hysterectomy." She's also passing down the knowledge to her daughter — and sharing it with other members of the Black community who have been impacted by Alzheimer's, through the Pan African Dementia Association. She's hoping researchers will find out more about risk factors for women developing Alzheimer's — so fewer women and families have to live through what her mom did.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Asbestos worries cause some Ottawa tennis clubs to close clay courts
Several tennis clubs in Ottawa are testing their clay courts for asbestos as a precautionary measure, following reports of possible contamination in parts of Quebec. The Elmdale Tennis Club and Tennis Centre West Ottawa (TCWO) have both closed their Har-Tru clay courts until the results return, while the Ottawa Tennis Club and the Rideau Sports Centre are keeping their clay courts open. Last week, some Quebec municipalities shut their clay courts down after an analysis found above-standard asbestos concentrations in the products used to maintain them. Saint-Sauveur, Que., found samples taken from clay produced by an American company, Har-Tru, had an asbestos concentration of at least one per cent — 10 times the concentration allowed by Quebec standards. Samples taken from an actual municipal court surface, however, had no traces of asbestos. Tennis clubs in Ottawa became aware of the issue during the week. Chris Cobb, the secretary and spokesperson for Elmdale Tennis Club, said they spoke with other clubs before calling an emergency board meeting Friday night. They then decided to close their courts around 7:30 p.m. "Obviously we hope that the results are negative. But we do have children's camps, summer camps. And we have staff to consider — they're there for long shifts, and they maintain the courts," Cobb said. "It just all made sense to close down, just for a few days." Elmdale, which only has Har-Tru clay courts, told members by email that "out of an abundance of caution" they were closing so they could have their bagged clay supply and the court surfaces tested. "The clay testing company took samples from the club [Saturday] morning," another email said. "The company tells us they should have the testing results back to us by Monday or Tuesday." CBC reached the front desk at TCWO and the Rideau Sports Centre on Saturday, both of which confirmed they were aware of a potential asbestos contamination. The TCWO said their Har-Tru courts were closed but their indoor red clay courts, which have not been recently linked with asbestos contamination, remain open. Elmdale also said it was told by their Canadian supplier that Har-Tru anticipates a temporary hold on the import, sale, and use of its materials in Quebec and possibly other parts of Canada. Made from natural green stone Unlike red-clay, Har-Tru is made from a natural green stone that's extremely hard and angular. It's then crushed, screened, and mixed in the precise proportions necessary to produce a consistent playing surface, according to the company's website. CBC emailed both clubs for an official statement but did not get one in time for publication. The Ottawa Tennis Club declined to comment but sent CBC the statement club members got Friday. It said they'd been in daily contact with Ottawa Public Health (OPS) and there is no evidence that materials on their Har-Tru court are "non-compliant." It also said stored and surface clay was sampled and sent for testing Wednesday morning, with results expected early this week. "According to the information available we have currently, the reported non-compliant test results from the tennis club in Quebec pertained to raw product samples prior to application, not from material already installed on courts," the statement said. "If at any time new information comes to light that may influence our decision to remain open we will immediately re-evaluate." The club has also taken precautionary measures like watering more and adding extra calcium to the court, which can act as a binding agent for asbestos. No reason to panic, says expert The risk of contracting mesothelioma — a form of cancer linked to the inhalation of asbestos fibres — increases tenfold after even the slightest exposure to the fibres, according to Norman King, epidemiologist and scientific advisor for the Quebec Association for Asbestos Victims. He told CBC the closures are no reason to panic. "If we say that the risk is 10 times greater in someone slightly exposed, it is still a rare disease, it is one case per 100,000 people exposed," he said. In its own statement Saturday, OPH said they'd been in touch with local tennis clubs for consultations about clay courts.
