Doctors say 20,000 women a year - some as young as 30 - may need their healthy breasts removed to avoid cancer. Here's how to find out if YOU are one of those facing an agonising dilemma
Their options are stark – face the prospect of a disease that has likely affected and even killed women in their families, or undergo a surgery described by doctors as 'medieval' and 'mutilating'.
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The Guardian
13 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Liquid butt lifts targeted in clampdown on England's cosmetic ‘wild west'
Ministers have announced a clampdown on 'cowboy' cosmetic procedures, including liquid Brazilian butt lifts, with stricter rules on who is allowed to perform the procedures in England. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, plans to introduce legislation next year restricting who can access and perform aesthetic treatments. Labour has warned that the industry is a 'wild west' because of a lack of regulation around who can administer treatments such as dermatological filler and Botox injections. At present a licence is not required to perform such procedures in England. Health department officials said botched treatments had left people 'maimed' and suffering from 'dangerous complications, permanent scarring and even death'. Ministers plan to introduce new rules whereby only qualified healthcare professionals can deliver high-risk procedures such as liquid Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs). Providers will need to be regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and those found to be breaking rules could face sanctions and financial penalties. Clinics offering lower-risk procedures such as Botox and fillers will need to be licensed by their local authority. The proposals will be subject to a consultation early next year that will seek views on the types of procedures that should be covered by the new regulations. Liquid BBLs involve injecting filler into the buttocks to lift them and make them look bigger or more rounded. The procedure can cause serious side-effects such as blood clots and sepsis. A 33-year-old woman, Alice Webb, died last year after complications from a suspected liquid BBL in Gloucestershire. Last month, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute warned that fat injections, BBLs, Botox and fillers were being offered by untrained people in places such as public toilets. Health officials launched an investigation after several people had reactions to Botox-like injections this year. The government urged people always to ask for providers' qualifications and insurance and to be wary of 'suspiciously cheap' offers. Restrictions on high-risk treatments will be introduced via an amendment to the CQC's regulations, while licensing for providers of lower-risk procedures will be introduced via secondary legislation. The government also plans to bring in restrictions for under-18s on high-risk cosmetic procedures unless these have been approved by a healthcare professional. It became illegal for children to receive Botox and dermal fillers in England in 2021. The Scottish government announced plans in May to regulate aesthetic treatments, but there have been no moves to tighten regulation in Wales or Northern Ireland. 'The government's move to regulate non-surgical aesthetic procedures is an important first step forward for patient safety,' said Tim Mitchell, the president of the Royal College of Surgeons. But Mitchell stressed that regulation should go further, by ensuring that procedures such as buttock or breast augmentation are performed only by surgeons who have been recognised by the Cosmetic Surgery Board. 'This will ensure high standards of care, reduce avoidable harm and give patients the confidence they deserve when seeking aesthetic treatments,' he said. Sue Davies, the head of consumer protection policy at Which?, said the changes would 'mean little without a serious overhaul of consumer enforcement teams such as trading standards, which are currently stretched too thinly to properly investigate these rogue traders who are putting consumers at risk'. Millie Kendall, the chief executive of the British Beauty Council, which represents the industry, said the changes 'will help instil confidence as well as helping to prevent the normalisation of horror stories that have become synonymous with our sector'. Karin Smyth, a health minister, said: 'The cosmetics industry has been plagued by a wild west of dodgy practitioners and procedures. There are countless horror stories of cosmetic cowboys causing serious, catastrophic damage. 'This government is taking action to protect those seeking treatments, support honest and competent practitioners, and root out the cowboys as part of our plan for change. 'This isn't about stopping anyone from getting treatments – it's about preventing rogue operators from exploiting people at the expense of their safety and keeping people safe. We're giving them peace of mind and reducing the cost to the NHS of fixing botched procedures.'
The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Scientists find link between genes and ME/chronic fatigue syndrome
Scientists have found the first robust evidence that people's genes affect their chances of developing myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a mysterious and debilitating illness that has been neglected and dismissed for decades by many in the medical community. Early findings from the world's largest study into the genetics of the condition pinpointed eight regions of the human genome that were substantially different in people with an ME/CFS diagnosis compared to those without the illness. The discovery suggests that several variants of genes commonly found in the population raise the risk of developing the illness, though many people will carry the variants and never acquire it. Prof Chris Ponting, an investigator on the DecodeME study at the University of Edinburgh, called the results 'a wake-up call' that showed a person's genetics could 'tip the balance' on whether they would develop ME/CFS. 'These provide the first robust evidence for genetic contributions to ME,' Ponting said. 'There are many genetic variants that apply across the genome that predispose people to be diagnosed with ME.' More research is needed to develop diagnostic tests or screenings to identify people at high risk of ME/CFS. But scientists called the work a milestone that put the illness on an equal footing with other debilitating diseases and opened potential avenues for treatments. 'This really adds validity and credibility for people with ME,' said Sonya Chowdhury, chief executive of Action for ME and a DecodeME co-investigator. 'We know that many people have experienced comments like 'ME is not real'. They've been to doctors and they've been disbelieved or told that it's not a real illness.' Despite its long history, scientists understand very little about the causes of ME/CFS, though most patients report an infection before symptoms first appear. Typical symptoms include extreme tiredness, sleep problems, brain fog and a worsening of symptoms after physical or mental activities, known as post-exertional malaise, which can take weeks to recover from. It is estimated that 67 million people are affected by ME/CFS at an annual cost to the global economy of tens of billions of pounds. In the UK, the annual economic toll is calculated at more than £3bn. There is no test or cure for the illness. The DecodeME study, a collaboration between Edinburgh University, ME charities and patients, was launched in 2022 to explore whether genes play a role in who develops ME/CFS. For the latest work, researchers analysed 15,579 DNA samples from 27,000 people with ME/CFS and more than 250,000 people without the illness. The eight genetic regions that stood out in people with ME/CFS contain genes involved in immune defences and the nervous system. It will take more work to unpick the biology, but some gene variants may make people more vulnerable to ME/CFS by compromising their ability to fight bacterial and viral infections. Another genetic difference seen in ME/CFS is known from people with chronic pain, a symptom that many with ME/CFS also experience. 'Overall, what is happening here is the genetics align with how people with ME have described their illness,' Ponting said. Andy Devereux-Cooke, a DecodeMe co-investigator, said the findings would be huge for patients. 'The vast majority of the patient population essentially has been abandoned in one way or another, by families, the government, the medical system,' he said. 'This will be huge for the patient population. Even though it does not provide all the answers [and] it does not provide practical assistance, it is a welcome drop in the ocean towards turning the tide.' Among the many questions that remain is why ME/CFS affects far more women than men. Diagnoses are four times more common in women, but the study found no genetic explanation. Another question is whether long Covid overlaps with ME/CFS. While many symptoms are similar, the researchers found no genetic link between the two. 'One of the key things we're doing is enabling others to use their different approaches to ask and answer the same question,' said Ponting. Prof Anne McArdle, who studies ME/CFS at the University of Liverpool, said the results, which have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, provided 'a solid basis' for future work that would hopefully help accelerate the development of a treatment for the devastating illness. Dr Beata Godlewska, who studies ME/CFS at the University of Oxford, recently used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to scan the brains of people with ME/CFS and long Covid. Those with ME/CFS but not long Covid had high levels of lactate in the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region that integrates information about effort and emotion. This points to disrupted energy metabolism in the brain, and impaired mitochondria, the battery-like structures that provide energy inside cells. Godlewska said 'It's a very sad fact that people with ME/CFS are still disbelieved and the disease has been so neglected, especially when it comes to research funding. Hopefully this study will come with a benefit of both fighting the stigma, and convincing research funders that this is a truly biological condition.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
FDA flags problems with two Boston Scientific heart devices tied to injuries and deaths
U.S. health regulators are warning doctors and patients about safety issues with two separate Boston Scientific heart devices recently linked to injuries and deaths. The Food and Drug Administration issued two alerts Wednesday about electrical problems tied to the company's heart-zapping defibrillator systems and a separate issue with a heart implant used to reduce stroke risk. The agency said the company's Endotak Reliance defibrillator wires can become calcified, leading to failures in delivering life-saving shocks to the heart, according to the FDA. Defibrillators are surgically placed in the upper chest, where they monitor irregular heartbeats and use electrical shocks to jolt the heart back to normal. As of July 24, Boston Scientific has reported 386 serious injuries and 16 deaths associated with this issue, the agency said. Ten of the deaths were judged to be due to the device failing to function properly, the company said in an email. Four were linked to attempts to surgically remove the devices from patients and two others were deemed unrelated to the implants. Boston Scientific's wires were distributed between 2002 and 2021 and are no longer available, the company noted in its letter to doctors. Some patients will need to have the devices replaced, though physicians should weigh the risks of the removal procedure. In a separate notice, the FDA said Boston Scientific recently updated instructions for implanting its Watchman device, which closes a portion of the heart's left atrium to reduce the risk of stroke. In a letter to physicians, the company noted that there is an increased risk of blockages in the bloodstream depending on the level of anesthesia for patients undergoing the initial implantation procedure. Watchman is an alternative to long-term treatment with blood thinners for patients at increased risk of stroke. As of July 30, the company has reported 120 serious injuries and 17 deaths related to the issue, the FDA said. A company investigation concluded that the safety issue 'is not associated with the design or manufacture of any component of the Watchman system. Heart devices, including defibrillators and other implants, are Boston Scientific's largest business, making up two-thirds of its $5 billion in revenue for the most recent quarter. Shares of Boston Scientific Corp. fell nearly 1.8 percent Wednesday to close at $102.95 in trading. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
