Medical Notes: Week of December 8, 2019

The HPV vaccine can prevent about 92 percent of those cancers, but only about half of adolescents receive it. Now, two new studies (1. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-1791 2. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-1902) in the journal Pediatrics could provide reassurance that the HPV vaccine is safe. Reviewing 28 million doses, researchers say 97 percent of side effects are minor ones like headache and dizziness. The vaccine is recommended for routine vaccination at age 11 or 12.

Medical Notes 19-49

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Medical notes this week…

All those messages about protecting yourself from the sun may be sinking in. A study in the journal JAMA Dermatology finds that melanoma in teenagers and young adults has dropped dramatically since 2006. Researchers say since then, melanoma cases dropped about four and a half percent per year among young women, and four percent in men. However, the melanoma rate continues to rise among older adults, probably a result of sun damage years earlier.

The human papilloma virus is an extremely common sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer and cancers of the head and neck. The HPV vaccine can prevent about 92 percent of those cancers, but only about half of adolescents receive it. Now, two new studies (1. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-1791 2. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-1902) in the journal Pediatrics could provide reassurance that the HPV vaccine is safe. Reviewing 28 million doses, researchers say 97 percent of side effects are minor ones like headache and dizziness. The vaccine is recommended for routine vaccination at age 11 or 12.

And finally, with the new year not far away, more Americans are trying to lose weight. a study in the journal JAMA Network Open finds that 42 percent of Americans tried to lose weight between 2015 and 2016… up from 34 percent of us 15 years earlier. Most people take a combination approach–exercising and eating less—however, scientists say we often cut down on our food intake in ways that are almost impossible to maintain.