bmj.com -- Press Releases

Press Releases Saturday 6 February 1999
No 7180 Volume 318

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(1) DO POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN REALLY NEED CERVICAL SMEAR TESTS ?

(2) EARLIER DETECTION OF INFANT CATARACTS NEEDED

(3) DO VARICOSE VEINS HAVE SYMPTOMS?

(1) DO POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN REALLY NEED CERVICAL SMEAR TESTS ?

(Withdrawing low risk women from cervical screening programmes : mathematical
modelling study)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/318/7180/356

In the United Kingdom postmenopausal women who are at little risk of developing
cervical cancer remain in the screening programme until the age of 64. In this
week's BMJ, Chris Sherlaw-Johnson and colleagues from University College London
and Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham use a mathematical model to assess
whether these low risk women could be safely removed from the screening
programme. They conclude that withdrawing appropriate women at age 50 or 55
would lead to a rise in the incidence of invasive cervical cancer of about 600
new cases per year, but would free many thousands of women from the stress and
anxiety of unnecessary screening. It would release substantial extra resources
for the health service which could be used more effectively in the screening
programme to counteract a possible increase in cancer incidence or could be
channelled into other aspects of health care.

Contact :

Dr C Sherlaw-Johnson, Senior Research Fellow, Clinical Operational Research
Unit, Department of Mathematics, University College London
email : c.sherlaw-johnson{at}ucl.ac.uk

(2) EARLIER DETECTION OF INFANT CATARACTS NEEDED

(National cross sectional study of detection of congenital and infantile
cataract in the United Kingdom: role of childhood screening and surveillance)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/318/7180/362

In twenty-nine per cent of cases, infant congenital and infantile cataracts are
not detected by health professionals before the age of one year, despite current
UK recommendations to routinely examine newborn babies, says a study in this
week's BMJ carried out through the British Congenital Cataract Interest Group.

Cataract in infancy is an important preventable cause of visual impairment and
blindness in childhood. Researchers at the Institute of Child Health, London,
state that infant cataract management has improved considerably in recent
decades with increased recognition of the importance of early diagnosis and
treatment.
The authors suggest that better training and co-ordination between paediatric,
primary care and ophthalmic health professionals are needed to facilitate early
diagnosis and increase the proportion of cataract cases detected by screening
before the age of three months.

Contact:

Dr Jugnoo S Rahi, Clinical Lecturer on behalf of the British Congenital Cataract
Interest Group, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health and Ophthalmology,
Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London c/o Anna
Barlow, Press office
e-mail: j.rahi{at}ich.ucl.ac.uk

(3) DO VARICOSE VEINS HAVE SYMPTOMS?

(What are the symptoms of varicose veins? Edinburgh vein study cross sectional
population survey)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/318/7180/353

Tens of thousands of varicose vein operations are performed in the UK each year.
Varicose veins are thought to be responsible for lower limb symptoms including
heaviness, swelling, cramps and tingling. The presence of one or more of these
symptoms, along with evidence of abnormal blood movement in leg veins, may be
considered an indication for surgery, despite limited evidence to show that
these symptoms are caused by venous problems, or that operating helps to
alleviate the symptoms.

In this week's BMJ Andrew Bradbury and colleagues at the University of
Edinburgh, along with researchers at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary report that
such symptoms are extremely common in the general population whether or not
varicose veins are present. The authors state that surgical decisions based on
symptoms may be unreliable, and urge clinicians to attempt to distinguish
between patients who may and may not benefit from surgical intervention.

Contact:

Andrew Bradbury, Senior Lecturer and Consultant Vascular Surgeon, The University
of Edinburgh, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
e-mail: gerry.fowkes{at}ed.ac.uk

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