Precision Medical Care Newsletter: September 19, 2024
Highlights from the menopause society meeting last week
1. Precision Preventive breast cancer assessments are the anchor of breast cancer care. Oncologist Dr Funmi Olapade is one of the top researchers in the world who is studying genetic risk factors for breast cancer. She said: “Every woman less than 30 years old should have some risk assessment for breast cancer.”
Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Calculator for Breast Cancer Risk Assessment | MagView
Women are encouraged to enroll in the Wisdom study, enrollment includes (free!) genetic testing for hereditary breast cancer. WISDOM Study
2. “Hair loss : the good, the bad and the ugly” may have been one of the most well attended lectures… hair loss is SO common and there are many possible reasons: infectious causes, inflammatory causes, hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies (zinc, iron, B vitamins, omega three, vitamin D) and autoimmune conditions. Once a dermatologist has properly evaluated the patient (ideally with dermatoscope), a precision treatment program can be established. Female pattern hair loss is most common during the menopause transition and treatments can include: topical minoxidil, oral minoxidil, spironolactone, dutasteride, finasteride, low-level laser therapy and platelet rich plasma injections. As a patient of Precision Medical Care, you are evaluated with an integrative approach so that the inflammatory, hormonal and nutritional factors of hair loss are identified. Collaboration with an expert dermatologist is an important part of your care, too.
Other notable slides:
No wonder so few physicians are up to date on the care of women’s health in midlife!
Body composition changes of midlife have significant metabolic impact. This is why it’s so important to differentiate one’s BMI (body mass index) from one’s PBF (percentage body fat). As a patient of Precision Medical Care, these vital biomarkers are tracked over time and we are AGGRESSIVE about treating insulin resistance, lowering inflammation and shedding visceral fat. Building and preserving our lean muscle mass is vital to healthy aging. Hormonal changes significantly impact these body composition biomarkers, for both men and women.
Cardiovascular Risk Assessment tools:
The “PREVENT” risk calculator incorporates added biomarkers related to blood sugar, kidney health and ZIP CODE. Did you know that one of the most prognostic indicators of health outcomes is zip code?
Your kidney health is so important and we are actively trending your eGFR (glomerular filtration rate) while reminding you to STAY WELL HYDRATED!
For those of you with lower eGFR, the urinary testing that we order is to establish your urinary albumin: creatinine ratio which is included in this risk calculator:PREVENT Online Calculator - Professional Heart Daily | American Heart Association
As a reminder, the value of Coronary Calcium Testing is to assess the risk of heart disease using data from a heart scan:
MESA Risk Score and Coronary Age Calculator | The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Our risk factors for diseases of aging are modifiable, let’s keep tracking data and learning more about how to personalize, predict and PREVENT our risks.
We don’t yet see lipoprotein(a) or ApoB included in risk assessment calculation tools. These are considered newer biomarkers that have impact on our risk of cardiovascular disease, too.
Some recent pics from the iPhone of Dr Johnson:
It was such a pleasure to see Dr Kristi DeSapri at the conference, she is a leader in the field of Women’s Bone Health and a trusted specialist physician to our Precision Medical Care patients.
Dr Agarwal and I will be sharing some highlights soon of our recent visit to Prenuvo in Chicago, here’s a sneak peak.
