(November 10, 2009 - Insidermedicine)

 From Germany – According to research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, obesity greatly increases ones chances of having an enlarged left atrium. Researchers examined information on over 1200 adults, administering echocardiograms at the beginning of the study as well as ten years later. Results showed that obesity increased the risk of left atrial enlargement by 2.5 times.  

From Boston – Patients who suffer adverse effects from hospital treatment do not typically receive explanations from medical personnel, according to a report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Surveying over 2,500 patients recently discharged from the hospital, researchers reported a total of 845 adverse events. Only 39.5% of the time were these adverse events actually explained to the patient by medical personnel.    

And finally, from Baltimore – According to another report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, US soldiers are frequently unable to return to combat because of back pain. Researchers reviewed information on over 1,400 soldiers evacuated from either Iraq or Afghanistan who were suffering back pain. Results showed that only 13% of these soldiers actually returned to duty following their evacuation.