The Health News – 16 November 2016

Overview:
•  The joint study between Bond University associate professors of physiotherapy Rodney Pope and  Rob Orr and the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) showed firefighters lose an average of 1.2 kilograms in the first 30 minutes of battling a house fire.

• The research was led by the Robinson Research Institute at the University of Adelaide, and involved the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the Pregnancy Outcome Unit of SA Health showed that women who conceive babies in winter are more likely to develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

• Research physiotherapist Lucy Salmon said Medicare data showed the number of children undergoing ACL reconstructions had more than tripled in the past 15 years.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the  16th of November 2016. Read by Rebecca Foster. Health News

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-15/firefighters-face-rapid-weight-loss,-overheating/8026628

The physiological effect of fighting fires includes rapid weight loss and serious overheating, new research into firefighting shows.

The joint study between two Bond University associate professors and the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) showed firefighters lose an average of 1.2 kilograms in the first 30 minutes of battling a house fire.

Associate professor of physiotherapy Rodney Pope monitored firefighters in a simulated house fire to determine the impact on their body temperature and weight.

The study found the rapid weight loss equated to 1.2kg of fluid through sweating.

Dr Pope said rapid body temperature increases can lead to the risk of heat illness.

Associate professor of physiotherapy Rob Orr said firefighters continued to lose fluid to sweating after leaving a fire, if they remained in their protective equipment.

The study found firefighters should remove their flash hood [helmet] as soon as possible after fighting a fire, to escalate the cooling down process.

Dr Orr said the next stage of research was to determine the best methods of cooling down firefighters and rehydrating them after a fire.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-15/gestational-diabetes-increases-when-babies-conceived-in-winter/8026884

Women who conceive babies in winter are more likely to develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, a study into 60,000 South Australian babies has revealed.

The study, which was carried out over a five-year period, is the first of its kind looking to confirm a seasonal variation in gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes mellitus is a serious pregnancy complication characterised by inadequate blood sugar control in pregnancy.

Complications of gestational diabetes include excessive birth weight, pre-term birth, low blood sugar, and developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

The study found the incidence of pregnancies affected by gestational diabetes increased with 4.9 per cent of pregnancies affected in 2007 and that number increased to 7.2 per cent in 2011.

It also found 6.6 per cent of pregnancies from winter conceptions, compared with 5.4 per cent of summer conceptions, were affected.

The research was led by the Robinson Research Institute at the University of Adelaide, and involved the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the Pregnancy Outcome Unit of SA Health.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-15/australian-children-needing-knee-surgery-for-sports-injuries/8008236

Children’s sports getting faster and more professional are among the reasons being suggested for a rise in the number of young people needing knee reconstructions.

… doctors, physiotherapists and sports injury experts …said they had observed a rise in the number of children having their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) replaced.

Research physiotherapist Lucy Salmon said Medicare data showed the number of children undergoing ACL reconstructions had more than tripled in the past 15 years.

She said those figures did not take into account children who injured their ACLs but did not undergo surgery, children who were not correctly diagnosed, or that were treated in the public system.

The ACL ligament helps hold the knee together. It can be injured when a person pivots, changes direction quickly or lands awkwardly from a jump.

ACL injuries are commonly associated with elite athletes in sports such as netball, AFL and rugby.

The physiology of female hips and knees means teenage girls are more susceptible to the injury, but since boys are more likely to play some form of football their rates of ACL reconstruction are higher than girls.

ACL injuries have serious consequences, including expensive treatment, lengthy rehabilitation and recovery times, and putting the patient at greatly increased risk of osteoarthritis.