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The Sun
6 days ago
- The Sun
Weight loss jabs could be key to controlling asthma in thousands of Brits, say scientists
WEIGHT loss jabs could help control asthma symptoms in obese people, a study suggests - and it's not just about losing weight. The drugs should be explored as a potential treatment for obese people with asthma, who are "often resistant" to steroids, researchers said. 1 Weight-loss jabs, also known as glucagon-like peptide1 receptor-agonists (GLP1-RAs), work by mimicking the hormone GLP-1 to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels and dull hunger pangs. They were initially developed as a treatment for people with type 2 diabetes - Ozempic is a key example. Several types of the drug are recommended to help tackle obesity on the NHS, including Wegovy or Mounjaro. Previous studies have suggested the drugs may slash the risk of illnesses like sleep apnoea, dementia and stroke. Now, an international team of experts are exploring their potential impact on obese people with asthma. Professor David Price, University of Aberdeen chair in primary care respiratory medicine, said: "People with obesity and asthma are unique in that they are often resistant to steroid treatments. "We know that GLP1s work on inflammatory responses in the airways in a different way to traditionally used steroids." People with a BMI of 30 or more have a much higher risk of having asthma than those with a lower BMI, according to the American Lung Association. It said extra weight around the chest and abdomen can constrict the lungs and make it more difficult to breathe. But research also suggests that fat tissue produces inflammatory substances that might affect the lungs and up the risk of asthma. Having asthma can also increase the risk of obesity, as symptoms can make it harder to be physically active and long-term steroid use can increase hunger, NHS Cambridge University Hospitals Trust suggests. For the new study, published in Advances in Therapy, researchers analysed the records of 10,111 people on GLP1-RAs and 50,555 people who were not on the drugs. After a follow-up period, the team found that those taking weight-loss jabs lost more weight and had improved asthma control. Researchers said the findings suggest medics "should pay attention to the relationship between GLP-1 RA and the risk of respiratory diseases". Prof Price added: "We found compelling evidence that GLP1s, as well as increasing weight loss, also improved asthma symptoms. "In addition, it is important to note that the benefits to asthma symptoms occurred despite fairly modest weight loss of around 0.9kg over the course of the year. WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR WEIGHT LOSS JABS ON THE NHS? NHS eligibility for weight loss injections has expanded but still lags behind the number who could potentially benefit from taking them. Wegovy, medical name semaglutide, is only available for weight loss through specialist weight management clinics. Patients are typically expected to have tried other weight loss methods before getting a prescription. They may be eligible if their body mass index (BMI) is higher than 30, or higher than 27 if they have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. Mounjaro, known as tirzepatide, is also available from GP practices but currently only to patients with a BMI of 40 or higher (or 37.5 if from a minority ethnic background) plus four weight-related health conditions. The medicines are currently being rationed to the patients most in need. NHS watchdog NICE estimates that more than three million Brits will ultimately be eligible. The GLP-1 injections are prescribed separately by GPs for people with type 2 diabetes, and patients should discuss this with their doctor. "Our findings suggest that GLP1s may have beneficial effects on asthma control for people with obesity and this should be explored further." Prof Alan Kaplan, chairperson of the Family Physician Airways Group of Canada and the Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute, said: "Our findings suggest that GLP1-RAs have benefits on asthma control in people with obesity, and this information should contribute to the discussions around the decision to use these drugs." Dr Erika Kennington, head of research and innovation at Asthma and Lung UK, said: "Research has previously shown that people living with obesity who lose weight see improved control of their asthma, so it's encouraging to see this study show this is still the case when the weight loss is driven by drugs, like the new class of weight loss drugs. "Although exercise can help people lose weight, for some people it can cause anxiety about becoming breathless or having an asthma attack, so people are stuck in a vicious cycle of not being able to lose weight and their asthma worsening. "Therefore, where exercise hasn't worked for someone these drugs that support weight loss could offer a promising alternative. "It's too early to say whether these drugs would be effective for people with asthma more widely. "More research is needed to understand how these drugs actually improve asthma control. Funding for lung health research is on life support and urgent action is needed to increase investment." It's though that 7.2 million people in the UK have asthma, according to Asthma + Lung UK. Meanwhile, 64 per cent of adults aged 18 and above in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity between 2023 and 2024.
NBC News
6 days ago
- NBC News
After Cleveland Clinic expanded to Florida, patients say surprise fees followed
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — When the Cleveland Clinic started acquiring hospitals and medical offices in this palm tree-lined region six years ago, many Floridians were excited. The Ohio nonprofit, ranked among the top hospitals in the world, pledged to bring expert care and an infusion of cash to the state's Treasure Coast, an area north of Boca Raton brimming with 55-and-up gated communities. But in the years after the Cleveland Clinic's blue and green signs popped up outside dozens of medical offices, patients began receiving unexpected bills: an additional $95 for a consultation with a neurosurgeon. An extra $112 to see a family medicine physician. And $174 more for a neurologist appointment that previously cost only a $50 co-pay. Baffled, the patients contacted their doctors' offices and insurers and learned that the new costs were 'facility fees' — charges that hospitals have traditionally billed for inpatient stays and emergency room visits but are now increasingly charging for routine appointments in their outpatient clinics. The fees, which are often not fully covered by insurance, are meant to support the higher level of care that these doctors' offices provide, according to hospitals. For blindsided patients, that can mean paying a hospital fee — even if they never set foot in a hospital. 'My heart dropped,' said Brandy Macaluso-Owens, 43, a social worker who lives in Port St. Lucie. She received a $174 facility fee after a visit in March with a Cleveland Clinic gastroenterologist. 'I probably met with the doctor maybe as little as 15 minutes.' The Cleveland Clinic defended facility fees in an email, saying they are an 'appropriate practice' that align 'with government regulations and industry guidelines.' 'These fees help support just some of the costs of maintaining outpatient facilities so that we can continue providing high-quality, compassionate care to all patients,' the Cleveland Clinic said. The Cleveland Clinic is far from the only hospital charging facility fees, which amount to billions of dollars annually for patients across the country. The fees have become pervasive in recent years as major health systems have snapped up doctors' offices, making it harder for patients to find independent practices: More than half of all physicians nationally are now employed by hospitals or health systems, up from just a quarter in 2012. For more on facility fees, watch NBC's 'Nightly News with Tom Llamas' at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT and 'Top Story' on NBC News NOW at 7 p.m. ET. At the same time, facility fees have become more noticeable because of a rise in high-deductible health insurance plans, which leave patients paying a larger share of their medical bills before their insurance kicks in. A study last year found that the average deductible for employer-sponsored coverage had risen about 47% in a decade. These factors are affecting many patients who are already teetering financially. About half of adults in the U.S. say they would be unable to pay an unexpected $500 medical bill or would have to go into debt to pay it, according to the health policy group KFF. Facility fees can run into the hundreds of dollars, and even small amounts can quickly add up. 'People are getting really high bills for simple, routine care,' said Christine Monahan, an assistant research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University who has studied the issue. 'They don't expect to be paying high bills for this. And it's not realistic to expect people to be able to afford this.' Opposition to outpatient facility fees is a rare area of agreement between patient advocates and insurance companies, which argue that hospitals are unnecessarily inflating the cost of care. While efforts to restrict facility fees have drawn bipartisan support at the state and federal levels, the hospital industry has pushed back, arguing that the fees are necessary to help fund core services like 24/7 emergency departments, and that insurers should cover them. These national forces are all colliding in southeast Florida, where 11 patients told NBC News that the Cleveland Clinic had charged them unexpected facility fees in the past several years. For some, the fees were a mere annoyance, a sign of the escalating cost of health care. For others, the bills were a financial burden too big to shoulder. And some are refusing to pay them. Billie Paukune Boorman, a waitress, was recently charged a $174 facility fee for her 13-year-old daughter's ear, nose and throat appointment, along with over $200 in other unanticipated charges. 'I don't have that kind of money laying around,' she said. The Cleveland Clinic declined an interview request from NBC News and declined to comment on individual cases but said in its email that patients are charged facility fees in doctors' offices that are classified as hospital outpatient departments, which must meet stricter quality and safety standards than nonaccredited physician practices. The facility fees reflect 'the significant added costs to hospitals of complying with these standards,' the Cleveland Clinic added. The Cleveland Clinic told NBC News that it has sent more than 250,000 letters to its Florida patients informing them of the fees ahead of their appointments, and said it posts signs at its offices saying that they are hospital outpatient departments. Medicare patients receive an additional notice at check-in. The letters that the Cleveland Clinic sent say patients may see 'a change from how you were billed in the past' but do not explicitly note that patients may be charged more out of pocket. Many of the patients who spoke to NBC News did not recall receiving the letters. The health system did not answer questions about how it determines the price of a facility fee but said the costs 'vary depending on the facility and the type of medical services provided.' Several patients said they did not notice any differences in their care after the fees were implemented. Last year, Irene Rauch, 66, a semiretired human resources executive, was charged a $95 facility fee for an appointment with a neurosurgeon she said she had seen for the same type of appointment three months earlier for just a $15 co-pay. The added charge was not something she had budgeted for.
NBC News
7 days ago
- NBC News
‘We need to stop this': U.S. nurse in Gaza warns of mass starvation
Elidalis Burgos, an American nurse volunteering in Khan Younis, told NBC News that extreme malnutrition due to the Israeli blockade of Gaza is affecting patients' chances of survival, and now also impacting the health of her fellow medics.
