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Morning Medical Update: Study defines long covid; Cannabis doesn’t carry same COPD risk; No safe way to wean off gender meds
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The top news stories in primary care today.
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Long covid has finally been defined by scientists, according to a new study. Participants reported over 200 symptoms which were then condensed into 12, all of which have different point values. To be diagnosed, patients need to score 12 points. The symptoms and their points include: Loss of smell or taste – 8 points, Chronic cough – 4, Brain fog – 3.
Cannabis doesn’t carry same COPD risk
New research shows smoking cannabis doesn’t carry the same COPD risk as smoking tobacco. Although less risky, experts are still against smoking. “It is best to be avoided,” Dr. Thomas Kilkenny, a doctor of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine at Staten Island University Hospital, Northwell Health, in New York said.
No safe way to wean off gender meds
Anti-trans legislators in Texas call for youths to be “safely weaned” off gender-affirming medication, but doctors say that’s impossible. “There’s no appropriate way to do that because it’s medically necessary treatment,” said Alex Keuroghlian, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the director of education and training programs at The Fenway Institute. Experts are most worried about how this will affect the mental health of trans youth.
