Health Report

Broadening the definition of clinical obesity has lowered its prevalence in children but increased it in mid-life. Researchers hope this will assist clinicians with individualised care and advice for people in larger bodies.

If you have polyps removed during a colonoscopy, you may be asked to come back in 3-5 years time for another procedure. But does that timing decrease your risk of cancer?

A new study shows fear related harms like post traumatic stress disorder and panic disorder are the most frequent symptoms experienced by survivors of intimate partner violence involving guns and other weapons.

Family and domestic violence support services:

If you need help immediately, call emergency services on Triple Zero. 

• Women's Crisis Line: 1800 811 811
• 1800 Respect National Helpline: 1800 737 732
• Men's Referral Service: 1300 766 491
• The Kids Helpline: 24-hour support on 1800 55 1800
• Lifeline: 131 114 

References

• The Lancet commission definition of clinical obesity: a multi-cohort cross-sectional analysis from early childhood to older age in seven high-income countries
• Colonoscopy Intervals and Colorectal Cancer Incidence after Adenoma Removal
• Gun and Other Weapon–Involved Intimate Partner Violence and Psychiatric Symptoms
• AIHW: Polypharmacy in Australia in 2025
• BMJ: Quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccination before pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes: nationwide, populationbased case-control study
• ABC News: Russia rails against online 'plague' claims, but few in Irkutsk trust authorities

Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory condition that mostly affects people over 65 years of age but can happen earlier. Learn what to look out for and when you should get it checked out.

A health law expert talks through the regulations that may apply to the LillyDirect platform, which now facilitates dispensing of the pharmaceutical company's own GLP1 medicine in Australia.

The Fijian government recently declared a national emergency in response to the rising number of HIV cases in the country. How will that help residents who already have HIV to stay healthy, and prevent further transmission?

References

• Weight loss drug will be easier to access as Eli Lilly disrupts the pharmacy model

• ABC News: Doctors condemn Eli Lilly move to dispense GLP-1 medication Mounjaro direct to door

  Lilly Australia told ABC News that LillyDirect operates within existing regulatory frameworks and that the service would improve affordability and convenience for Australians. A spokesperson said: "Australian doctors prescribe the medicine, Australian pharmacists review and dispense prescriptions, and Australian healthcare, pharmacy, privacy and regulatory requirements apply at every stage."

• A systematic review of epidemiological studies into daylight-saving time & health identifying beneficial & adverse effects
• Trial of a Maternal Diet Rich in Eggs and Peanuts to Reduce Infant Allergy
• Astrazeneca to extend PBS access to Zoladex® (goserelin) monthly (3.6mg) implant

After failing to negotiate a way for their weight loss medicine to be listed on the PBS, Eli Lilly has launched an online platform to "facilitate dispensing and delivery of medicines to consumers". It provides a pathway via third party providers that people can use to get prescriptions filled and even home delivery.

While diagnoses for adult ADHD are on the rise, we look at medications and other treatments for ADHD in children. 

Emergency room visits and unplanned hospitalisations occur more often for those being cared for in privately run aged care homes.

A study investigating the potential link between the use of hormonal contraceptives and colorectal cancer finds using these medications does not affect your chance of getting this type of cancer, nor does it provide protection against the disease.

References

• Lilly Direct consumer press release
• A Randomised Open-Label Comparison of Dexamphetamine and Methylphenidate in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Symptom Response, Adherence and Weight Impact Over 12 Months
• Association of long-term care facility ownership and location on residents’ mortality and hospitalisations: A population-based retrospective cohort study in Australia
• Contemporary hormonal contraception and colorectal cancer in premenopausal women: nationwide cohort study
• Fijian government declares national HIV emergency as cases soar
• WHO continues to support Fiji as it declares HIV a national emergency
• Keeping HIV under control is increasingly challenging
• Andrographis removed from listed medicines framework because of allergy risk

Rachel has lived experience of an eating disorder and came across ads for a telehealth weight loss company on a podcast. The ads continue in their podcast feed, more than a year after they lodged a formal complaint with AHPRA. Rachel hasn't been updated on the status of the complaint.

Disrupted sleep during pregnancy and the post partum period can increase the risk of cardiovascular events for mothers, and it's now understood these risks can be transferred to the baby as well.

PBS listings for medications for three separate conditions have run up against President Trump’s most favoured nation pricing policy this year. New research on this policy and its impact shows there will likely be more of these disruptions to come.

References

• Why is it so easy to get weight loss injections, if they could cause you harm?
• GLP-1 drug prescribed to woman with eating disorder via telehealth sparks calls for regulation
• The implications of maternal sleep disruption on cardiovascular adaptations and cardiometabolic outcomes
• Most-favoured-nation pricing for prescription drugs in US Medicare: a cohort study
• Better transparency and choice in health care
• Medical Costs Finder
• Blood test to detect Alzheimer's disease will be trialled in Australia
• Social Media Claims About Blood Tests for Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Content Analysis

A study looking at step intensity and step count provides helpful advice for those who are limited in their time and ability to increase the number of steps and their pace.

The pharmaceutical company closest to getting a drug to market to reduce Lipoprotein (a) levels announced that while it reduces levels of these molecules, that didn’t translate into fewer cardiovascular events. 

A gene study provides further evidence that cerebral palsy may be a collection of symptoms, rather than a disease and indicates doing a genetic panel early on could improve treatment of affected children.

References

• Combinations of stepping intensity and daily step counts against all-cause and cardiovascular diseasemortality: insights from a device-based prospective study
• Novartis announces Lp(a)HORIZON Phase III topline results for pelacarsen in patients with elevated Lp(a) and established cardiovascular disease (CVD)
• A phenotypic paradigm for cerebral palsy genetics
• Salpingectomy for the Prevention of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
• Ovarian cancer doesn't start in the ovaries
• Study on degenerative brain disease finds CTE in 31 former rugby league players
• BMJ: Prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy at death in National Football League players: retrospective population based cohort study, 2008-21
• Brisbane Coroner's Court: Non inquest findings into the death of Conor Dean

An international study of the genes of 2.5 million people confirms fibromyalgia as a nervous system disorder. A rheumatologist explains the relationship to other disorders including CFS/ME and long COVID.

Women of reproductive age are getting iron infusions at an increasingly high rate. What’s causing the numbers to rise so sharply and who is missing out?

Cuts to USAID are having big impacts on spread of HIV in Africa, according to a leading South African expert. What can we learn from their experience about how to manage the growing spread of the disease in Fiji and elsewhere in our region?

References

• Nature Medicine: The genetic architecture of fibromyalgia across 2.5 million individuals
• Increasing utilisation of intravenous iron among Australian women of reproductive age, 2013–2024: an Australian population-based study
• Pacific Beat: Australia boosts Fiji's HIV crisis response with new $8 million funding
• Maternal RSVpreF Vaccine Effectiveness Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Hospitalized Infants
• New England Journal of Medicine: Atorvastatin, Cardiovascular Events, and Disability-free Survival in Older Adults
• The BMJ: Measles: CDC refuses to record Pennsylvania fatalities in “measles associated deaths” row

It's become harder for medical students to qualify as a fully accredited specialist. This delay is having a profound impact on the wellbeing of doctors and on access to specialists across Australia. 

A new study shows people experiencing 'gout flares' more frequently have a higher likelihood of developing heart disease.

In the news:

• Twenty years ago, the first dose of the HPV vaccine developed to prevent cervical cancer was administered. What's the impact of the research that led to this, from University of Queensland's Emeritus Professor Ian Frazer AC and his colleague Dr Jian Zhou?
• A Select Committee on Women's Health will look for the first time at post-partum care and pregnancy, amongst other issues that will support women. Submissions close on October 9.
• Genetic markers for stress have been investigated in donated brain tissue of people with schizophrenia, showing stress genes had been turned on.
• Two more people have died of measles in the United States 

References

• Royal Australasian College of Surgeons 2026-2030 Surgical Pathways Strategy
• Department of Health: Whole of Medical Workforce Supply and Demand Study
• Annual gout flare frequency as a marker of sustained cardiovascular risk: a clinical threshold for risk stratification
• 20 years. Millions of lives saved. One revolutionary vaccine
• Select Committee on Women's Health
• Association Between Age-Dependent DNA Methylation Changes at FKBP5 Enhancer Sites and Increased Cortical Gene Expression in Schizophrenia
• Pennsylvania Department of Health Confirms Two Measles-Associated Deaths

New clinical guidelines for early detection of prostate cancer make big changes to screening, with an end to the digital examination and more frequent PSA tests in older age groups.

A new global study suggests people over sixty may face serious health risks from heat at much lower temperatures than previously understood.

Overuse of active skincare is one of the causes of peri-orificial dermatitis. We ask a dermatologist about the best way to treat it.

References

• Guidelines for the early detection of prostate cancer
• Lancet Planet Health: Exceeding human heat tolerance in a warming, ageing world: a global projection modelling study
• ABC Health: People over 60 face heat exposure danger at lower temperatures, study suggests
• National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2025: Tobacco, e-cigarettes and other nicotine insights
• WHO Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the Congo
• TGA flexes its muscle against illegal peptides and steroids
• Melanotan II tanning peptide products found to be inconsistently dosed

A study shows waist to hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference (WC) should be included with BMI when assessing patients with abdominal fat for risk of cardiovascular disease.

A new rapid 'lateral flow' test is being trialled in the hope it will provide faster and more accurate results to help detect and treat iron deficiencies.

We follow up on our earlier story about the lack of access to medical abortion services for women in rural and remote areas.

Guest/s

• Dr Michael Blaha, Professor of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Cardiovascular Disease
• Emily Eriksson, Senior Research Officer in immunology and infectious diseases, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
• Dr Rod Martin, President, Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine

References

• JACC: Risk Reclassification Beyond BMI by Waist Circumference and Waist-to-Hip Ratio Across 9 Cardiovascular Outcomes: Results From the Cross-Cohort Collaboration
• BMJ: Longitudinal trends and characteristics of medication abortion provision in Australian general practice: a national open-cohort study using Medicine Insight, 2014 to 2021
• Nature: First poo transplant to treat food allergy in people has ‘exciting’ results
• Eli Lilly CEO still wants deal to bring Mounjaro to Australia under PBS
• Trump signs order to reduce childhood vaccines and break up MMR shots

‘Kate’ has a history of anorexia nervosa and was once hospitalised for the condition. Yet she was able to access GLP1s to control her weight via a telehealth provider, without being screened for an eating disorder. 

Surveys of acute pancreatitis are currently underway around Australia, in response to an increase in cases globally. A study from South Australia shows some surprising results with an increased incidence in young people, women and those from a higher socio-economic background.

If you or anyone you know needs help with an eating disorder: 

• Butterfly Foundation on 1800 334 673
• National Eating Disorder Collaboration
• Lifeline on 131 114  

References

• AHPRA statement on telehealth providers not screening for eating disorders
• JAMA Psychiatry: Use and Misuse of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Among People With Eating Disorders
• Epidemiological time trends in acute pancreatitis – A 16-year experience from South Australia
• Rise in drug-related deaths and hospitalisations driven by stimulants, annual NDARC reports find
• Global Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol—Leveraging Estimation for Action | Cardiology | JAMA | JAMA Network
• Laureates of the 2026 L'Oreal UNESCO for Women in Science International Awards
• Vitamin B6: too much, too little, too late? An analysis of salestrends in Australia from 2023 to 2025