Anniversary
35 years of GESUND in the “Krone” media world
35 years of Krone GESUND reporting! From our first magazine in 1989 to the present day via krone.at and Krone TV, we have been writing about health, medicine and practical life support. Find out what has moved the medical world over the past decades and what progress has been made.
Medicine has always been in a state of flux, driven by the desire to heal, save lives and conquer diseases. But often the message does not reach the patient, is not formulated in a way that laypeople can understand or is simply too "far removed" from people's everyday lives.
This is where we wanted and want to create a link. To educate and "translate" technical and scientific information so that all users and readers can benefit personally. The ultimate goal: only through well-founded, comprehensible information can we become responsible patients who can actively help with prevention, treatment and recovery.
Here are a few highlights from the past three decades:
Artificial intelligence in medicine
According to experts, there will soon be no area of medicine in which artificial intelligence (AI) is not used. Researchers have been working on this for several decades, as the foundations were laid back in the 1970s and 1980s.
Around 35 years ago, however, artificial intelligence was still at an early stage of development. There were systems that collected knowledge from experts to support medical diagnoses. One example is the MYCIN system. It was developed at Stanford University (USA) to diagnose bacterial infections and suggest antibiotic dosages - with success. However, the system was never used clinically, but served as the basis for the development of further applications in AI-supported medical diagnostics.
In the 1990s, the computing power of computers increased significantly, paving the way for more complex possibilities. In the early 2000s, advances in image processing meant that AI could be used to analyze medical images.
Modern applications include the analysis of medical images (e.g. radiology, pathology), disease prediction analysis, personalized medicine, robotic assistants for surgical procedures and telemedicine solutions.
AI in oncology
AI offers particular advantages in oncology. The systems make it possible to detect cancer more quickly and treat it individually. In CT or MRI scans of the lungs, even the smallest changes can be seen better than by the human eye. It has also been shown that AI can help to diagnose problems at an early stage during endoscopic examinations of the stomach and intestines.
Despite all the positive developments, however, one thing must be clear: a computer cannot replace medical decisions or empathetic conversations.
The spectre of HIV/AIDS
What a scare it was: in 1981, an immunodeficiency virus, HIV, was medically described for the first time in the USA, which was passed on during sex and caused a devastating disease: AIDS. Those affected suffered from typical skin cancer symptoms (Kaposi's sarcoma), pneumonia, swelling of the lymph nodes and much more. Initially, only homosexual men were officially infected, but it soon became clear that HIV was also spreading among drug users, in the red light district, among sex tourists and among more and more women, some of whom were infected by their own husbands.
When celebrities such as US film actor Rock Hudson (1985), music legend Freddie Mercury from Queen (1991), Anthony Perkins (who made film history as Norman Bates in Hitchcock's Psycho, 1992) and many more died of AIDS, the virus had finally arrived in our living rooms. But the chances of survival increased with modern therapies, and today AIDS is considered defeated in Austria. Among those who have made their HIV infection public in this country are song contest winner Conchita Wurst and Life Ball organizer Gery Kesler.
The first effective treatment in the mid-1990s with the so-called antiretroviral therapy was spectacular. Patients had to swallow countless tablets, had side effects and severely restricted quality of life, but it worked and was continuously developed further. With modern therapy, the HI virus remains below the detection limit in the blood and is no longer passed on if used correctly and early. One tablet a day is enough, depot medication is about to be approved.
According to estimates, around 8000 to 9000 people are living with HIV in Austria. There is still a great deal of disinformation on the subject. A recent survey in Austria showed that 16 percent of respondents do not want to become friends with people affected by HIV, 12 percent think that sharing objects such as glasses or plates could lead to infection and one in three believe that HIV can be transmitted through a kiss. The majority, 65 percent, wrongly believe that HIV is sexually transmissible even under antiretroviral therapy.
So there is still a lot to be done to eradicate "social AIDS" and discrimination.
A better future for more and more diabetics
Around 800,000 Austrians suffer from diabetes - many without even knowing it. Every 50 minutes, someone in this country dies from the consequences, such as a heart attack or stroke. In recent years, the condition has developed into a real epidemic, especially where type 2 diabetes is concerned. In 1989, only around 3.5 percent of the population was affected; today, estimates are heading towards 7 percent.
These alarming figures are also due to the fact that people are getting fatter and fatter. Specifically, 41 percent of men in Austria are overweight and 18 percent are obese. For women, the proportion is slightly lower at 27 percent overweight and 15 percent obese. Over three decades ago, the percentages were still in single figures.
Now state-of-the-art therapies
There is good news in terms of treatment options: With a better understanding of genetic factors and individual metabolic profiles, treatment can increasingly be tailored to the individual. Moreover, insulin therapy has improved considerably since 1989. There are now insulin analogues with different durations of action that allow for more flexible and personalized blood glucose control.
Devices such as insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGM) have revolutionized the monitoring and management of blood glucose levels. They enable better control and adjustment of therapy in real time. The newer classes of oral antidiabetic agents, SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 agonists, offer additional benefits such as weight loss and cardiovascular protection, in addition to lowering blood glucose levels.
More emphasis is being placed on preventative measures through healthy eating, regular exercise and weight control. Prevention programs have been further developed to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Obesity surgery to combat diabetes is also being researched further.
From hormones to "organic"
"Are we eating ourselves to death?" we asked on September 16, 1989 in the series of the same name in the very first issue of Krone GESUND.
We reported on hormones in veal, listeria in French soft cheese and antibiotics as a growth-promoting feed additive. At the time, animal welfare was not a universal value, nor did people care what additives in food did to humans. That has now changed.
There are now four organic quality labels in Austria, the government has issued strict rules for production, labeling and marketing, species-appropriate animal husbandry is - if unfortunately not across the board - at least a selling point and essential for many consumers. What's more, being vegetarian or vegan is more than just a trend for the few. According to statista, 840,000 people in Germany claimed to be vegetarians and 106,000 vegans in 2021.
The diet craze continues
We already reported at the end of 1989 that there are no miracle diets and that only "light nutrition" leads to the goal. Nevertheless, the diet craze spread, as the 1980s were a time when diets were the focus of popular culture. People who wanted to lose weight radically cut out carbohydrates (Atkins diet) or starved themselves with "Scarsdale" and lots of lean protein. In recent decades, the weight loss industry has come up with numerous new (and abstruse) approaches:
While today people continue to cut out carbohydrates, they eat a lot of fat (ketogenic diet), concentrate their eating habits to a few hours a day (intermittent fasting) or avoid gluten, even if they are actually tolerated. Others eat like Stone Age people (Paleo). Despite all attempts, the obesity problem continues to get out of hand.
New orthopaedic clinical pictures
When the first smartphones became established in Austria in the mid-2000s, this brought with it new orthopaedic problems. Some of the names sound good: Cell phone neck, cell phone thumb, cell phone shoulder and cellbow syndrome. What lies behind them:
Die meisten Handynutzer beugen sich stark über ihr Smartphone, während sie auf das Display starren. Dabei zieht der geneigte Kopf heftig an Halswirbelsäule, Muskeln und Sehnen. Orthopäden warnen bereits seit Jahren vor diesem Phänomen, auch „Handy-Nacken“ genannt. Einer US-amerikanischen Studie zufolge belastet diese unnatürliche Haltung Wirbelsäule und Nacken mit zusätzlich 27 kg (bei einer Beugung von 45 Grad). Folgen: Die Nackenmuskulatur wird überdehnt. Fallen zusätzlich die Schultern mit nach vorne, kommt es auch zu einer Verkürzung der Brustmuskeln. Dadurch treten Kopfweh und Verspannungen auf, mitunter drohen sogar Abnutzungserscheinungen der Halswirbelsäule und Rundrücken.
Der Daumen ist evolutionär bedingt dafür da, die Hand beim Greifen zu unterstützen. Das ständige einhändige Tippen geht mit einer unnatürlichen Dehn- und Spreizbewegung einher. Das führt zur Überanstrengung des Daumens, der mit schmerzhaften Symptomen im Bereich des Gelenks reagiert. Dieses recht neue orthopädische Krankheitsbild heißt „Handy-Daumen“ bzw. „WhatsApp Disease oder „WhatsAppitis“. Im schlimmsten Fall entwickelt sich aus dieser Überlastung eine chronische Verschleißerkrankung.
Schmerzen die Schultern, ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit groß, dass man zu viele Videos ansieht und das Handy über einen längeren Zeitraum hinweg in einer für den Körper ungünstigen Stellung quer in den Händen hält. Unter- und Oberarm befinden sich zu oft im 90-Grad-Winkel – die Schulter wird in eine unnatürlich verkrümmte Haltung versetzt und verspannt sich. Gelenkschmerzen sind mitunter die Folge.
Ähnlich wie bei Tennisspielern, die über einen Tennisarm klagen, tritt dieses Problem auch bei starken Handynutzern auf, wie eine Studie der Cleveland Clinic in Ohio belegt hat. Der menschliche Ellenbogen ist nicht dafür gemacht, über längere Zeit in stark gebeugter Haltung zu verharren. Bemerkbar machen sich die Beschwerden in Form von Kribbeln im Unterarm, einem steifen Ellenbogengelenk sowie Taubheitsgefühl im kleinen Finger. Ärzte sprechen dann vom Handy-Ellenbogen oder Kubitaltunnel-Syndrom, auch „Cellbow“ genannt, zusammengesetzt aus den englischen Begriffen Cell Phone (Mobiltelefon) und Elbow (Ellenbogen)
COVID-19 pandemic
In recent decades, scientists and health experts have repeatedly warned of the possibility of a global pandemic. Influenza viruses were considered the most likely trigger, as they mutate very easily and new strains can emerge that cause little immunity in the population.
An example of a new influenza strain that became pandemic was swine flu (H1N1) in 2009. Avian flu, particularly the H5N1 and H7N9 strains, were also considered potential pandemic threats.
In 2002/2003, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which belongs to the coronavirus family, led to a global outbreak that was brought under control relatively quickly thanks to effective containment measures. In 2012, another coronavirus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), appeared for the first time in Saudi Arabia and was monitored worldwide as a potential pandemic pathogen, although human-to-human transmission is relatively inefficient.
In addition to HIV/AIDS, which is not seen in the classic form of a pandemic (it has been spreading worldwide since the 1980s), the Ebola virus also demonstrated great potential to spread internationally - although the outbreaks remained mostly localized.
Finally, at the end of 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus took the world by surprise by triggering the COVID-19 pandemic. It first emerged in Wuhan, China, spread very rapidly across continents and presented the global community with an unprecedented health crisis that also had a profound economic and social impact.
However, one of the most impressive features of the COVID-19 pandemic was the speed of research, such as the rapid determination of the virus' genetic material (genome sequencing) and the development of novel vaccines in record time.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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