News in brief - Oct 31, 2011

New guidelines call for less-frequent Pap smears

Pap smears should be conducted once every three years on women 21 to 65 who have had vaginal intercourse and have a cervix, says a draft recommendation statement by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

The statement, issued Oct. 17, also recommends against screening for cervical cancer using human papillomavirus testing in women younger than 30. The task force said there is insufficient evidence to assess the balance of benefits and harms of HPV testing for cervical cancer screening in that age group.

The new guidance updates task force recommendations issued in 2003 (www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/draftrec4.htm). The public is encouraged to comment on the proposed guidelines through Nov. 16.

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Screening helps doctors identify youth alcohol risks

A new two-question screening tool enables health care professionals to identify children and teenagers at risk of developing alcohol-related problems, according to a report issued by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

The report, released Oct. 13, recommends that physicians ask patients younger than 21 how many times they had a sip of alcohol in the past year and whether their friends drank alcohol during that time (pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/practitioner/youthguide/youthguide.pdf).

People who start drinking before age 15 are more likely to have alcohol-related problems later in life than those who begin drinking at the legal age, experts say. Such problems include alcohol dependence and functional and structural changes in the brain.

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