Early-stage abortions for medical reasons could be performed by trained nurses and midwives in developing nations, according to a new report - saving some of the 47,000 women across the world each year who die as a result of unsafe terminations.

The study published in the Lancet said that early first-trimester abortions are underused in some countries, due to only doctors being allowed to administer medical terminations. It found that nearly all of the 22 million unsafe terminations every year are undertaken in the developing world.

Researchers said that using nurses and midwives could boost access to cheaper, and in many cases life-saving abortions in places where it is legally available. Dr I K Warriner, from the World Health Organisation, set up a trial in Nepal to find out if such procedures can be carried out safely by some health carers.

The tests showed that no serious complications were found in complete abortions carried out by these workers. The authors of the study said: "Appropriately trained providers can administer safe, low-technology medical abortion services for women who might otherwise turn to unsafe abortion, exposing themselves to the risks of disabilities and death."

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011

A national charity that works towards helping people overcome their addiction to gambling has revealed it will fund the training of GPs in the practice.

The new programme, which will reach 1,500 GPs across the UK over the next two years, will enable doctors to more easily spot and refer people who have a gambling addiction.

The project is funded by the Responsible Gambling Fund (RGF), a charity that organises gambling research, and provides education and treatment.

As part of the training, GPs will be able to benefit from online learning and workshops.

The charity, which will spend around £192,000 a year for the next three years, has commissioned a team from the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) to develop and run the scheme.

Gambling-related harm is a new area for many working in the health and community sector.

Baroness Julia Neuberger, chair of RGF, said: "This new training programme opens up a new front in the battle to combat gambling-related harm.

"Only a small proportion of people get the help they are looking for by going direct to specialist treatment services. We want to see them being identified earlier and helped to get access to services they need."

Dr Clare Gerada, chair of the RCGP, and a practising GP, said: "Gambling is a serious problem but it does not get the same attention as other forms of addiction. When times are tough financially, we often see a rise in gambling as people view it as a quick fix for their money worries."

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011

Large numbers of patients believed to have hard-to-treat high blood pressure may actually be suffering the effects of doctor-induced nerves, a study has found.

So-called "white coat syndrome" can result in blood pressure going up when people visit a doctor`s surgery.

The new findings suggest the phenomenon may affect a third of patients who appear not to be responding to drugs for high blood pressure, or hypertension.

Researchers made the discovery after monitoring the blood pressure of almost 70,000 patients with diagnosed hypertension as they went about their daily lives.

In total, 37% of around 8,000 patients previously found to be resistant to treatment turned out to have "white coat syndrome".

Their blood pressure rose when they visited the doctor, giving the misleading impression that their treatment was not working.

Researchers asked patients to wear a portable device that takes blood pressure readings every 20 minutes day and night. The procedure is known as "ambulatory blood pressure monitoring".

Study leader Dr Alejandro de la Sierra, from the University of Barcelona in Spain, said: "Physicians should be encouraged to use ambulatory monitoring to confirm resistant hypertension in their patients as it would ensure the most effective treatment options are used.

"Patients benefit by knowing whether their blood pressure is normal during daily activities or still needs the reinforcement of dietary and drug measures."

The research, published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, showed that more women than men - 42% compared with 34% - were affected by "white coat syndrome".

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011

Nicotine could cause serious complications for people with diabetes who smoke, a study has revealed.

The highly addictive chemical is strongly linked to persistently raised blood glucose levels among diabetes sufferers, which has prompted researchers behind the study to encourage anyone with the disease to do everything in their power to quit.

They also warned that diabetes sufferers who use nicotine-replacement therapy for extended periods could also experience complications.

Almost three million people in the UK are diagnosed with diabetes, and approximately a million more may have the condition without knowing it. Complications of the disease include potentially life-threatening heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and nerve damage.

They tend to occur when blood glucose levels are not managed properly and spiral out of control, causing damage to the body. Health professionals have known that smoking increases the risk of diabetic complications, but it has not been clear which tobacco substances are to blame.

The research was reported at the 241st national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, California.

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011