Health Report: Nov. 28, 1994

THE GOOD NEWS

-- A five-year study by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute finds that early symptoms of lung diseases such as emphysema and bronchitis disappear when smokers kick the habit, no matter how many years they have smoked.

-- Cigarette smoking by adults has reached its lowest lowest level since 1942, says a government study.

-- Many women with early-stage breast cancers that have not yet metastasized can safely forgo mastectomies, according to new information released by the National Cancer Institute. Patients can rely instead on lumpectomies and radiation treatment to prevent recurrences.

THE BAD NEWS

-- The negative effects of having more than one alcoholic drink per day may wipe out any benefits to the heart, says a new report. The 11-year study showed that any decreased risk of men dying from heart disease was offset by an increase in deaths from cancer.

-- Unlike adults, teenagers have not decreased their cigarette consumption; rates have held steady for the past 10 years.

-- An FDA advisory committee has refused to approve the highly touted drug etidronate as the first nonhormonal treatment for osteoporosis, because many patients did not seem to benefit significantly from its use.

Sources -- GOOD: Journal of the American Medical Association; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Journal of the National Cancer Institute

BAD: American Heart Association; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Associated Press