Top Health Breakthroughs of 2020 Amazing Medical Innovations – Prevention.com

Yes, its been a challenging and often tragic year when it comes to health. But our hardest times often push us to our greatest achievements, and theres a lot of progress to be excited about in 2021like these seven advances.

Gene therapy for repairing sickle cell disease

The idea is simple: Take a defective gene, fix it, and cure a devastating genetic disease. Getting that to work has been tougher, but this year scientists at several research centers made remarkable progress with sickle cell disease. The conditioncaused by an inherited defect in the gene producing hemoglobin in the red blood cells that leads to deformed, crescent-shaped cells that cause pain, anemia, and organ damageaffects some 100,000 Americans, mostly Black and Hispanic.

Researchers at Boston Childrens Hospital are testing a gene therapy treatment that tricks the gene into reverting to a healthier version called fetal hemoglobin. In eight patients treated so far, they are seeing the fetal hemoglobin increase and hoping the change will last a lifetime, says Erica Esrick, M.D., a pediatric hematologist there. Several other research groups have reported similarly promising results using gene therapy and gene-editing techniques for patients with sickle cell disease. Experts believe these techniques may one day cure many genetic diseases, such as hemophilia and genetic immune deficiencies, as well as some cancers.

The first new birth control in decades

Women looking for a nonhormonal birth control option finally got a new one this fall. Phexxi is a prescription gel that makes the vagina more acidic so its less welcoming to sperm. Using it is simple: You squirt it from a prefilled applicator up to an hour before sex. Phexxi is not the most effective birth control method (its 86% effective, the manufacturer says, compared with 91% for the Pill and 99% for an IUD), and it doesnt protect against STDs, so you still need to use a condom, but its something to celebrate. The last time new options for women came on the marketthe patch, vaginal ring, and hormonal IUDwas two decades ago, says Elizabeth Watkins, Ph.D., a professor of the history of health sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. The more ways women have to take control of their reproductive futures, the better.

Telemedicine comes of age

Who would have thought so many of us would comfortably visit a doc in our PJs from home? But because of COVID-19, by summer nearly a quarter of us had used a computer, app, or phone for a telemedicine appointment (before the pandemic, only 14% of women said their doctors even offered this option, according to a federal survey). Were now virtually showing a rash to a dermatologist, demonstrating joint pain to a rheumatologist, and getting an antibiotic Rx for a nasty UTI.

Even more significantly, were treating our anxiety via online psychotherapyhugely helpful, especially in areas where therapists are in short supply. Will this tele-trend last? Experts say it wont continue to the same extent, as uneven insurance reimbursements, laws about practicing across state lines, and the belief that docs need to see us in the flesh have physicians eager for patients to return to their offices. But the shift toward at least a few appointments each year that dont require driving, taking a half day off from work, or even changing out of your sweats may be here to stay.

Finally, a focus on Black womens health

Its sad and horrifying that it took publicized deaths at the hands of police and disproportionate suffering from COVID-19 to bring this about, but Black womens health is finally getting the attention it deserves. In 2020, there was increased awareness of the impact of structural racism on health care: Black women suffer pregnancy-related death four times as often as white women, and their mortality rate is higher for everything from heart disease and cancer to asthma and flu.

A true fix will require hard actions that have yet to materialize, but people of all races are taking the crucial first step in asking how we can fix this, says health disparities researcher Courtney Denise Townsel, M.D., a maternal-fetal medicine physician at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor. An editorial in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet this summer finally termed racism a public health emergency of global concern. And Congress introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act to address the health disparities in pregnancy and birth and to inspire innovative solutions with a series of grants.

Super-convenient breast pumps

For decades, breast pumps were stuck in the Dark Ages, with bottles, tubes, and wiring requiring you to sit in one spot for up to half an hour, says Tanya Powell, a board-certified lactation consultant at Sutter California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Thankfully, the past few years have seen miraculous advances, and even more improved in 2020. Today the most convenient pumps, such as Willows Generation 3, slip right into your bra, allowing you to pump as you move around or even as you sleep. The Elvie Pump is silent enough to let you stealthily pump during an online business meeting. Powell cautions, however, that this generation of pumps might not be optimal for establishing or building a milk supply. Consult a lactation consultant to help choose the pump thats best for you.

Disposable medical scopes

Scopes let doctors peer inside your body, but if these flexible lighted tubes with cameras arent thoroughly disinfected between patients, their use can lead to rare but serious bacterial infections. The duodenoscope, a device snaked down the throat to the top of the small intestine to diagnose and treat pancreas and bile duct diseases, has proven especially tough to clean. Now the first fully disposable duodenoscope has been approved by the FDA, which experts expect may finally end the recent spate of infections blamed on dirty scopes. Other similar tossable devices, including one for colonoscopies, are expected in the next few years, making potentially lifesaving exploratory procedures safer.

A novel way to detect Alzheimers

If a loved ones memory is fading, its important to know whether theyre suffering from Alzheimers or another type of dementia, since early detection means better treatment (even if there is as of yet no cure) and perhaps the chance to take part in a clinical trial. But today, a definitive diagnosis requires a clinical evaluation as well as brain imaging or a spinal tap.

So its huge news that scientists have discovered a simple blood test that has accurately diagnosed Alzheimers in early studies. If the test, which hunts for proteins indicative of the disease, performs well in additional studies, it will offer the first easy, early screen for this debilitating disease. For some people, knowing leads to better health behaviors, says Mary Sano, Ph.D., director of the Alzheimers Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai, in New York City. Some may find the knowledge anxiety-producing, but for those who want to get a jump on treatment, the new blood test could be a game changer.

Plus, the biggest health story of 2020

In 2019, no one knew anything about the virus that would later be linked to COVID-19. But in one year, remarkable progress has been made. Several vaccines are showing promise. Doctors are using steroids and high-flow oxygen to keep people alive. New diagnostic tests have emerged, including one using lines like on a pregnancy test. And a powerful way to reduce the spread has been found: wearing a simple cloth mask.

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Top Health Breakthroughs of 2020 Amazing Medical Innovations - Prevention.com