Bristol Population Health Science Institute

Guidelines may promote over-diagnosis of cow’s milk allergy in infants

International guidelines developed to help doctors diagnose cow’s milk allergy may lead to over-diagnosis, according to University of Bristol-led research published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy today [8 December]. The study found that three-quarters of infants have two or more symptoms at some point in the first year of life, which guidelines say may be caused by cow’s milk allergy, yet the condition only affects one in 100.

Online consultations can disadvantage some patients and create more work for GP practices

Online GP consultations have unintended consequences that may put some patients at a disadvantage and create additional work for GP practice staff, a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded study at the University of Bristol has shown. The DECODE study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, examined the use of online consultations in primary care to improve how they will be used in the future.

COVID-19 studies should record women’s menstrual changes, recommend researchers

Large scale COVID-19 studies and clinical trials should collect data on menstrual changes, according to new research which evaluated current evidence. The findings, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology and led by University of Bristol researchers, say there is an important public health imperative for accurate scientific investigation of menstrual changes in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.