For Tuesday, Aug. 29, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including:

Shooting survivors have high risk of being shot again

Shooting survivors, especially young Black men, are at high risk of being reshot. 

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that about one out of every 14 gunshot victims will be injured by a firearm once more within a year.

Within five years, the risk rises to about 1-in-8 and jumps to 1-in-6 after eight years. 

About 96% of patients with a repeat firearm injury were Black. Repeat shooting victims also tended to be male and younger, with an average age of 25. 

Study: Most cancer screenings don’t extend life

Most cancer screenings don’t give someone extra time beyond their regular lifespan, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Researchers reviewed the clinical trials of more than two million people, who had six kinds of common tests for cancer. 

Of those tests, only colorectal cancer screening with sigmoidoscopy in which doctors check the lower part of the colon or large intestine. Seemed to make a difference in extending someone’s life. 

Researchers say they do not want people to stop getting screenings. 

They suggest doctors should be clear about the benefits.

Childhood allergies could start in the gut

Childhood allergies like eczema, hay fever, asthma, and food allergies could be linked to problems with gut bacteria. 

Findings published in Nature Communications suggest those allergies correlated with a bacterial footprint that pointed to a compromised gut lining. 

That breakdown in the rich ecosystem of bacteria in the intestine led to a spiking immune response causing inflammation linked to the development of allergies. 

Antibiotic use in the first year is a possible contributor.