Only 26 days until Christmas and with the days getting ever shorter and gloomier, our need for a good cup of hot chocolate or mulled wine is increasing! But no matter what season, Aurora is eager to consume and analyse health news to ensure that our activities are informed.

The Aurora top 20 explores which health issues have made the headlines and looks at the reasons behind it; we hope you enjoy the latest issue, which provides a snapshot of November's hot topics.

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November saw some interesting health headlines with heart disease / cholesterol claiming the top spot, closely followed by nutrition and obesity. Superbugs lost a few places but C. difficile and MRSA managed to stay in the top half of the table. A number of new and re-entries shaped November's chart: pain, stroke and Parkinson's disease had their comebacks at 10th, 11th and 15th place respectively and HIV/Aids closed the table at rank 20. New entries include bowel cancer, leukaemia and avian influenza.

Now we delve deeper into some of November's issues:

Heart disease / cholesterol reclaimed the number one spot in November. The month started with news arriving from Papworth Hospital that routine heart transplants had been suspended after a rise in early deaths of patients; an inquiry conducted by the Healthcare Commission showed good quality of care and could not find any common factors to explain the rise in patient deaths. AstraZeneca appeared in the news on a number of occasions: reports showed that Crestor, its blockbuster cholesterol drug, faced a fresh patent challenge and new findings were reported that found no difference between Crestor, in combination with standard drug therapy, and standard therapy alone in protecting against advanced heart failure. Energy drinks, car fumes and sedentary lifestyle were described as factors that increase risk of heart disease whereas breastfeeding and fasting for one day per month were reported to be cardio-protective activities.

Cancer. Is obesity causing cancer or can we blame folic acid in bread? These and other questions in relation to cancer appeared in the national media during November. Breast cancer achieved its highest ever position in the history of the top 20 - potentially as a knock-on from Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Interestingly, bowel cancer and leukaemia, a cancer of the blood or bone marrow, made their debut into the chart. According to figures published by the World Cancer Research Fund, obesity has become the main cause of cancer in non-smokers, leading to between 9 - 15% of breast cancers and between 11 - 14% of bowel cancers. Researchers stressed the link between excessive weight and the significant increase in cancer risk for 10 out of 17 types of the disease; this was supported by findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The Daily Mail reported on a pioneering procedure that uses mini cell transplants to reduce the need for chemotherapy, particularly for leukaemia patients, and suggested that a new drug for leukaemia may be derived from the chemicals in daisy-like flowers.

Pain made a significant comeback into the top 20, rising up to 10th place, due to a number of stories about safety concerns with COX-2s. Merck's Vioxx, already withdrawn, gained coverage when it was reported that the manufacturer negotiated a deal to cap damage claims in relation to the product. The withdrawal of Novartis' Prexige from the market due to concerns over liver problems, which were detected through the Yellow Card Scheme, also gained coverage. An interesting article in The Independent covered suggestions from the European Parliament to use Afghanistan's poppy crop, currently being turned into most of the world's heroin supply, to produce painkillers. A range of newspapers also reported that painkillers are being considered as a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease: Scientists at the University of California in Los Angeles claim that regular use of over-the-counter painkillers (such as ibuprofen) can reduce an individual's risk of Parkinson's disease by 60%. One of the study researchers, with the fabulous name Beate Ritz, stated that the anti-inflammatory properties of these drugs may contribute to the observed protective effect.

Avian influenza entered the top 20 for the first time since the chart's inception with headlines focusing on confirmed outbreaks of avian flu on several farms in eastern England, including a turkey farm in Suffolk and a free-range poultry farm in Norfolk. The outbreaks resulted in the culling of many turkeys, ducks and geese. Government vets warned that the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu may already be epidemic in the British wild bird population. However, things appear to have calmed down now and consumers are being encouraged to still have turkeys for Christmas...pass the cranberry sauce please!

And finally, infection rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have soared in Britain over the past decade. This month, The Times reported new research showing that one in 10 men thinks chlamydia is a flower!  While often asymptomatic, chlamydia, the most common STD, can cause serious health complications, including infertility. For some blokes this puts a whole new spin on the popular florist phrase, "Say it with flowers".

To find out if your therapeutic area moves or shakes in December, keep your eyes peeled for the next Aurora top 20, which will be issued in January 2008 and combine both months.

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Aurora strives to apply quantitative, qualitative and emotional understanding of health issues to client communication programmes. Dove-tailing informed PR activity with the media's appetite enables us to assist clients with communicating their vision.

To find out more, contact Neil Crump or Claire Eldridge on 020 7424 7940. 

The top 20 chart provides our interpretative snap-shot of health stories in the national press and is based upon a quantitative process. Analysis based on news from the 26 October to 25 November.