Latest Health News

17Mar
2020

Minorities Less Likely to Get Recommended Lung Cancer Imaging

Minorities Less Likely to Get Recommended Lung Cancer ImagingTUESDAY, March 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Black and Hispanic Americans are less likely than whites to receive recommended lung cancer imaging, a new study claims. PET-CT imaging is recommended because it provides doctors the best possible picture of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which helps determine the best treatment for the patient. The University of Colorado Cancer Center study examined PET-CT use and outcomes for nearly 29,000 white patients, just over 3,100 black patients and about 1,900 Hispanic patients who were diagnosed with NSCLC between 2007 and 2015. Black patients were only half as likely as whites to receive this imaging, and Hispanics were about 70% as likely as whites to receive it, the study found. "We started from the perspective of outcomes: we know...

New, Graphic Health Warnings Coming for U.S. Cigarette Packs

17 March 2020
New, Graphic Health Warnings Coming for U.S. Cigarette PacksTUESDAY, March 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Graphic new health warnings must appear on cigarette packages and in cigarette ads beginning next year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says. As of June 18, 2021, the 11 new warnings must be displayed prominently, filling the top half of cigarette packages on both front and back and at least 20% of the area at the top of ads. The warnings include text and photo-realistic color images depicting some of the lesser-known, but serious health risks of cigarette smoking, including impaired fetal growth, heart disease, diabetes and more. The warnings "represent the most significant change to cigarette labels in more than 35 years and will considerably increase public awareness of lesser-known, but serious negative health consequences...

AHA News: Working Out While Staying Safe During the...

17 March 2020
AHA News: Working Out While Staying Safe During the Coronavirus OutbreakTUESDAY, March 17, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- As people are advised to stay home and as the list of gathering places being closed to limit the spread of the coronavirus grows, people might find themselves shut out of their gym, or choose not to go. But that doesn't mean they should give up on the idea of fitness entirely, trainers say. And people who do find places to work out in the weeks ahead will want to be aware that gyms can be germy – and they should take steps to protect themselves. First things first: Older adults and people with heart disease, diabetes or lung disease face a heightened risk of serious complications from the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people in those groups should make sure they keep their distance from...

Belly Fat Can Lead to a Sudden Attack of Pancreatitis: Study

17 March 2020
Belly Fat Can Lead to a Sudden Attack of Pancreatitis: StudyTUESDAY, March 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity is not only tied to chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, researchers now say it's also linked to a painful condition known as acute pancreatitis. "We were able to demonstrate that fat within the belly is rapidly degraded during acute [sudden-onset] pancreatitis, but not during diverticulitis [another condition that causes abdominal pain]," said researcher Vijay Singh. He's a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. The catalyst for that degradation is an enzyme called PNLIP, he said. It can spur creation of fatty acids, which Singh said can cause vital body systems -- including circulation, kidney and lung function -- to fail. Pancreatitis is inflammation in the pancreas, a gland that is located in the upper abdomen....

Medical Groups Say Heart Meds Don't Worsen COVID-19 Symptoms

17 March 2020
Medical Groups Say Heart Meds Don`t Worsen COVID-19 SymptomsTUESDAY, March 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Two types of heart medications do not make coronavirus infection worse, three major U.S. medical groups say in a new joint statement meant to dispel misinformation about the use of the medications in people with COVID-19. The American Heart Association (AHA), the Heart Failure Society of America and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) recommend continuation of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) medications for all patients already prescribed those drugs for heart failure, high blood pressure or heart disease. People with heart disease are already at increased risk for serious complications from COVID-19, the groups noted. Heart disease patients diagnosed with the coronavirus should...

U.S. Exposure to Medical Radiation Drops Dramatically

17 March 2020
U.S. Exposure to Medical Radiation Drops DramaticallyTUESDAY, March 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- There's been a large decrease in Americans' exposure to medical radiation, according to a new study. Between 2006 and 2016, medical radiation exposure among U.S. patients fell by 20%, reversing a steep, quarter century-long rise. The number of diagnostic and interventional radiology exams remained largely unchanged, even though the U.S. population jumped about 23 million. The study was published March 17 in the journal Radiology. "The radiation dose to the U.S. population went up dramatically (between 1980 and 2006) because of medical exposure, mostly from CT scanning and nuclear medicine, and that woke everybody up to the problem," said senior author Dr. Fred Mettler Jr., a radiologist at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. In...

Is the 'Gratitude Movement' Overrated? Study Finds It Has Limits

17 March 2020
Is the `Gratitude Movement` Overrated? Study Finds It Has LimitsTUESDAY, March 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Can a self-help strategy built on daily expressions of gratitude keep depression and anxiety at bay? Don't count on it, researchers say. That's the takeaway from a review of 27 studies involving nearly 3,700 participants. Each study focused on the impact of so-called "gratitude interventions" -- such as "Three Good Things," in which people reflect on three things that went well that day, or a "gratitude visit," in which a person writes a thank you letter and reads it aloud. The conclusion: Neither self-help strategy did much to help participants feel less anxious or depressed. "Ultimately, I think these results suggest that depression and anxiety are complex indeed," said study co-author David Cregg, a doctoral candidate in psychology at...

Global Study Calculates Deadly Toll of Secondhand Smoke

17 March 2020
Global Study Calculates Deadly Toll of Secondhand SmokeTUESDAY, March 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- For every 52 smokers, secondhand smoke claims the life of one nonsmoker, an international study reports. "We hope that attributing harm directly to smokers will help influence public opinion against secondhand smoke exposure and enthuse governments to enforce stringent anti-tobacco control," said co-author Dr. Jagat Narula in a Mount Sinai news release. He is a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. The study found that in 2016, 52 smokers were tied to the death of one nonsmoker worldwide -- up from 1990, when 31 smokers were linked to the death of one nonsmoker. Researchers said this reflects effective measures such as smoking bans in public places. For the study, researchers analyzed global...

Another Study Finds COVID-19 Typically Mild for Kids

TUESDAY, March 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- New research adds to evidence that children infected with COVID-19 have less severe symptoms than adults with the coronavirus. Researchers analyzed the...

'Telemedicine' Stepping Up Amid Coronavirus Spread

TUESDAY, March 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As U.S. states and cities scramble to contain the new coronavirus by restricting public gatherings, hospitals are increasingly using remote medical care...
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