Latest Health News

12Apr
2023

Many Americans With Long COVID Have Trouble Accessing Care

Many Americans With Long COVID Have Trouble Accessing CareWEDNESDAY, April 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Getting care in the United States for lingering COVID-19 symptoms can be challenging, affecting long-term health and ability to work, a new study finds. Adults with so-called long COVID have had greater challenges with health care access and affordability than other adults, and these barriers to care have implications for their well-being, said lead researcher Michael Karpman, a research associate in the Urban Institute Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C."Further efforts are needed to develop long COVID treatments, provide guidance to clinicians, and set standards for defining medically necessary care and other insurer practices in order to reduce delays in access to tests and treatments," he said. Part of the problem is that no...

Rehab Care for Opioid Addiction Often Tough to Find: Study

12 April 2023
Rehab Care for Opioid Addiction Often Tough to Find: StudyWEDNESDAY, April 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The United States is in the middle of an opioid crisis, yet new research shows that only about 7% of Americans on Medicaid who have opioid use disorder receive residential treatment. This means that many people who could potentially benefit from what is more commonly known as "rehab" aren’t getting the care they need to help them with their addiction.“We know residential care is important when it's done right … and when it's evidence-based. We know it's incredibly important to engaging people in their recovery from opioid use disorder,” said study corresponding author Lindsay Allen. She is a health economist and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.“And...

High Blood Pressure in 30s, Worse Brain Health by 70s?

12 April 2023
High Blood Pressure in 30s, Worse Brain Health by 70s?WEDNESDAY, April 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Be forewarned: High blood pressure in your 30s may lead to poorer brain health in your 70s.A new study suggests that treating the condition in young and middle-aged adults may help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease later on, especially in men.For the study, researchers examined brain scans of older adults who had high blood pressure in their 30s. They were compared to older adults with normal blood pressure.Those in the high blood pressure group had two key markers associated with dementia -- significantly lower regional brain volumes and worse white matter integrity.Negative changes in some brain regions, including decreased gray matter volume and frontal cortex volume, were stronger in men.Researchers said the differences may be...

EPA Proposes Limits on Dangerous Chemical Used by...

12 April 2023
EPA Proposes Limits on Dangerous Chemical Used by Medical Sterilization PlantsWEDNESDAY, April 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) – The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed limiting the use of a chemical used to clean medical equipment in sterilizing plants because it also raises cancer risks for workers.The agency plans to slash emissions of the odorless gas, called ethylene oxide, by about 80% at 86 medical sterilization facilities.“EPA’s number one priority is protecting people’s health and safety, and we are committed to taking decisive action that’s informed by the best available science,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in an agency news release. “These proposals build on EPA’s extensive outreach to communities across the nation and reflects close coordination among key federal partners. Together they would significantly reduce...

Do City Lights Mean More Mosquito Bites?

12 April 2023
Do City Lights Mean More Mosquito Bites?WEDNESDAY, April 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Mosquitoes appear to be affected by artificial light at night, but whether that’s a good or bad thing is an open question.New research finds that urban light pollution may disrupt the winter dormancy period of the mosquitoes that transmit the West Nile virus.That could be good because they may not fatten up in winter, which could affect their survival. And it could be bad because they might just extend their biting season further into the fall.The Ohio State University researchers noted that Ohio has the highest levels of West Nile virus transmission in late summer and early fall.“If you have mosquitoes postponing or delaying diapause [dormancy] and continuing to be active longer in the year, that’s at a time when the mosquitoes are...

Baseball Season Is Here: Watch Out for UCL Tears

12 April 2023
Baseball Season Is Here: Watch Out for UCL TearsWEDNESDAY, April 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Spring brings with it the joy of baseball, but too much of a good thing can lead to elbow injuries in young pitchers.An expert from UT Southwestern in Dallas offers some tips for youth baseball players, their parents and coaches about avoiding and being aware of injuries, including tears or ruptures of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL).“Athletes 18 and younger should not pitch more than 100 innings in games during a calendar year,” said Dr. Nathan Boes, an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and director of sports medicine for Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. “And they should take four months a year with no competitive pitching.”UCL injuries are the most common elbow...

Many Young Women Wouldn't Get Flu, COVID Shots in Pregnancy, Poll Suggests

12 April 2023
Many Young Women Wouldn`t Get Flu, COVID Shots in Pregnancy, Poll SuggestsWEDNESDAY, April 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the proven safety and effectiveness of COVID and flu vaccines during pregnancy, many young women are still doubtful, a new survey shows. Compared with older women and adult men, the poll found higher percentages of women ages 18 to 49 doubting that vaccination against these viruses during pregnancy is safe. The survey of 1,600 U.S. adults was conducted in January. Results were reported April 10 in the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s second Annenberg Science and Public Health Knowledge Monitor.“Because the COVID and flu vaccines help protect both those who are pregnant and their infants, dispatching misconceptions about them should be a public health priority,” said report co-author Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the...

Cancer's Financial Toll on Couples Hurts Both Partners

12 April 2023
Cancer`s Financial Toll on Couples Hurts Both PartnersWEDNESDAY, April 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Financial stress and work lost to cancer treatment affects patients and their partners alike.Partners also experienced pain, fatigue and sleep issues owing to these fiscal worries, a new study found.“We know that financial toxicity or hardship is a significant effect of cancer and its treatment and is associated with poor health issues for patients and survivors," said lead author Lauren Ghazal. She is a postdoctoral fellow at the Rogel Cancer Center and the University of Michigan School of Nursing. "Financial toxicity extends to caregivers or partners, too," she said in a university news release.Her team wanted to understand how that toxicity affects the caregiver's health, including anxiety, depression, fatigue and overall quality of...

STDs Continue to Climb in the U.S.

TUESDAY, April 11, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are surging in the United States, with notable increases seen in case counts of syphilis, gonorrhea and...

Pandemic's Effect on U.S. Birth Rates May Have Depended...

TUESDAY, April 11, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The "baby bust" that hit the United States during the first year of the COVID pandemic did not affect all states equally — with states that were more...
RSS
First143144145146148150151152Last