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TUESDAY, Feb. 7, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A new study shows the importance of the messenger when trying to encourage people to get their COVID-19 vaccines. People who know someone who was sickened by the virus or who died from it were twice as likely to get their own vaccinations, researchers report. “This study shows that the messenger matters more than the message: Hearing about the experiences of a trusted person, such as a friend or a family member, can be more effective than vaccine mandates,” said lead author Saurabh Kalra, a doctoral student at the Rutgers School of Public Health in New Brunswick, N.J.“A corollary to this finding is that an influential public figure whom people admire and trust can adversely impact public health if they share misinformation such as the...

MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The best treatment for a genetically driven form of lung cancer continues to show lasting benefits, a new clinical trial update shows.Tagrisso (osimertinib) nearly doubles disease-free survival in earlier-stage patients whose lung cancer is driven by a mutation in their EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) gene, researchers report.After four years of follow-up, disease-free survival was 73% in the Tagrisso group versus 38% in patients who received a placebo, updated results showed.Taken as a pill, the drug also cut patients’ cancer recurrence in half compared to placebo, 27% versus 60%. In addition, patients were less likely to develop cancers in other parts of the body.“One of the main benefits of this drug is that it has good brain...

MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- That seemingly sudden heart attack? It may have been triggered by underlying coronary heart disease. Heart attack is a big event, but for some it might be the first sign of a problem that has been building for quite some time.Coronary heart disease -- also known as coronary artery disease -- is the most common type of heart disease in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Doctors often use the terms coronary heart disease (CHD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) interchangeably, although CHD is really a result of CAD, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). “Coronary artery disease is preventable,” Dr. Johnny Lee, president of New York Heart Associates, said in a recent story about the...

MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2023 (American Heart Association News) -- In highly developed countries, Indigenous populations may have a higher rate of stroke, according to new research that highlights a dire need for more data and well-designed studies.Each year, nearly 12 million people worldwide have a stroke, which takes place when a vessel carrying blood to the brain is blocked by a clot or the vessel ruptures and bleeds into the brain, causing brain cells to die. But little is known about stroke's impact on the estimated 370 million Indigenous people worldwide.Researchers reviewed data about the impact of stroke on Indigenous populations in countries ranking high on the Health Development Index, a guideline designed by the United Nations to measure economic wealth, education and life...