Latest Health News

30Nov
2022

Fatal Drug Overdoses Among U.S. Seniors Have Tripled Since 2000

Fatal Drug Overdoses Among U.S. Seniors Have Tripled Since 2000WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Growing numbers of older Americans are dying from drug overdoses and alcohol abuse.That's the tragic takeaway from two new reports by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.More than 5,000 people aged 65 and older in the United States died of a drug overdose in 2020, and this number has tripled since 2000, according to one of the reports.The other report revealed that more than 11,600 U.S. seniors died from alcohol-induced causes in 2020. Alcohol-induced death rates in this age group have been on the rise since 2011 and jumped more than 18% from 2019 to 2020.The new research wasn’t designed to look at why more older Americans are dying from drug overdoses or alcohol abuse, but the findings mirror what has been seen in younger...

Black Patients Fare Worse Than White Patients After...

30 November 2022
Black Patients Fare Worse Than White Patients After Angioplasty, StentsWEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Black adults who undergo a common procedure to open up clogged arteries are readmitted to the hospital more often than their white peers. They're also more likely to die in the years after treatment, a new study finds.Researchers looked at how patients fared following balloon angioplasty and coronary stenting -- "one of the most common cardiovascular procedures performed in the U.S.," said study co-author Dr. Devraj Sukul."We found significant differences in post-discharge outcomes such as readmission and long-term mortality," said Sukul, an interventional cardiologist at the University of Michigan.The minimally invasive treatment is routinely offered to adults diagnosed with a narrowing of the coronary arteries. Doctors use a balloon to...

AHA News: As Winter Approaches, Seasonal Depression May...

30 November 2022
AHA News: As Winter Approaches, Seasonal Depression May Set in for MillionsWEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- Winter's coming. The leaves have fallen, temperatures are dropping and there's less daylight to brighten our moods.While some enjoy the changing of the seasons, millions of U.S. adults will experience a form of depression during the winter months known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. It can feel just like regular depression, because it is, said Thea Gallagher, a clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at New York University Grossman School of Medicine/NYU Langone in New York City."The only difference is the onset of this depression coordinates with the seasons," she said. "It usually starts in fall and winter when there is less light, less activity, colder temperatures and a changing schedule....

Shortages of Antibiotics, Antivirals Are Making a Tough Illness Season Worse

30 November 2022
Shortages of Antibiotics, Antivirals Are Making a Tough Illness Season WorseWEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- An early surge in cold and flu cases has created shortages in key antiviral and antibiotic drugs needed for the annual “sick season,” pharmacists report.The antiviral flu drug Tamiflu is in short supply for both adults and children, in both its brand name formulation as well as the generic version, said Michael Ganio, senior director of pharmacy practice and quality with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.In addition, shortages are occurring in the pediatric versions of amoxicillin and Augmentin, two antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections that often follow flu, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) or COVID in children, said Brigid Groves, senior director of practice and professional affairs with the American...

Put Away That Salt Shaker to Shield Your Heart

30 November 2022
Put Away That Salt Shaker to Shield Your HeartWEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Toss out your salt shaker if you want to lower your risk of heart disease, a new study suggests.Even if you already follow a low-salt diet, sprinkling salt on your food can raise your risk for heart disease, heart failure and plaque in cardiac arteries, researchers report."Compared with people who always added salt to foods -- usually at the table -- those who sometimes, rarely or never added salt to foods had up to 37% reduction in the risk for cardiovascular disease," said lead researcher Dr. Lu Qi, a professor in the department of epidemiology at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans."Our findings suggest the potential to prevent cardiovascular disease through behavioral changes -- reduction of...

Do Steroid Injections Worsen Arthritic Knees?

30 November 2022
Do Steroid Injections Worsen Arthritic Knees?WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Corticosteroid injections to relieve pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis could actually be setting them back.Two new studies have discovered that, despite the temporary relief of symptoms, the injections were associated with continued progression of the disease.On the other hand, patients injected with another symptom reliever, hyaluronic acid, saw decreased progression of their knee osteoarthritis.The findings were presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), in Chicago. Research presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.“While both corticosteroid and hyaluronic acid injections are reported to help with symptomatic pain...

Most Americans Still Aren't Eating Enough Whole Grains

30 November 2022
Most Americans Still Aren`t Eating Enough Whole GrainsWEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Americans are eating more whole grains than ever before -- but it's still not enough.Moreover, not everyone agrees on what whole grains actually are, according to a new study that found competing definitions.The increase in whole grain intake over the past two decades is either 39.5% or 61.5%, according to researchers from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston.But by any definition, Americans are not getting the recommended amount of at least 3 ounces daily.Researchers studied overlapping definitions from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the American Heart Association, the American Association of Cereal Chemists International and the Whole Grains Council....

Exposure to Zika Virus in Womb Might Alter Kids' Development

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Children exposed to the Zika virus may need more support as they start school, even if they were not diagnosed with Zika-related birth defects and...

Many U.S. Seniors Get Needless, Pricey Cervical Cancer...

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers warn that high rates of cervical cancer screening in women over 65 suggest that some older Americans are being unnecessarily screened.More...
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