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WEDNESDAY, Aug. 3, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Babies who are white appear to get diagnostic appointments for cystic fibrosis earlier than babies of several other races and ethnicities, new research shows.This can cause gaps in care and outcomes.While it is recommended that infants who have an initial positive screening for cystic fibrosis be further evaluated by 28 days of age, those who were Black, American Indian/Native Alaskan, Asian, and/or Hispanic received diagnostic follow-up at a median age of 31 days, the study found. That compared to 22 days for white babies. Median means half got screening sooner, half later. Babies from minority groups also had more symptoms, putting them greater risk of complications."Prompt evaluation is critical for all infants with out-of-range newborn...

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 3, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Women tend to experience more severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than men, and the smaller size of their airways may be the reason why, a new study suggests.Though men still have a higher rate of COPD diagnosis and death, both changes in smoking behavior and increasing urbanization have increased numbers of cases of the disease in women, the researchers noted."The prevalence of COPD in women is fast approaching that seen in men, and airway disease may underlie some of the high COPD numbers in women that we are seeing," said study author Dr. Surya Bhatt, an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The findings were published...

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 3, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Financial pressures may have made this a year when some families can’t afford pricy extras, such as after-school activities or summer camp.It’s OK to explain this to your kids, said an expert from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, who offered tips for the conversation, as well as low-cost alternatives for budget-friendly summer fun.“It’s important to give an optimistic but honest appraisal of budgets,” said Eric Storch, professor and vice chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. “If you’re not in a position to spend on camps and extracurriculars, be confident, reassuring and also direct about what you’re spending.”Families of young kids can demonstrate how money works by using tokens, buttons or lima beans in a...

TUESDAY, Aug. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A daily hamburger might raise the risk of developing heart disease, but not necessarily for the reasons people often think, new research suggests.The study of nearly 4,000 older Americans found what many have before: People who ate a lot of red meat had a heightened risk of heart disease and stroke.But there was no evidence that the link was due to a traditional culprit: elevated blood levels of "bad" cholesterol.Instead, researchers traced the risk, in part, to particular substances produced by the gut microbiome — the trillions of bacteria that reside in the digestive tract. When those bacteria digest red meat, they produce a chemical called TMAO, which can spur inflammation and blood clotting.For the average person, experts said, the...