Latest Health News

19Jul
2022

Fewer Americans Are Dying of Heart Disease Than a Decade Ago

Fewer Americans Are Dying of Heart Disease Than a Decade AgoTUESDAY, July 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Deaths from heart-related causes have dropped over the past 20 years, though differences persist by race and ethnicity as well as where people live and their access to care.The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), which partially funded the research, detailed the results of three papers. The findings were published July 18 in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.One study used data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, finding that death rates linked to heart disease dropped between 1999 and 2019 for both Black and white adults.While gaps between the two groups lessened, Black adults continued to have higher death rates than white adults. This was especially true in rural or segregated areas and among...

Which Americans Are Most (and Least) Prepared for Disasters?

19 July 2022
Which Americans Are Most (and Least) Prepared for Disasters?TUESDAY, July 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- When hurricanes, floods and fires hit, everyone can struggle to respond and cope, but new research suggests that women, people with kids under 18, renters, the poor, and Black and Asian Americans are the most vulnerable to weather disasters. These groups need special help before disasters occur to make sure they're equipped to act, said lead researcher Smitha Rao, an assistant professor of social work at Ohio State University. "Focusing on vulnerable groups, understanding their specific barriers, and connecting them to resources within the community are key strategies to ensure no one is left behind when disaster strikes," Rao said in a university news release.For the study, Rao's team used data from the 2018 Federal Emergency Management...

Americans Are Getting Better at Cooperating With Strangers

19 July 2022
Americans Are Getting Better at Cooperating With StrangersTUESDAY, July 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- American society may seem more fractured than ever, but cooperation among total strangers has been on the upswing for decades, researchers in China say.Their conclusion emerged from an analysis of more than 500 studies that tracked cooperation patterns over the past six decades.The upshot, study author Yu Kou said, is that Americans appear to have gradually embraced a "slight increase in cooperation" over generations."That is, Americans became more cooperative toward fellow Americans -- at least to strangers," she added.Kou is a professor at the Chinese National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education at Beijing Normal University.She said her team was surprised by its finding, which she acknowledged runs "contrary to a...

Who'll Get Long COVID? Just a Look at a Patient Gives Clues

19 July 2022
Who`ll Get Long COVID? Just a Look at a Patient Gives CluesTUESDAY, July 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Sometimes just looking at a person can give clues to their likelihood of developing long COVID after a bout with the virus.For example, obese people are five times more likely to suffer long COVID symptoms that persist at least three months after their infection clears, a major new U.S. study finds.Another risk factor: Experiencing hair loss during COVID-19 illness, the same study found. Headache and sore throat during infection also greatly increase a person’s risk of long-haul symptoms, the researchers added.However, the results also showed that other risk factors for COVID-19 infection do not necessarily mean a person will develop long COVID, noted senior researcher Eileen Crimmins, chair of gerontology for the University of Southern...

AHA News: Teen With Heart Defect Wants to Help Others Like Her

19 July 2022
AHA News: Teen With Heart Defect Wants to Help Others Like HerTUESDAY, July 19, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- Peyton Bono makes sure her friends know the drill.If they're at a pep rally, for instance, and it's a hot day and she's starting to feel dizzy and unsteady, they'll probably see her count her heart beats.If she's too overcome to speak, they should bring her ice and water and get her to a cooler spot.And if anything seems off about her health, they should alert her mother."I have to tell my friends what to do because it's been something that I always have to deal with," said Peyton, who is 16 and lives in Dallas.Peyton was born with a heart defect called tricuspid atresia. It means her heart lacks a tricuspid valve, thus preventing blood from correctly flowing through the heart and to the rest of the body.Peyton underwent...

Paintball Guns Are Being Used to Harm — And Blinding Victims

19 July 2022
Paintball Guns Are Being Used to Harm — And Blinding VictimsTUESDAY, July 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- When a paintball bursts out of a CO2-powered gun, it can travel nearly 300 feet per second.Pointed in the direction of a face, that paintball — meant to be used in certain jobs or for entertainment while wearing protective gear — can cause devastating injury to the eye, including ruptures and permanent blindness.So, when a string of paintball drive-by shootings unfolded in Chicago in 2020, researchers from University of Chicago decided to look more closely at what happens to patients who are injured this way. “In one weekend, we had eight drive-by paintball attacks and a lot of these patients ended up losing vision permanently. Some required multiple surgeries,” said study author Dr. Shivam Amin, a second-year resident in the...

Ob/Gyn Tests Stay Virtual Due to Fears Around COVID, Abortion Ruling

19 July 2022
Ob/Gyn Tests Stay Virtual Due to Fears Around COVID, Abortion RulingTUESDAY, July 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- In light of the Supreme Court's recent ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, many ob/gyns around the country are welcoming a change that allows them to continue taking accreditation exams virtually. The tests, typically hosted in Texas, had been held virtually during the pandemic but there had been plans to host the exams in Dallas this fall. However, ob/gyns, including some who perform abortions, feared that gathering to take the exam would subject them to potential violence in what is an anti-abortion state, the Associated Press reported.The three-hour test to be certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology is voluntary, but the certification is required by some employers and it lends credibility to doctors' credentials. Passing...

Where Pot Became Legal, Car Crash Deaths Rose: Study

19 July 2022
Where Pot Became Legal, Car Crash Deaths Rose: StudyTUESDAY, July 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) - - Car crashes and deaths are on the rise in U.S. states that have legalized recreational marijuana, a new study finds."Marijuana, like alcohol and just about every other drug, changes how you feel and how you behave. That’s the purpose of a drug. And that changes how you drive. We all need to realize that driving after using marijuana is a bad idea," said lead researcher Charles Farmer, vice president for research and statistical services at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.His team found that after marijuana legalization, the rate of car crashes with injuries increased by nearly 6%, while fatal crashes rose by 4%. No increase in these crashes was seen in states that hadn't legalized marijuana, the researchers noted.These results...

Blood Thickness May Play Role in Risk of COVID Death

TUESDAY, July 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The thickness of a person’s blood can be a matter of life or death if they contract COVID-19, a new study suggests.Patients hospitalized with COVID-19...

Minority Students More Likely to Leave Medical School: Study

TUESDAY, July 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Medical schools are doing a better job of recruiting minority students, but they still struggle to keep those would-be doctors on the roster.That's the...
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