Latest Health News

18Mar
2022

SUVs, Trucks More Prone to Hitting Pedestrians

SUVs, Trucks More Prone to Hitting Pedestrians FRIDAY, March 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- When you're out for a walk, watch out for SUVs, pickups, vans and minivans that are making turns at street corners, a new report warns. It found that those larger vehicles are much more likely than cars to hit and kill pedestrians when making turns, suggesting that the drivers of the larger vehicles may not have as clear a view of people crossing the road.The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety researchers analyzed single-vehicle pedestrian crashes at or near intersections and at other locations.At intersections, the risk of a pedestrian being killed by a left-turning vehicle rather than a straight-on crash was about two times higher for SUVs, nearly three times higher for vans and minivans and nearly four times higher for pickups, when...

U.S. Smoking, Vaping Rates Fell in First Year of...

18 March 2022
U.S. Smoking, Vaping Rates Fell in First Year of Pandemic: CDCFRIDAY, March 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Consider it a silver lining, courtesy of the coronavirus: A new government report reveals that both cigarette smoking and electronic cigarette use dropped slightly among American adults during the first year of the pandemic.The findings, published March 18 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, are based on a survey of more than 31,000 U.S. adults that found 19% of respondents used at least one tobacco product in 2020, down from about 21% in 2019. Broken down, cigarette use fell from 14% to 12.5%, e-cigarette use decreased from 4.5% to 3.7%, while use of cigars, smokeless tobacco and pipes remained stable, according to the researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.For comparison, 42% of U.S. adults were...

Medical Marijuana Rx Ups Odds for Overuse, With No...

18 March 2022
Medical Marijuana Rx Ups Odds for Overuse, With No Benefit to Health: StudyFRIDAY, March 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Using medical marijuana to treat pain, anxiety or depression may quickly lead to dependence, without relieving symptoms, a new study suggests.Those most at risk for misusing medical marijuana are patients using it to treat anxiety and depression, the researchers found. Based on these findings, the benefits of medical marijuana may have been exaggerated, the study authors said."We found that people who obtained medical marijuana cards were at increased risk for developing cannabis use disorder within the first 12 weeks of owning a card," said lead researcher Jodi Gilman, of Harvard Medical School and the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston.To get a medical marijuana card, patients need a doctor's written...

AHA News: Death Rates From Tears In This Major Heart...

18 March 2022
AHA News: Death Rates From Tears In This Major Heart Artery Are Rising, Especially Among Women, Black AdultsFRIDAY, March 18, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- The death rate for people who have a tear in a major artery coming out of the heart – aortic dissection – has been rising over the past decade, especially among women and Black adults, new research shows.And while death rates for women increased faster, older men continued to face an overall greater risk of dying from this uncommon but often fatal tear in the main artery carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The findings were published Friday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.The increasing death rate suggests "we have more room to improve in the prevention and management of aortic dissections," said lead author Dr. Salik Nazir, a cardiology fellow at the University of Toledo Medical Center...

'Zapping' Air Passages May Bring Relief for Severe Asthma

18 March 2022
`Zapping` Air Passages May Bring Relief for Severe AsthmaFRIDAY, March 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Inhalers, pills or injections help most people control their asthma, but some with severe disease opt for cutting-edge surgery that "remodels" their airways to improve their breathing.Bronchial thermoplasty shrinks smooth muscle in the lungs, which prevents them from tightening up and causing an attack. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the treatment for adults with severe asthma in 2010. About 5% to 10% of people with asthma have illness that can't be controlled with medicine, inhalers or other therapies, according to the Cleveland Clinic.Now, a new clinical trial of nearly 300 patients reports that their symptoms had significantly improved five years after their procedure. They had fewer severe asthma attacks, emergency...

Omicron COVID Causing Severe Croup in Young Children

18 March 2022
Omicron COVID Causing Severe Croup in Young ChildrenFRIDAY, March 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) --The Omicron COVID-19 variant can cause croup in young children, including severe cases that require hospitalization and intensive care, a new study shows."The relatively high hospitalization rate and the large number of medication doses our COVID-19 croup patients required suggests that COVID-19 might cause more severe croup compared to other viruses," said study co-author Dr. Ryan Brewster, who is in the combined pediatrics residency program at Boston Children's Hospital and Boston Medical Center."Further research is needed to determine the best treatment options for these children,” Brewster said in a Boston Children's Hospital news release.In the paper, doctors described the cases of 75 children who went to Boston Children's Hospital's...

Diversity Still Elusive in America's Medical Schools

18 March 2022
Diversity Still Elusive in America`s Medical Schools FRIDAY, March 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. medical schools have a disproportionate number of wealthy students, which hinders attempts to improve diversity among U.S. doctors, researchers say. "In recent years, there has been a significant focus on the diversity of medical students, but to date, most work has focused on 'visible' forms of diversity; such as race, ethnicity and gender," lead study author Arman Shahriar, a University of Minnesota Medical School student, said in a university news release. "This paper is the first to describe the socioeconomic diversity of the medical student body in the U.S., which is a more hidden form of diversity," Shahriar explained. The researchers' analysis of medical schools nationwide found that wealthy students are overrepresented in medical...

Life Span After Alzheimer's Diagnosis: What Factors Matter Most

18 March 2022
Life Span After Alzheimer`s Diagnosis: What Factors Matter MostFRIDAY, March 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- After a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, families have much to worry about. They wonder what's next and how long their loved one has left to live.A new study from UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas addresses those questions, finding that mental (cognitive) decline, age and other factors affect life expectancy after an Alzheimer's diagnosis. The study authors say the findings could help improve planning for patients and their families."Life expectancy for patients with Alzheimer’s disease typically ranges from three to 12 years but can be longer in some cases. Families are anxious to know what to expect and how to best plan for the time ahead in terms of finances, family caregiving, and how they want to live out their lives,” said...

Lots of Napping Could Raise a Senior's Odds for Alzheimer's

THURSDAY, March 17, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Taking longer or more frequent naps during the day may sound enticing, but it may be a harbinger of Alzheimer's disease.Older adults who nap throughout...

Studies Relying on Brain Scans Are Often Unreliable,...

THURSDAY, March 17, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Most brain studies that rely on MRI scans don't include enough people to provide trustworthy results, researchers say.These brain-wide association...
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