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THURSDAY, Nov. 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A growing number of American adults say they have a physical or mental disability, a new study finds.Of more than 400,000 adults who responded to a 2019 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, 27% reported a disability. That's a 1% increase since 2016, and represents about 67 million Americans, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University who analyzed the data.Moreover, about 12% said they had more than one disability. The most common types were: mobility; cognitive/mental; independent living (requiring help for daily tasks and outings); hearing; vision; and self-care (needing help with bathing, dressing and other personal care tasks).To reduce discrimination and create more inclusive communities, "our country must be...

THURSDAY, Nov. 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- All body fat is not the same.And a new study suggests that folks who have more of what's known as brown fat may have a lower risk of weight-related health problems, such as diabetes and high blood pressure."Brown fat has long been thought to benefit metabolism because, unlike the much more common white storage fat, it can burn energy in the form of heat," said study leader Dr. Florian Kiefer, of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital in Austria. "Babies and toddlers in particular use brown adipose tissue to maintain their body temperature, but the proportion of brown fat in the body decreases with age and with excess weight," Kiefer explained in a university news release.But this study of adults who were severely obese found that more than...

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Transplant patients and certain other folks may need four shots of COVID-19 vaccine for optimal protection, new research suggests.People with weakened immune systems who've received both doses of two-dose COVID-19 vaccines aren't adequately protected against severe illness. They should be given a third shot plus a booster, according to the study."These findings indicate that while two doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are beneficial in immunocompromised individuals, they are significantly less protected from severe disease than people with normal immune systems," said study lead author Dr. Peter Embí. He is president of the Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis and associate dean for informatics and health services research at Indiana...

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A measure designed to lower prescription drug costs for seniors has been added to President Joe Biden's social safety net and climate change bill that Democratic leaders hope to bring to a House vote this week.For the first time, the measure would enable the federal government to negotiate prices for medications covered by Medicare, The New York Times reported.Under the proposal, negotiations could begin in 2023 on the most expensive drugs — anticoagulants, and cancer and rheumatoid arthritis treatments.Before negotiations could start, most drugs would be given patent exclusivity for nine years, but that would be extended to 12 years for more complex drugs called biologics, according to the Times.After those periods, Medicare would be able...