Latest Health News

20Sep
2021

Sleep Apnea Patients Struggle as Common CPAP Machine Is Recalled

Sleep Apnea Patients Struggle as Common CPAP Machine Is RecalledMONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Millions of U.S. sleep apnea patients are scrambling to find ways to protect their nightly slumber, following a voluntary recall from one of the nation's leading manufacturers of CPAP breathing machines.Philips Respironics agreed to a voluntary recall of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines in late June, over concerns that noise-dampening foam inside the devices might degrade and produce toxic particles and gases.Patients with severe sleep apnea now face a difficult choice if they own one of the Philips machines — go without good sleep for months on end, shell out $1,000 for a new device, or keep using a breathing aid that could harm their health.Philips said in September it could take up to a year to repair or replace all...

Telemedicine Gets High Marks for Follow-Ups After Surgery

20 September 2021
Telemedicine Gets High Marks for Follow-Ups After SurgeryMONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- After routine surgery, a "virtual" follow-up visit might be just as good as a traditional office appointment, a new study suggests.Researchers found that surgery patients who had video follow-up appointments were just as satisfied with their care as those who made a trip to the office. And they appreciated the convenience of skipping the commute and the doctor's waiting room.The pandemic pushed "telemedicine" into the spotlight when, during the height of the pandemic, many medical appointments shifted to online platforms. But telemedicine has been around for years, and the new study was conducted before the pandemic.Researchers said it adds to evidence that even after surgery, virtual appointments can be all that's needed."It's safe, and...

HPV Infection Tied to Higher Odds of Premature Delivery

20 September 2021
HPV Infection Tied to Higher Odds of Premature DeliveryMONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnant women infected with certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) may have a heightened risk of preterm birth, a new study suggests.HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause genital warts. Most of the time, the immune system clears the infection. But some strains of HPV become persistent in a minority of people — and, over time, may lead to certain cancers. In fact, nearly all cervical cancers in the United States are caused by persistent HPV infection, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And two strains of HPV — known as 16 and 18 — are responsible for most.Now the new study, published online Sept. 15 in the journal JAMA Network Open, links the two strains to preterm birth.Researchers...

AHA News: Clot-Removing Procedure Appears Safe for...

20 September 2021
AHA News: Clot-Removing Procedure Appears Safe for Pregnant Stroke PatientsMONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- Physically removing a blood clot in the brain is a safe and effective treatment for pregnant women having a stroke, a new study suggests.Stroke during pregnancy remains rare, but the risk increases during pregnancy and for up to 12 weeks after giving birth, or postpartum.The most common type is ischemic stroke, where a clot blocks blood flow in the brain. Mechanical thrombectomy – where a surgeon threads a catheter through an artery to remove a large clot – became a standard treatment in 2015 after a series of landmark studies."Unfortunately, pregnant and postpartum patients are systemically excluded from many clinical trials," said Dr. Fawaz Al-Mufti, senior author of the new study, published Sept. 20 in the American...

Delta Variant Now Fueling 99% of U.S. COVID Cases

20 September 2021
Delta Variant Now Fueling 99% of U.S. COVID CasesMONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- If a person is diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States right now, it's almost certainly caused by the Delta variant.The highly transmissible variant, which caused crippling surges in India and Britain this past spring and fueled case spikes in the United States this summer, is now responsible for over 99% of all cases tracked in this country, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."It's not unexpected, because it's more transmissible, but it is also a strong reminder that we need to have continuous vigilance," Dr. Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at George Mason University in Virginia, told The New York Times.Back in June, the Delta variant caused a little more than...

Study Spots People at High Risk of Severe Breakthrough COVID

20 September 2021
Study Spots People at High Risk of Severe Breakthrough COVIDMONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A study of millions of people vaccinated against COVID-19 has identified those at greatest risk of hospitalization and death after breakthrough infection.The most vulnerable are those who are immunosuppressed from chemotherapy, a recent bone marrow or solid organ transplant, or HIV/AIDS. Also at risk are people with neurological disorders (such as dementia and Parkinson's disease), nursing home residents, and those with chronic disorders (including Down syndrome).For the report, British researchers updated a tool called QCovid, using datasets from general practice, national COVID-19 vaccination and testing, death registry and hospital data in the United Kingdom. In all, a sample of nearly 7 million vaccinated adults was included, of whom...

Opioid Use Disorder Is as Deadly as Heart Attack: Study

20 September 2021
Opioid Use Disorder Is as Deadly as Heart Attack: StudyMONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitalized opioid addicts die at a rate similar to people who have a heart attack after leaving the hospital.Nearly 8% of patients addicted to opioids died within 12 months of hospital discharge, according to researchers from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). "We need systems that can address comprehensive needs of people with substance use disorder and serious medical illness," said study co-author Dr. Honora Englander. She is an associate professor of medicine at OHSU in Portland. "That means trauma-informed systems that destigmatize addiction to make health care systems more trustworthy and more effective for our patients," Englander explained in a university news release.The study looked at data on more than 6,600 Medicaid...

When Cardiac Arrest Strikes, Survival Odds Are Better at Airports

20 September 2021
When Cardiac Arrest Strikes, Survival Odds Are Better at AirportsMONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- If you have a cardiac arrest, your odds of survival are best in an airport or airplane, a new study finds.That's because automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are readily available and so are people ready to help, researchers explained."Our findings emphasize that cardiac arrest in travelers is survivable and that early resuscitation interventions matter," said lead researcher Dr. Neal Chatterjee, a cardiologist at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine in Seattle.For the study, his team reviewed 143 cardiac arrests at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport between 2004 and 2019. Nearly 40% of the victims survived — far more than the 10% rate for all U.S. out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.Co-author Dr. Thomas Rea, a physician...

Kids in Marching Bands Under Threat From Heat Illness

MONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- It's not just athletes on the field who suffer when outdoor temperatures get too high. Members of college and high school marching bands are at increased...

Depression During Menopause: How to Spot It and Treat It

MONDAY, Sept. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Emotional changes in the run-up to menopause can sometimes lead to depression.It can be important to see a doctor to help determine whether you're just...
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