Latest Health News

WEDNESDAY, July 26, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who get treatment for multiple sclerosis at the earliest signs of disease may have a lower risk of disability later, new research suggests.Among nearly 600 patients, there were lower odds of disability and progression among people diagnosed and treated within six months of symptoms onset, researchers report in their new study, published recently in the journal Neurology.“When it comes to MS treatment, the earlier the better," study author Dr. Alvaro Cobo Calvo said in a journal news release. He's with the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Catalonia and the Autonomous University of Barcelona in Spain.In MS, the body’s immune system attacks myelin, a fatty white substance that insulates and protects the nerves. Symptoms include...

TUESDAY, July 25, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Results from more than 26,000 respiratory tests in late 2022 found simultaneous infections with COVID-19, influenza or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in more than 1% of positive tests.Co-infections were especially widespread in children and teens. In people under age 21, researchers saw a 6% co-infection rate of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A.“With changing behaviors as the COVID pandemic began to recede, we felt it was important to investigate the resurgence of other respiratory viruses and potential incidents of co-infection, especially with the additional circulation of SARS-CoV-2,” lead scientist George Pratt said in a news release from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry. He's technical director at Quest Diagnostics in...

TUESDAY, July 25, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- People who have psoriasis may want to get their vitamin D levels checked.New research suggests that blood levels of the so-called "sunshine vitamin" may affect the severity of their condition. In psoriasis, skin cells build up and form dry, itchy, sometimes painful patches.While synthetic vitamin D creams are an emerging therapy, the study suggests that a diet rich in vitamin D or oral supplements could also ease psoriasis symptoms, said Rachel Lim, a study author and MD candidate at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.If the role of vitamin D can be proved after further study, “it may present a very accessible and safe addition to the treatment regimen of the millions of Americans living with psoriasis,” Lim said.About 8...

TUESDAY, July 25, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The extreme heat and choking wildfire smoke blanketing wide swaths of the United States this summer are actively dangerous to heart health, a new study reports.Days where soaring heat combines with fine particulate air pollution can double a person’s risk of a fatal heart attack, researchers have found.“Heat wave exposure interacts synergistically with fine particulate pollution to trigger more heart attack deaths,” said senior researcher Yuewei Liu, an associate professor of epidemiology at Sun Yat-sen University’s School of Public Health in Guangzhou, China.These results show the direct danger to human health posed by climate change, said Dr. Sanjay Rajagopalan, chief of cardiovascular medicine at University Hospitals Harrington...