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THURSDAY, May 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- When prescription drug "list" prices go up, patients often take a hit in the wallet, a new study shows.Researchers found that while some people are buffered against drug price hikes by their health insurance plan, many are not.Those in plans that require co-insurance or a deductible for prescriptions typically watch their out-of-pocket expenses rise, according to the study.Prescription list prices are akin to the sticker price on a car, explained lead researcher Dr. Benjamin Rome, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in Boston.In the United States, drug companies can decide where a list price starts and how it increases over time. On average, research shows, those prices have increased by 9% each year over the past...

THURSDAY, May 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A quarter of heart attack patients have atypical symptoms and are less likely to receive emergency care, Danish research reveals.These patients are also more likely to die within 30 days than those with chest pain.Atypical heart attack symptoms include breathing problems, extreme exhaustion and abdominal pain."Atypical symptoms were most common among older people, especially women, who called a non-emergency helpline for assistance," said study author Amalie Lykkemark Møller, a doctoral student at Nordsjællands Hospital in Hillerød, Denmark. "This suggests that patients were unaware that their symptoms required urgent attention."For the study, she and her colleagues analyzed data on heart attack-related calls to a 24-hour medical helpline...

THURSDAY, May 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- It's long been known that obesity is a risk factor for severe COVID-19 in infected people. But new research suggests that the connection may be even stronger for men than women. Researchers at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City analyzed data from more than 3,500 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital between early March and May 1, 2020.Both moderate (a body mass index [BMI] of 35 to 40) and severe obesity (BMI over 40) were tied to higher rates of death for those hospitalized with COVID-19. Compared to patients at healthier weights (BMI 18 to 25), moderately obese COVID-19 patients were 44% more likely to die while in the hospital, and those who were severely obese were nearly twice as likely to die, the research showed.But gender...

THURSDAY, May 6, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- Soaring blood pressure. A racing heartbeat. Trouble sleeping. Excessive worrying. Difficulty concentrating. These are warning signs of out-of-control stress and anxiety, and their roots could begin long before you might think.Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue in the United States, affecting nearly 1 in 5 adults, or 40 million people. Another 19 million adults – 8% of the population – has depression. Both can harm heart and brain health.While the causes of these disorders are not fully understood, researchers believe at least some of the architecture of mental health begins long before adulthood. And a growing number of studies show it can begin in the womb. High levels of maternal stress during...