Latest Health News

20Jan
2021

When ICUs Near Capacity, COVID Patients' Risk for Death Nearly Doubles

When ICUs Near Capacity, COVID Patients` Risk for Death Nearly DoublesWEDNESDAY, Jan. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- When intensive care units are swamped with COVID-19 patients, death rates may climb, a new study finds.Looking at data from 88 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, researchers found a pattern: COVID-19 patients were nearly twice as likely to die during periods when ICUs were dealing with a surge of patients with the illness.The results, experts said, do not necessarily mean that a busy ICU puts COVID-19 patients at greater risk.The study looked at numbers of patients, and not the actual care they received, said Dr. Lewis Kaplan, president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and a professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.One hospital may have a busy ICU, but be able to expand its capacity and...

COVID-19 Ups Complication Risks During Childbirth

20 January 2021
COVID-19 Ups Complication Risks During ChildbirthWEDNESDAY, Jan. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Women who have COVID-19 during childbirth are more likely to face complications than moms-to-be without the coronavirus, researchers say.Fortunately, the absolute risk for complications for any one woman is very low (less than 1%). But the relative risks for problems -- such as clotting and early labor -- are significant, the new study found.Still, "the findings here, truly, are that among women who are hospitalized for childbirth and who were diagnosed with COVID, adverse events are incredibly low. That should provide a lot of reassurance to women who are hoping to become pregnant during this period, or who are pregnant," said study co-author Dr. Karola Jering, from the cardiovascular medicine division at Brigham and Women's Hospital in...

Now That Psychiatric Care Has Gone Online, Many Patients...

20 January 2021
Now That Psychiatric Care Has Gone Online, Many Patients Want It to Stay ThereWEDNESDAY, Jan. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Only a year ago, Michigan Medicine psychiatrists were trying to recruit patients to give telepsychiatry a try, with very little success.The psychiatrists worked with people by video only 26 times in six months, while 30,000 visits happened in person. But that changed quickly when the coronavirus pandemic forced closures in the area in late March. Now, not only have patients seeking help with mental health issues been working through their emotions and experiences by video and phone for months -- many would like to keep those options, a new study shows. "Telepsychiatry is an interesting tool for various reasons in terms of providing early access to care, connecting patients in rural areas or who live far away from clinics to be able to get...

Tips for Parents of Kids With Diabetes

20 January 2021
Tips for Parents of Kids With DiabetesWEDNESDAY, Jan. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Kids with diabetes can lead full, fun lives, but they have special needs. Here's what parents should know.Diabetes is common among American children. More than 205,000 kids and teens have the disease, and cases are rising.Age makes a difference in the type of diabetes a child is likely to have."Most children younger than age 10 with diabetes have type 1," said Dr. Santhosh Eapen, a pediatric endocrinologist at K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune, N.J. "The condition occurs when the body stops making the hormone insulin," Eapen explained in a Hackensack Meridian Health news release. The number of U.S. children and teens with type 2 diabetes increased by 30% between 2001 and 2009, with cases growing among youth aged 10 and older. "With...

Dental Practices Rebound as U.S. Dentists Look Forward to COVID Vaccine

20 January 2021
Dental Practices Rebound as U.S. Dentists Look Forward to COVID VaccineWEDNESDAY, Jan. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The coronavirus pandemic hit dental practices hard early in 2020, as COVID-19 fears kept millions of Americans from seeking routine oral health care. But as dental offices have ratcheted up their safety measures, more patients have steadily been returning for checkups and more, according to recent polls conducted by the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute (HPI). In fact, by Dec. 14 the average patient volume at U.S. dental offices had resurged to 78% of pre-coronavirus levels according to the poll, which involved 2,700 dentists nationwide.One such dentist agreed that his industry -- and patients -- have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic."Health economists in the U.S. often use the dental industry as an indicator of the...

Are Pricey Air Ambulance Rides Really Saving More Lives?

20 January 2021
Are Pricey Air Ambulance Rides Really Saving More Lives?WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Air ambulance service is pricey, but promises lifesaving speed by providing rapid straight-line helicopter transport for critically ill patients.But a new study out of Denmark questions whether that expensive haste winds up saving more lives.Researchers found no statistically significant difference in the death rate between people transported by ground ambulance or helicopter, according to findings published recently in JAMA Network Open.That remained true even when researchers only looked at people with critical illness or injuries. They, too, died at statistically similar rates.Examining deaths and illnesses for critically ill patients, the Danish researchers "found there's not a lot of statistical difference in the overall mortality...

Stressed Out By the News? Here's Tips to Help Cope

20 January 2021
Stressed Out By the News? Here`s Tips to Help CopeWEDNESDAY, Jan. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Be kind to your heart and health and turn off the news, doctors say.Northwestern University experts suggest checking in on current events a couple of times a day and no more. Constant updates can fuel anxiety and depression, they warn."As a practicing preventive cardiologist, one of the most common risk factors for heart disease that I am seeing this year is stress," said Dr. Sadiya Khan, assistant professor of cardiology and epidemiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. "I know we can all agree it has been an extremely stressful year for all in every aspect of our lives, including stress related to the pandemic and associated health, financial and political events."Constant news updates pile on layer upon...

Alcohol Plays Role in U.S. Cancer Cases, Deaths: Report

20 January 2021
Alcohol Plays Role in U.S. Cancer Cases, Deaths: ReportWEDNESDAY, Jan. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- There's another reason to keep your tippling to a moderate level: Alcohol plays a significant role in cancer cases and deaths in the United States, researchers say.On average, drinking accounted for 4.8% of cancer cases and 3.2% of cancer deaths or about 75,200 cancer cases and nearly 19,000 cancer deaths a year, from 2013 to 2016.Rates ranged from a high of 6.7% of cancer cases in Delaware to a low of 2.9% in Utah. Delaware had the highest proportion of drinking-related cancer deaths (4.5%) and Utah had the lowest (1.9%).Cancer cases and deaths associated with alcohol were generally higher in New England and Western states and lower in the Midwest and South, according to the American Cancer Society study. The findings are being published...

Getting the COVID Vaccine? A Good Night's Sleep Will Help

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Want to get the most out of your COVID-19 vaccine? Make sure you get some good rest before you get your shot, sleep experts say. That's because...

Pot Use Ups Odds for Suicide in Young People With...

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Marijuana addiction increases the risk of death by suicide, homicide and other causes (such as car crashes) in youth and young adults with mood...
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