Latest Health News

FRIDAY, Nov. 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The number of women who contemplate suicide or self-harm during or after pregnancy may be on the rise, a large, new study suggests.Among nearly 600,000 U.S. childbearing women, researchers found that close to 2,700 were diagnosed with suicidality in the year before or after giving birth. And the diagnosis -- defined as suicidal thoughts or intentional self-harm -- grew more common over time.In 2006, 0.2% of women were diagnosed with suicidality. By 2017, that figure stood at 0.6%."The absolute numbers might sound small, but if you consider the fact that there are millions of births per year in the U.S., that translates into a lot of women," said Dr. Christine Crawford, associate medical director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in...

FRIDAY, Nov. 20, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Heart disease and depression are interwoven, and a new study is helping unravel that connection by linking depression with poorer scores on seven important measures of heart health.The research included more than 4,000 people taking part in a national survey who had been screened for depression using a basic questionnaire. Participants were evaluated for weight, smoking, diet, physical activity, blood sugar, cholesterol and high blood pressure – measures known as the American Heart Association's Life Simple 7.After adjusting for factors such as age, race and income, the researchers found people with symptoms of severe depression were 3.1 times more likely to have worse cardiovascular health than people without depression....

THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- President-elect Joe Biden campaigned on big plans for health care, many of which would face an uphill road if the U.S. Senate remains in Republican hands.But one of the first contributions Biden will make to America's health also will be one of the most important, experts said -- de-politicizing and unifying the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic."I think you have in this person, Joe Biden, a person who believes in science and is listening to the experts in the scientific community," said Vivian Riefberg, a professor with the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business.By promoting faith in science and the need for shared sacrifice, Biden aims to bring the country together as it endures a COVID surge during what looks to be a hard...

FRIDAY, Nov. 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The antiviral drug remdesivir is not recommended for hospitalized COVID-19 patients because there's no evidence that it reduces their need for ventilation or improves their chances of survival, a World Health Organization panel said Thursday.Remdesivir is regarded as a potential treatment for severe COVID-19 and is used to treat hospitalized patients, but there is uncertainty about its effectiveness. Nevertheless, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients in October.In the new assessment, the WHO panel of experts analyzed data from four international randomized trials that assessed several treatments for COVID-19 and included more than 7,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.The panel -- which...