Latest Health News

28Jul
2020

Repeat Bone Density Tests Might Not Be Needed, Study Finds

Repeat Bone Density Tests Might Not Be Needed, Study FindsTUESDAY, July 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Bone density tests are often touted as a way to predict the risk of fracture in postmenopausal women, but a new study casts doubt on the value of repeating this commonly used test. The research was led by Dr. Carolyn Crandall, of the division of general internal medicine and health services research at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. Her team collected data on more than 7,000 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years. The participants underwent bone mineral density measurements at the start of the study and again three years later. Their health was tracked for an average of 12 years, and they informed the researchers if they'd had any major fractures. About 2% did experience a hip fracture, while nearly 10% had some form of...

There May Be 6 Types of COVID-19

28 July 2020
There May Be 6 Types of COVID-19TUESDAY, July 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- COVID-19 may not be just one disease, but six distinct types, a new British study claims. Each type differs in severity and in the need for respiratory support during hospitalization, the researchers added. Cough, fever and loss of smell are the usual symptoms of COVID-19, but the range of symptoms can include headaches, muscle pain, fatigue, diarrhea, confusion, loss of appetite, shortness of breath and more. For the study, the researchers analyzed data on 1,600 people who reported their symptoms into an app. The six symptom groups in a sequence from least to most severe are: Headache, loss of smell, muscle pains, cough, sore throat, chest pain, no fever. Headache, loss of smell, cough, sore throat, hoarseness, fever, loss of...

Less Smoking, Drinking Means Fewer Hip Fractures for...

28 July 2020
Less Smoking, Drinking Means Fewer Hip Fractures for AmericansTUESDAY, July 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- In a rare bit of good health news for Americans, a new government study finds that hip fracture rates have fallen substantially since the 1970s. Between 1970 and 2010, broken hips dropped by two-thirds among Americans in a decades-long health study. The likely reason? Researchers say drops in both smoking and heavy drinking played a significant role. The improvement was true for both women and men, researchers found, and the biggest change was seen among the most elderly people. Early on in the study period, people aged 85 to 89 were suffering broken hips at a rate of 2,018 per 100,000 people per year. That eventually fell to 759 fractures per 100,000 people per year. The study is not the first to document a drop in hip fractures: The...

Yet Another Study Finds Vaccines Are Safe

28 July 2020
Yet Another Study Finds Vaccines Are SafeTUESDAY, July 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Vaccines remain a "remarkably safe" way to protect human health, thanks to a rigorous system of safety monitoring that continues after approval, a new review shows. Ongoing safety monitoring led to safety-related label changes in 25 out of 57 vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over a two-decade period, mostly related to the vaccine's effect on specific groups of vulnerable people, an Israeli research team found. "This report is the most comprehensive study of post-marketing vaccine safety published, and it shows that vaccines are remarkably safe, and that the current vaccine approval and post-marketing surveillance processes are robust and effective," said senior researcher Dr. Daniel Shepshelovich, of Tel Aviv...

AHA News: New Test May Predict Who Develops Certain Type of Heart Failure

28 July 2020
AHA News: New Test May Predict Who Develops Certain Type of Heart FailureTUESDAY, July 28, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- People with higher levels of a specific inflammatory marker may have a greater risk of developing a form of heart failure, according to new research that could help predict who might develop the disease. The biomarker, called GlycA, is an indicator of inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation is thought to play a pivotal role in heart failure, a chronic condition when the heart muscle doesn't pump as well as it should. It affects an estimated 6.2 million U.S. adults. The new study, published Tuesday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Heart Failure, sought to find out if high levels of GlycA in the blood might predict two subsets of heart failure: heart failure that occurs despite having a preserved –...

Survivors' COVID Antibodies May Provide a Powerful Gift

28 July 2020
Survivors` COVID Antibodies May Provide a Powerful GiftTUESDAY, July 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Powerful antibodies found in certain COVID-19 survivors could treat patients with the disease and even protect against infection, researchers report in a new animal study. These antibodies are among the most potent against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and could be produced by drug companies in large quantities, according to a team from Columbia University Irving Medical Center. "We now have a collection of antibodies that's more potent and diverse compared to other antibodies that have been found so far, and they are ready to be developed into treatments," said project director Dr. David Ho, scientific director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and professor of medicine at Columbia University in New York City. Sicker patients who survived...

Smoking Raises Aneurysm Risk for Women

28 July 2020
Smoking Raises Aneurysm Risk for WomenTUESDAY, July 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking significantly increases a woman's risk of potentially deadly brain aneurysms, a new study warns. An aneurysm is a weakened, bulging section of an artery. If an aneurysm ruptures, it can cause fatal bleeding. The study included 545 women, aged 30 to 60, who had brain scans at five large teaching and research hospitals in the United States and Canada between 2016 and 2018. The scans showed that 152 of the women had brain aneurysms that hadn't ruptured. Compared to nonsmokers, the risk of aneurysm was four times higher in women who smoked, and seven times higher in those who smoked and had high blood pressure. The most common reason for a brain scan among the women was persistent headache, which occurred in 62.5% of those with an...

Concussion Ups Odds for Many Brain Conditions

28 July 2020
Concussion Ups Odds for Many Brain ConditionsTUESDAY, July 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- People with a history of concussion may face increased risks of certain psychological and neurological conditions, a large new study suggests. The study of more than 186,000 Canadians found that those who suffered a concussion were more likely to develop any of several conditions, including: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); depression or anxiety; Parkinson's disease; or dementia. Their risks were roughly 40% to 70% higher, compared to people who did not sustain a concussion during the 25-year study period. The researchers stressed that the vast majority of people in the study -- concussed or not -- did not develop Parkinson's, dementia or ADHD. Depression and anxiety disorders were more common across the board, with a higher...

Final Coronavirus Vaccine Trials Get Underway

TUESDAY, July 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As the U.S. coronavirus case count passed 4.3 million on Monday, companies launched the final phase of testing for two potential COVID-19 vaccines. In...

Tecartus Approved for Treatment of Mantle Cell Lymphoma

MONDAY, July 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Tecartus (brexucabtagene autoleucel) received approval for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) in patients who have not responded to other...
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