Latest Health News

4Jun
2020

Pandemic Has Left Nearly 43 Million Americans Without Work

Pandemic Has Left Nearly 43 Million Americans Without WorkTHURSDAY, June 4, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As the U.S. coronavirus case count eclipsed 1.8 million and the death toll passed 107,000 on Thursday, America's jobless rolls swelled to nearly 43 million. That's close to one-quarter of the country's work force. The U.S. Labor Department reported 1.9 million more people filed new unemployment claims last week, a sobering reminder of the economic toll the coronavirus pandemic has taken on Americans, CNN reported. At the same time, fears of a spike in new infections were stoked by a new review that shows that crowded protests against police brutality have occurred in every one of the 25 U.S. communities with the highest concentrations of new COVID-19 cases. The Associated Press analysis also found that some cities -- Minneapolis, Chicago,...

No Evidence Marijuana Raises Stroke Risk

3 June 2020
No Evidence Marijuana Raises Stroke RiskWEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Whether pot use increases the risk of stroke has been hotly debated, and now a new study adds to evidence that it doesn't. "Our observational study looked specifically at recent cannabis use by reviewing drug testing data for people admitted to the hospital. While more research is needed with larger numbers of people, our study lends support to the studies showing that cannabis use does not increase the risk of stroke," said researcher Dr. Carmela San Luis, of the University of Mississippi in Jackson. Specifically, the researchers found that using pot did not affect the risk for ischemic stroke, which is the most common type of stroke and is caused by a blood clot in the brain. For the study, San Luis and her team collected data on more...

When a Handgun Is in the Home, Suicide Risk Quickly Rises

3 June 2020
When a Handgun Is in the Home, Suicide Risk Quickly RisesWEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Handgun owners are at substantially heightened risk of suicide in the years after buying their first gun, a large new study finds. The study of more than 26 million California residents found that first-time handgun owners were nearly four times more likely to die by suicide in the coming years versus non-owners. Their risk of suicide by firearm, specifically, rose to a striking degree: Male handgun owners had an eight times higher risk, versus other men; the risk soared 35-fold among female gun owners, compared with other women. That partly reflects the fact that women generally have a low rate of suicide by gun, said lead researcher David Studdert. And, in fact, he said, men accounted for the large majority of firearm suicides during the...

'Gold Standard' Clinical Trial Finds Hydroxychloroquine...

3 June 2020
`Gold Standard` Clinical Trial Finds Hydroxychloroquine Won`t Prevent COVID-19WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Hydroxychloroquine, the malaria drug touted and reportedly used by President Donald Trump as a preventative for COVID-19, appears not to have lived up to its hype, a new study shows. Unlike some prior studies, this new trial was a "gold standard" prospective, randomized clinical trial. It found that hydroxychloroquine could not prevent COVID-19 any better than a sugar pill. Worse, 40% of those taking hydroxychloroquine developed side effects including nausea, upset stomach or diarrhea. Fortunately, no serious side effects or heart problems occurred in the study, the researchers noted. An uptick in risk for potentially dangerous heart rhythm abnormalities had been noted in prior studies in which COVID-19 patients received hydroxychloroquine...

At-Home Gene Test for Breast, Ovarian Cancers Looks Effective

3 June 2020
At-Home Gene Test for Breast, Ovarian Cancers Looks EffectiveWEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Screening for breast and ovarian cancer genes might be added to the list of medical tests that can be safely and effectively done from home, new research suggests. The study looked at screening for BRCA1, BRCA2 and other gene mutations linked to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation have as much as a 7 in 10 chance of getting breast cancer by age 80, according to the American Cancer Society. Typically, this genetic testing requires a pre-screening counseling session with a genetic counselor. After the test, women usually return for a post-screening session to get their test results. But a number of services have begun offering BRCA gene testing at home -- and not all offer counseling. "We...

People Are Avoiding the ER During COVID-19 Crisis at Their Peril: Study

3 June 2020
People Are Avoiding the ER During COVID-19 Crisis at Their Peril: StudyWEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Visits to U.S. emergency departments are down by 42% compared to the same time last year, and that's not good news, researchers report. Fears of contracting the new coronavirus while visiting the ER are keeping people away, experts say. But hesitating to seek help can be a fatal mistake. So, "wider access is needed to health messages that reinforce the importance of immediately seeking care for serious conditions for which emergency department visits cannot be avoided," including heart attacks, urged researchers led by Kathleen Hartnett. She's a member of the COVID-19 Response Team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the study, the CDC investigators compared data on the number of emergency department visits by...

Domestic Violence May Have Risen Under Stay-at-Home Rules

3 June 2020
Domestic Violence May Have Risen Under Stay-at-Home RulesWEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Domestic violence cases rose after Los Angeles and Indianapolis introduced stay-at-home rules to help stop the spread of COVID-19, researchers say. "Shelter-in-place rules, by mandating more time at home, are very likely to increase the volume of domestic or intimate partner violence, which thrives behind closed doors," said senior author Jeffrey Brantingham, a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Los Angeles implemented stay-at-home rules March 20; Indianapolis did so March 24. Both cities ordered schools, restaurants and bars to close March 16. Brantingham and his colleagues analyzed calls for police service in Los Angeles between Jan. 2 and April 18 and in Indianapolis from Jan. 2 to April 21. The...

Meds Like Valium, Xanax Linked to Higher Risk of Ectopic Pregnancy

3 June 2020
Meds Like Valium, Xanax Linked to Higher Risk of Ectopic PregnancyWEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Taking benzodiazepines -- drugs such as Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Halcion or Ativan -- to treat anxiety or insomnia before pregnancy boosts the risk of an ectopic pregnancy, new research suggests. Ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that develops outside the uterus, typically in a fallopian tube. The risk of ectopic pregnancy was nearly 50% higher for women who had filled a prescription for a benzodiazepine within three months of becoming pregnant. "There is a real gap in understanding what leads to ectopic pregnancy. Past studies on psychotropic medications like benzodiazepines in pregnancy looked at the effects on the baby," explained study author Elizabeth Wall-Wieler, from Stanford University School of Medicine. And that's why the...

Plasma Therapy Aids Recovery in Critically Ill COVID-19...

WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The blood plasma of people who have recovered from the new coronavirus infection may help critically ill COVID-19 patients recover, a new study...

Similar to Adults, Obesity Raises Kids' Odds for Severe...

WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- If a child is infected with the new coronavirus, being obese appears to greatly raise the odds for developing a severe form of COVID-19, a new study...
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