People over 70 are far less likely to be considered for or to receive a new heart — even though new research suggests their survival rates after transplant are similar to those of younger patients. For the study, the researchers analyzed data on more than 57,000 adults (aged 18 and older) listed as heart transplant… read on > read on >
In a finding that confirms healthy habits make for healthy hearts, new research shows that smokers and obese people must have their clogged arteries cleared at much younger ages than nonsmokers or people who are a normal weight. It found that angioplasty and/or stenting to widen coronary arteries and restore blood flow had to be… read on > read on >
After years of improvement, Americans with diabetes may be losing some ground in controlling the condition, a new government-funded study shows. Researchers found that between 1999 and the early 2010s, U.S. adults with diabetes made substantial gains: A growing percentage had their blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol down to recommended levels. Since then, the… read on > read on >
When antidepressants fail to rein in hard-to-treat depression, the common anesthetic most know as “laughing gas” might be a safe and effective alternative, new research suggests. The finding follows work with 28 patients struggling with “treatment-resistant major depression,” a severe condition that investigators say affects about one-third of all patients — an estimated 17 million… read on > read on >
The color of your skin may very well determine how your headache gets treated, a new study warns. The same percentage of white, Black and Hispanic Americans — about 15% — suffer from severe headaches and/or migraines, the investigators noted. But the current analysis, conducted by 16 headache disorder experts, found that Black men are… read on > read on >
THURSDAY, June 10, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — The coronavirus pandemic and the equity movement have shined a spotlight on longstanding systemic problems that contribute to health disparities linked with factors such as race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status and sexual identity. But health disparities don’t only affect those facing them. In a time of… read on > read on >
Breast cancer patients who have adequate levels of vitamin D — the “sunshine vitamin” — at the time of their diagnosis have better long-term outcomes, a new study finds. Combined with the results of prior research, the new findings suggest “an ongoing benefit for patients who maintain sufficient levels [of vitamin D] through and beyond… read on > read on >
The United States plans to purchase 500 million doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine that it will then donate to countries in need around the world. The first 200 million doses will be sent out this year, with 300 million more shared in the first half of next year, three people familiar with the plan told… read on > read on >
The death of a Miami woman in her 30s from locally acquired dengue fever highlights the need for awareness of a potentially fatal mosquito-borne virus that’s now found in the United States. Once only seen in hot and steamy tropical or subtropical locales, dengue has been on the rise in parts of the southern United… read on > read on >
There’s more proof that getting a flu shot during pregnancy doesn’t pose a risk to children’s health. “This study adds to what we know from other recent studies showing no harmful effects of flu vaccination during pregnancy on the longer-term health of children,” said study leader Dr. Deshayne Fell, an associate professor of epidemiology at… read on > read on >
