Americans with Down syndrome have a critical lifeline in Medicaid insurance, new research confirms. But the publicly funded insurance program will have to respond to rising numbers of older adults with Down syndrome, researchers say. “As more people with Down syndrome survive to older ages, the Medicaid system needs to be ready to serve this… read on > read on >
Millions of people undergo joint replacement surgery every year. To prevent infection, doctors often give them a second antibiotic — but new research suggests this can backfire. Adding a second antibiotic at the time of hip and knee replacement surgery may actually increase infections, researchers in Australia found. “Given the number of joint replacements performed… read on > read on >
Telehealth may be a powerful way to get people with opioid use disorder to take — and stay on — medication to treat their addiction. Researchers report that those who started buprenorphine treatment via telehealth had an increased likelihood of staying in treatment longer compared to those who started the treatment in another setting. “This… read on > read on >
Stigma can take a toll on lesbian, gay and bisexual teens, leading to high rates of binge-eating disorders, researchers say. Compared to their non-LGBTQ peers, lesbian, gay and bisexual teens are more than twice as likely to report binge eating, according to a new study. Bullying, discrimination and stigma because of sexual orientation can be… read on > read on >
COVID infection can raise the risk of a rare immune system attack on the body’s nerves — but vaccination might protect against it, a large new study suggests. The study, of more than 3 million Israeli adults and teenagers, found that COVID infection was linked to a substantially increased risk of developing Guillain-Barre syndrome in… read on > read on >
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed a ban on the use of formaldehyde in hair relaxers over concerns about its link to respiratory problems and certain cancers. Right now, the FDA only discourages using such hair-straightening products, which are typically used by Black women. Recent research has helped raise awareness about the potential… read on > read on >
Dementia can take a big bite out of an American’s bank account, robbing 60% of a patient’s net worth in the eight years after a diagnosis, a new study says. The average dementia patient will also see a doubling of out-of-pocket health care expenses in those first eight years, said researchers who studied thousands of… read on > read on >
Yellow fever may be resurfacing in the United States, thanks to climate change. The mosquito-borne viral illness decimated southern U.S. cities from 1820 to 1905, and now a new report says it could return to those areas. One of the potential reasons for a yellow fever resurgence? Global warming, because mosquitoes love warm, wet weather.… read on > read on >
An inexpensive medication long used for depression and migraines now has a clinical trial to back up its off-label use for another condition that lowers quality of life: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In the study, British researchers found that those taking amitriptyline were almost twice as likely as those taking a placebo to see an… read on > read on >
Many breast cancer survivors take a hormonal drug after cancer treatment to stave off a recurrence, but new research suggests these drugs may be less effective in women who are obese. Breast cancer cells in hormone-positive breast cancers are fueled by the female sex hormone estrogen. Aromatase inhibitor medications lower estrogen levels by stopping an… read on > read on >
