A drug championed by President Donald Trump as a coronavirus panacea appears to be in short supply for people who really need it: lupus patients. More than one-third of U.S. lupus patients who take hydroxychloroquine have struggled to fill prescriptions for the drug during the COVID-19 crisis, a new survey finds. One patient finally filled…  read on >

Ten percent of COVID-19 patients with diabetes die within a week of entering the hospital and 20% need a ventilator to breathe by that point, a new French study found. Researchers analyzed data on more than 1,300 COVID-19 patients with diabetes, average age 70, who were hospitalized in France during March. Of those, 89% had…  read on >

For parents hoping their “picky” eater will grow out of it, a new study may be unwelcome news. Researchers found that choosy 4-year-olds were still turning their noses up at many foods at age 9 — suggesting their finicky eating is more of a trait than a phase. The study, which followed over 300 children,…  read on >

Boosting doses of opioid pain medicines doesn’t appear to benefit patients with chronic pain, researchers report. “What we found was that the pain relief the provider and the patient are going for really isn’t there when they increase their doses,” said study author Corey Hayes, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas College of…  read on >

Carrying excess pounds can be painful, literally. A new study finds that being overweight or obese ups the risk of pain in people with musculoskeletal disorders. “Pain, osteoarthritis and weight share a complicated relationship,” said study author Dr. Diana Higgins. She’s a researcher with the VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine.…  read on >

The more pregnancies losses a woman has, the greater her risk of developing diabetes, a new study suggests. Researchers examined data on nearly 25,000 Danish women who were born between 1957 and 1997 and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes between 1977 to 2017. The women were compared with a control group of nearly 248,000 women…  read on >

The now-trendy keto diet is said to turn fat into fuel. But a new, small study says it may also change the vast array of microbes residing in your gut (the microbiome). That could be a good thing, as those changes may ultimately strengthen the immune system by tamping down inflammation, researchers say. The keto…  read on >

Obesity makes COVID-19 worse and may lead to deadly blood clots in the lungs, a new study finds. The researchers said that obese patients with COVID-19 may have nearly three times the risk of developing what is known as a pulmonary embolism. “Clinicians can utilize our findings to aid in determining which patients should have…  read on >

The new coronavirus isn’t just attacking the lungs: New research shows it’s causing harm to the gastrointestinal tract, especially in more advanced cases of COVID-19. A variety of imaging scans performed on hospitalized COVID-19 patients showed bowel abnormalities, according to a study published online May 11 in Radiology. Many of the effects were severe and…  read on >