A cheap drug that’s been around for centuries as a gout treatment might also shield heart attack survivors from future heart crises, new trial results show. The drug, colchicine, is derived from a plant called the autumn crocus, researchers explained Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, in Philadelphia. In the new… read on >
Bypass operations, angioplasty and the placement of artery-opening stents: For decades, millions of Americans have undergone these expensive, invasive procedures to help treat clogged vessels. However, the results of a large and long-awaited clinical trial suggests that, in most cases, these procedures may not have provided any benefit over medications and lifestyle changes. In fact,… read on >
Whether you have caught the flu yet this season might depend on where you live. Flu levels are already climbing throughout the South, particularly in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, and Puerto Rico, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As for the rest of… read on >
Pregnancy-related high blood pressure puts women at higher risk of heart disease later on, new research suggests. In the study, researchers analyzed an average of seven years of follow-up data on more than 220,000 women in the United Kingdom. Those who had gestational high blood pressure or preeclampsia in at least one pregnancy had stiffer… read on >
Many Americans believe they are likely to develop dementia — and they often turn to unproven ways to try to better their odds, a new study suggests. In a survey, researchers found that almost half of Americans in their 50s and 60s believed they were at least “somewhat likely” to develop dementia. Yet few —… read on >
As temperatures plummet across the U.S., people should take steps to prevent weather-related threats to their health, one expert says. Seniors and children are at particular risk, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) warns. “Winter storms raise the risk of car accidents, frostbite, hypothermia and other emergencies,” ACEP president Dr. William Jaquis said in… read on >
Juul electronic cigarettes deliver nicotine at a much higher rate than most other types of e-cigarettes, new research shows. Juul is by far the leading e-cigarette brand sold in the United States, and is particularly popular among youth. In the new study, researchers from Penn State University College of Medicine analyzed blood samples from six… read on >
FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2019 (American Heart Association News) — Quitting smoking leads to major changes in intestinal bacteria, according to new research. But just what the changes mean will need further investigation. The small pilot study, to be presented Monday during the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia, comes in the wake of past… read on >
FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2019 (American Heart Association News) — It was a race with life-or-death implications: Unmanned drones were pitted against traditional emergency responders to see which could get an automated external defibrillator to the rural site of a simulated cardiac arrest first. The drones won handily. And the Canadian researcher behind the test said… read on >
Of all sports, football sends the most U.S. males to the emergency room, while cheerleading and gymnastics most often do the same for women and girls, a new report finds. And, overall, U.S. emergency departments see about 2.7 million patients between the ages of 5 and 24 for sports-related injuries each year, according to a… read on >
