Rates of postpartum depression have more than doubled in little over a decade among American women, a new analysis shows. While about 1 in every 10 new moms (9.4%) suffered postpartum depression in 2010, that number rose to almost 1 in every 5 (19%) by 2021, report a team from Kaiser Permanente Southern California. Why…  read on >  read on >

Nearly 1 in every 10 American adults is living with high levels of cholesterol in their arteries, according to the latest report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data, from 2021 through 2023, found that 11.3% of adults have high total cholesterol — a number that’s held relatively steady since the…  read on >  read on >

For the 4 in 10 patients with newly diagnosed heart failure who also have the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation, the prognosis can be poor. “Atrial fibrillation can make heart failure much more problematic, and more complex to treat,” said researcher Heidi May, a cardiovascular epidemiologist at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City.  That’s why…  read on >  read on >

There’s yet another downside to global warming: Higher health care expenditures for medical scans on hot days. So report Canadian researchers who discovered that periods of heat and air pollution bumped up demand for X-rays and CT scans by about 5%. Over time, that could really add up, said lead researcher Dr. Kate Hanneman. She’s…  read on >  read on >

Two Wyoming abortion bans, including the first state law to prohibit the use of abortion pills, violate the state’s constitution, a judge ruled Monday. In her decision, Judge Melissa Owens, of Teton County District Court, wrote that both a ban on medication abortion and a broader ban on all methods of abortion “impede the fundamental…  read on >  read on >

Japanese researchers say they have found a pill that works as well as existing medication to prevent blood clots after heart valve surgery, with fewer trips to the doctor. Unlike warfarin, the standard treatment, edoxaban does not require regular monitoring of blood clotting activity and doesn’t interact with other meds. “Edoxaban could make life easier…  read on >  read on >