Nearly all health insurers must cover the entire cost of HIV prevention treatments, the U.S. government says. That includes the two approved pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs Truvada and Descovy, all clinic visits and lab tests, NBC News reported. The guidance, issued this week by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, along with the… read on > read on >
Exactly how deadly has the coronavirus pandemic been in the United States? New research confirms it has had a big hand in slashing life expectancy by a year and a half. That’s the lowest level of life expectancy since 2003 and the largest one-year decline since World War II, researchers from the U.S. Centers for… read on > read on >
In yet another finding that illustrates the tragic toll the pandemic has taken on families around the world, a new study shows that 1.5 million children have lost a parent, grandparent or other caregiver to COVID-19. “For every two COVID-19 deaths worldwide, one child is left behind to face the death of a parent or… read on > read on >
Just small amounts of exercise can benefit people with implanted heart defibrillators, new research shows. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a battery-powered device placed under the skin to detect abnormal heart rhythms and deliver an electric shock to restore a normal heartbeat. The new study found that even slight increases in physical activity reduced… read on > read on >
Here’s another reason for new moms to give breastfeeding a try: Toddlers who were breastfed for even a few days have lower blood pressure than those who always got a bottle, research finds. And lower blood pressure at an early age may lead to a healthier heart and blood vessels in adulthood, researchers said. The… read on > read on >
While there’s been much talk about pandemic lockdowns being a burden on people’s health, new research finds the effects of large COVID-19 outbreaks are typically worse. “It is unlikely that government interventions have been worse than the pandemic itself in most situations,” say the authors of an international study published July 19 in the BMJ… read on > read on >
It’s important for parents to recognize when kids have breathing problems during sleep and to seek medical help, an expert says. “During sleep, the muscles keeping the upper airway stiff relax, and as a consequence, the airway narrows, which can cause snoring, snorting or in severe cases, the complete obstruction of the airway,” said Kurt… read on > read on >
About one in 20 kids hospitalized with COVID-19 develop debilitating brain or nerve complications that could haunt some for a long time, a new British study reports. Children with severe infections can suffer from brain inflammation, seizures, stroke, behavior changes, hallucinations and psychosis. About one-third of the stricken kids had symptoms that didn’t resolve in… read on > read on >
Could cholesterol-lowering statins help lower your risk of dying from COVID-19? For patients with a history of high blood pressure or heart disease, the answer appears to be yes. At least that’s the conclusion of a new study that enlisted roughly 10,500 patients across 104 U.S. hospitals between January and September of 2020. All had… read on > read on >
Breathing in smoke from wildfires may significantly increase the spread of COVID-19, researchers say. The warning, from a new study of links between smoke-caused air pollution and SARS-CoV-2 infections, comes as firefighters battle 80 large wildfires in the western United States. The largest — 300 miles south of Portland, Ore. — covers over 500 square… read on > read on >
