Measures enacted to slow the spread of the new coronavirus also appeared to reduce hospitalizations for asthma, a new study finds. Researchers compared weekly data on hospitalizations at 272 hospitals in Japan in the first five months of 2020 to the same period in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Asthma hospitalizations in 2017-19 and 2020 showed… read on >
One thing most people can agree on, even in these divided times, is the importance of voting. And 19-year-old Aboubakar Konate from New York City is no exception. Despite a brain hemorrhage that left him partially paralyzed in March 2018, Konate plans to make his voice heard this November by casting his very first vote.… read on >
Three weeks after becoming the first big urban area to reopen public schools since the pandemic began, New York City is not seeing a feared surge in cases among students and staff. Instead, health officials are seeing a surprisingly small number of COVID-19 cases, The New York Times reported. Of 15,111 staff members and students… read on >
A recently approved rheumatoid arthritis medication appears to be an effective second-line therapy when biologic treatments start to fail, a new clinical trial reports. Arthritis sufferers treated with upadacitinib had a significantly greater reduction in their symptoms and disease activity than people treated with a standard disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), said co-researcher Dr. Aileen Pangan.… read on >
Older adults who get together with friends, volunteer or go to classes have healthier brains, which could help them ward off dementia, according to a new study. Researchers who used brain imaging to examine brain areas involved in mental decline found that greater social engagement made a difference in brain health. Being socially engaged —… read on >
Parents are usually pleased when their newborn seems big and strong, but new research suggests that large babies may be at higher risk for the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation later in life. Atrial fibrillation (a-fib) is the most common heart rhythm disorder, affecting more than 40 million people worldwide. People with a-fib have a… read on >
As the weather gets cooler and social activities move indoors, Americans need to take steps to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, an expert says. “We now know that if we are going to socialize with people who are not in our household — or in our pandemic pod — being outside or in… read on >
To mark World Hypertension Day this Saturday, the American Heart Association offers advice on how to lower and control your blood pressure. High blood pressure affects nearly half of American adults, and three-quarters of those with high blood pressure don’t have it under control, the heart association says. High blood pressure is the leading cause… read on >
In what will come as reassuring news to those who were born with a heart defect, new research finds these people aren’t at increased risk for moderate or severe COVID-19. The study included more than 7,000 adults and children who were born with a heart defect (congenital heart disease) and followed by researchers at Columbia… read on >
The number of new U.S. coronavirus cases topped 60,000 on Thursday, a tally not reported since early August, as health experts worried the coming winter might push the toll even higher. The latest numbers have also sent the country’s total COVID-19 case count past 8 million, the The New York Times reported. The surge is… read on >
