New research shows the COVID-19 virus can directly infect coronary arteries, inflaming fatty plaque inside them, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. This may explain why some people who get COVID-19 have a greater chance of developing heart disease. It also may shed light on why those who already have heart… read on > read on >
All Mommy:
Mammograms: An Expert Overview on Why They’re So Important
Mammograms have long offered early detection of breast cancer, which is why getting them regularly is crucial to women’s health, one expert says. “There are several risk factors associated with breast cancer. As with many other diseases, risk of developing breast cancer increases as you get older,” said Dr. Mridula George, associate program director of… read on > read on >
FDA Will Begin to Regulate Thousands of Lab Tests
Faced with growing reports of inaccurate clinical lab tests, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday announced that it will for the first time regulate these vital diagnostic tools. Many Americans might have assumed that the FDA already had oversight of all medical tests; it does not. However, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said… read on > read on >
COVID Triggered More Cases of Deadly Sepsis During Pandemic Than Thought
The life-threatening infection sepsis was more common than once thought among COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic. Massachusetts researchers linked SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, to about 1 in 6 sepsis cases at five Boston hospitals during the pandemic’s first 2-1/2 years. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital said their findings suggest health care… read on > read on >
Getting COVID Shot During Pregnancy Helps Protect Newborns, CDC Study Finds
FRIDAY, Sept. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) – When pregnant women get a COVID vaccine, it helps protect their newborns from the virus, a new government study shows. “These findings indicate that maternal vaccination during pregnancy could help prevent COVID-19–related hospitalization in infants too young to be vaccinated,” researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control… read on > read on >
Most Older Americans Object to Cancer Screening Cutoffs Based on Life Expectancy: Poll
While guidelines for cancer screening have begun factoring in life expectancy, a new poll shows a majority of older adults disagree with age cutoffs based on how long a person is expected to live. The University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging queried more than 2,500 adults aged 50 to 80 by phone and… read on > read on >
Childbirth Can Leave New Parents in Serious Medical Debt
New parents bringing home their bundle of joy often carry something else with them as they leave the hospital: medical debt. That’s according to new research from Michigan Medicine that found postpartum women are more likely to have medical debt than those who are pregnant. The researchers studied this by evaluating collections among a statewide,… read on > read on >
Kids With Eczema May Need Further Allergy Tests
Some children who have a common form of eczema should also be tested for allergic reactions because they may have a second allergic-type eczema, a new study suggests. While atopic dermatitis is common and usually develops by age 5, allergic contact dermatitis has similar symptoms and can be triggered by a range of substances. In… read on > read on >
Is the First Cure for Advanced Rabies Near?
Rabies virus is incurable and almost always fatal once it has invaded the central nervous system, with the victim doomed to suffer a horrible death. But researchers now think they’ve found an effective and simple treatment that can cure even advanced cases of rabies. A monoclonal antibody injected into lab mice successfully protected them from… read on > read on >
Coffee Won’t Raise Preemie Birth Risk, But Smoking Certainly Will: Study
Smoking during pregnancy is a significant risk factor for premature births, but drinking coffee is not, new research suggests. Women who smoked during pregnancy were 2.6 times more likely to give birth prematurely compared to nonsmokers, a risk that was double that of previous estimates, the University of Cambridge scientists found. “We’ve known for a… read on > read on >