WEDNESDAY, April 19, 2023While mild cases make up the majority of autism diagnoses, “profound” autism affects about 27% of American children with the developmental disability, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. This is the first time the CDC has broken down that definition statistically. Children with profound autism are nonverbal, minimally… read on > read on >
U.S. schools that have a lot of students with prescriptions for ADHD medication also tend to have a lot of students who misuse the drugs, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among nearly 3,300 U.S. middle schools and high schools, some had a serious problem with students misusing prescription stimulant medications. At certain schools,… read on > read on >
Young teens who vape and smoke cigarettes may be setting themselves up to be heavy smokers by the time they are older teens, a new study suggests. The researchers chalked it up to what they called the “entrenchment hypothesis.” “There has been a lot of attention on restricting e-cigarettes, so that they do not serve… read on > read on >
Health care facilities remain one of the last places left in the United States with COVID-era mask requirements still in effect. It’s time for that to end, experts say. A prestigious collection of infection disease experts and epidemiologists say universal masking requirements in health care settings should be lifted, according to a commentary they published… read on > read on >
Depression during pregnancy may be linked to heart disease as soon as two years later, new research suggests. This is true even when patients don’t have high blood pressure during pregnancy, the research team reports April 19 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. “We need to use pregnancy as a window to future… read on > read on >
A leading doctors’ group recommends that toddlers get screening for autism at 18 months old. That may not be a moment too soon — and earlier may be even better, researchers say. A new randomized clinical trial, the gold standard for studies, backs up the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Intervention at 18… read on > read on >
With so many American kids and teens dealing with depression or anxiety, pediatricians are increasingly stepping in as mental health care providers. Now, a new study suggests they are doing a decent job — but too few kids are being referred for talk therapy. Researchers found that in cases where a pediatrician prescribed medication for… read on > read on >
Children whose mothers took antiretroviral medication for HIV while pregnant may have higher risks for developmental delays at age 5, according to new research. Nonetheless, researchers said it’s important for women with HIV to take antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy to prevent HIV transmission to their fetus. Women who have HIV and know it should start… read on > read on >
Tests done on a Chilean man infected with bird flu showed signs that the virus has partially adapted to spread between mammals. However, the public health risk still remains low, U.S. health officials say. “Those genetic changes have been seen previously with past H5N1 infections, and have not resulted in spread between people,” Vivien Dugan,… read on > read on >
