Health and Wellness News

MONDAY, Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) - Different types of gene mutations may play a role in the severity and type of autism, new research suggests. The findings could lead to improved diagnosis and treatments for the disorder, the researchers added. No two people with autism have the exact type and severity of behaviors, according to background information from the study. Investigators analyzed hundreds...
December 22, 2014
MONDAY, Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) - The combination antibiotic Zerbaxa (ceftolozane/tazobactam) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with complicated abdominal infections and complicated urinary tract infections. The approval for abdominal infections was approved in combination with another drug, metronidazole, the agency said in news release. The approval...
December 22, 2014
MONDAY, Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) - Viekira Pak, a combination of four antiviral drugs - ombitasvir, paritaprevir, ritonavir and dasabuvir - has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat hepatitis C infection, including a major complication, cirrhosis of the liver. Some 3.2 million Americans are infected with the viral disease, which can lead to complications including reduced...
December 22, 2014
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay: - FDA Approves Combo Hepatitis C Treatment - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a new combination treatment for people with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, which can lead to advanced liver disease without treatment. The drug, Viekira Pak, includes a pill containing three...
December 22, 2014
MONDAY, Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) - Obese heart-failure patients appear to live longer than people of normal weight who develop the disabling condition, a new study suggests. Researchers tracked nearly 1,500 heart failure patients, most of whom were overweight or obese before their diagnosis. They found that 38 percent of obese and 45 percent of overweight patients died over 10 years, compared...
December 22, 2014
MONDAY, Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) - A large increase in the number of U.S. school-age athletes receiving treatment for concussions is likely due to new laws and increased public awareness, a new study suggests. Researchers examined data collected from privately insured 12- to 18-year-olds across the United States between 2006 and 2012 in order to assess the impact of concussion laws. Since 2009,...
December 22, 2014
MONDAY, Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) - Opdivo (nivolumab) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat advanced melanoma skin cancer that has either spread or can't be treated with surgery, the agency said Monday. Melanoma, the fifth most common skin cancer in the United States, will strike more than 76,000 Americans this year and more than 9,700 will die from it, the U.S....
December 22, 2014
MONDAY, Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) - If you want to battle belly fat as you age, new research suggests you need to add weight training to your exercise regimen. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that combining aerobic activities with weight, or resistance, training is key to preserving muscle and avoiding weight gain, particularly age-related belly fat. "Because aging is...
December 22, 2014
MONDAY, Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) - People suspected of having high blood pressure may soon be asked to wear what's known as an "ambulatory" blood pressure monitor for a day or so to confirm the diagnosis, according to draft recommendations issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring involves a blood pressure cuff worn constantly around the upper arm,...
December 22, 2014
FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat advanced ovarian cancer, along with a test to identify patients eligible to receive the drug. Lynparza (olaparib) belongs to a new class of drugs called poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. The drug is for women who have already received extensive treatment for advanced ovarian cancer...
December 21, 2014
SATURDAY, Dec. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) - The holidays can be anything but joyous for people with allergies when they contend with fresh trees, scented candles and other allergy triggers. "The dust from the boxes and on the decorations that have been packed away in dank basements or dusty attics is triggering reactions in my allergy and asthma patients," Dr. Rachna Shah, an affiliate faculty member...
December 20, 2014
THURSDAY, Dec. 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) - In what scientists say is a first, a new analysis suggests that some blood types place women at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes. How much higher? According to a team of French researchers, women with blood type B positive appear to face a 35 percent greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes than women with blood type O negative. However, experts...
December 19, 2014
THURSDAY, Dec. 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) - Prostaglandin analogue eye drops - a common form of glaucoma drug - significantly reduce the risk of vision loss in patients with the eye disease, a new study finds. British researchers led by David Garway-Heath, of the Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology in London, tracked outcomes for more than 500 people newly diagnosed with open-angle...
December 19, 2014
FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) - Former tobacco smokers find e-cigarettes less addictive than traditional cigarettes, new research finds. Even though they "smoke" e-cigarettes as often as they did regular cigarettes, thousands of ex-smokers said they have fewer cravings and are less likely to feel impulsive and irritable over their need to smoke, researchers reported. "The pattern was really...
December 19, 2014
FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) - Older adults who have lost all their teeth have faster decreases in memory and walking ability than people who still have at least some of their teeth, a new study says. The findings suggest that total tooth loss could provide an early warning of increased risk of physical and mental decline in older people, the British researchers said. However, the findings...
December 19, 2014
FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) - New research warns parents that buying an older car for their teens may put their young lives at risk. Nearly half of teen drivers killed in the United States between 2008 and 2012 were driving cars that were at least 11 years old and often lacked important safety features that are available on newer cars, the study found. Eighty-two percent of teen drivers...
December 19, 2014
(HealthDay News) - Baking holiday goodies doesn't have to include loads of butter and sugar. The American Heart Association mentions these potential substitutes: - Swap no sugar-added cinnamon applesauce for butter. Use a sugar substitute. Instead of heavy cream or half and half, use skim milk. Use whole wheat flour in half the amount of flour called for in a recipe. Skip candies and chocolate chips...
December 19, 2014
(HealthDay News) - No one wants to be sick over the holidays. So, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers these 12 tips to help you stay healthier: - Wash hands frequently. Bundle up in layers to stay warm. Keep stress in check and get plenty of sleep. Take it easy and slow on the road. Quit smoking. See your doctor for vaccinations and regular checkups. Make sure children are always...
December 19, 2014
FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) - U.S. and state health officials are investigating a listeria outbreak linked to caramel apples that has killed at least four people and sickened 28 others in 10 states. Consumers should not eat any commercially produced, prepackaged caramel apples until more information becomes available, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news release....
December 19, 2014
FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) - The cost of cancer treatment can cause financial stress that threatens patients' well-being, a new study finds. Researchers examined data from 1,000 people in the United States who had been diagnosed with colorectal or lung cancer. Of those patients, almost 900 had finished their treatments and were cancer-free, and more than 100 had advanced cancer. Nearly...
December 19, 2014
FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) - Dense bunches of bacteria called biofilms can be found on most colon polyps and cancers, a new study finds. The researchers said these biofilms were especially prevalent on the right side of the colon. The presence of these biofilms may represent an increased likelihood of colon cancer and could offer a new way to predict a person's risk for the disease, the...
December 19, 2014
FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) - Potentially illness-causing E. coli bacteria were found on nearly one-quarter of herbs bought at farmers markets, according to a new study. Researchers checked cilantro, basil and parsley from almost 50 vendors from 13 farmers markets in Los Angeles and Orange counties in California, and in the Seattle area. Out of almost 150 samples tested, 24 percent were...
December 19, 2014
FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) - All children should have their eyesight checked between the ages of 3 and 6, preferably every year, eye experts say. The new vision-screening guidelines for preschool-aged children are from an expert panel of the U.S. National Center for Children's Vision Health. The panel said that children in this age group require screening for eye problems, particularly...
December 19, 2014
FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) - The intestinal bacteria that cause inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, may be inherited, researchers report. The findings, published recently in the journal -Genome Medicine-, could help in efforts to prevent the disease and treat the 1.6 million Americans with Crohn's or colitis, the study authors added. "The intestinal...
December 19, 2014
FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) - A new system designed to remove viruses, bacteria and other germs from donated blood platelets was approved Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Earlier in the week, the agency approved a similar system to remove germs from donated blood plasma. Platelets are disc-shaped components of blood that assist in clotting. The Intercept System can filter...
December 19, 2014