Previous Medical News
2009/11/14
1. CDC's swine flu toll: 4,000 dead, 22 million ill (CDC, 11/13/09)
Estimates of deaths caused by the swine flu have grown to nearly 4,000 since April, roughly quadrupling previous estimates. The federal numbers made public this week reflect a long-awaited better attempt to quantify the new flu's true toll. Swine flu has sickened about 22 million Americans since April and killed about 540 children. And it's still early in the season.
2. Youngest likeliest to be infected, swine flu study confirms (The Lancet, 11/12/09)
New data from Mexico, the epicenter of the swine flu pandemic, has confirmed that young people are most at risk of catching the A(H1N1) virus but elderly patients are most at risk of dying from it. The study bolsters the belief that the pathogen is not as virulent as first feared but also stresses the need for caution, as a mutation into a more lethal form cannot be ruled out.
3. How to Tell if You Have a Cold or the Flu
Fever - if you are running a temperature above 100 degrees, chances are you have the flu.
Runny Nose - Can't stop using those tissues? A stuffy, runny nose is indicative of a cold.
Sneezing or Coughing - Sneezing? It's a cold. Coughing? Depends - it could be a cold or the flu. A dry, unproductive cough means you have the flu, but a hacking, productive cough means you have a cold. Still not sure? If your symptoms are accompanied by a sore throat, you most likely have a cold.
Headache - Both the cold and the flu often present with a headache, so it depends on what your other symptoms are.
Extreme Fatigue - Snoozing at your desk? Can't wake up in the morning? Extreme fatigue is a sign it's the flu. Another way to tell it's the flu is if your symptoms come on suddenly.
Chills - Chills can mean you have a fever, which means it's the flu.
Body Aches - Sore all over? If your body aches are accompanied by a headache and chills, it's a cold. But if your body aches are accompanied by fatigue, it could be the flu.
4. Va. teen suffers rare illness after swine flu shot (CDC, 11/12/09)
Jordan McFarland, a 14-year-old Virginia boy who is weak and struggling to walk after coming down with a reported case of Guillain-Barre syndrome within hours after receiving the H1N1 vaccine for swine flu. So far, the CDC has received five reports of GBS in people who received the H1N1 vaccine since Oct. 6 not including Jordan’s case. Out of about 40 million doses of H1N1 vaccine available to date, that’s a far lower rate of GBS than the 1 case that develops in every 1 million people who receive the regular flu vaccine. GBS is a rare muscle disorder that develops when a person’s own immune system attacks the nerves, causing muscle weakness, difficulty walking and sometimes paralysis and death. GBS occurs routinely in the U.S. 80 to 120 cases are diagnosed each week in the general population.
5. NBA's Abdul-Jabbar Has Rare Form of Leukemia (AP, 11/10/09)
Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has announced that he has suffered from leukemia for nearly a year. Abdul-Jabbar, 62, has chronic myelogenous leukemia or CML. Once a fatal disease, oral medications now keep CML under control for 80% to 90% of patients. CML usually results from genetic damage to cells in the bone marrow. These damaged or mutant cells acquire an abnormal chromosome, called the Philadelphia chromosome. The mutation causes an accumulation of an enzyme that triggers uncontrolled production of leukemia cells. Fortunately, a drug called Gleevec blocks the abnormal enzyme. If Gleevec stops working -- over time, many patients' leukemia becomes resistant to the drug -- patients can switch to Sprycel or Tasigna, two drugs with similar action.
6. FDA questions safety of alcoholic energy drinks (FDA, 11/13/09)
The Food and Drug Administration is challenging makers of alcohol-infused energy drinks to prove their beverages are safe, citing complaints that the products can cause risky behavior and injury. The agency has not approved caffeine for use in alcoholic beverages. The FDA wants evidence that the combination of caffeine and alcohol is safe.
7. Obesity Seems to Alter Heart Structure (Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 11/17/09)
Obesity is a major risk factor for left atrial enlargement, which increases the risk of atrial fibrillation, stroke and death.
8. Scientists Grow New Penile Tissue in the Lab (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 11/9/09)
Researchers were able to restore sexual function to rabbits with damaged penises by growing new penile tissue in the lab and implanting it. The technique could one day be used to treat /severe erectile dysfunction in men.
9. Texting Can Be a Pain in the Neck, Shoulders (Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, 11/12/09)
Texting may be preferred over phone jabbering by many young people, but too much text messaging may increase the risk of neck or shoulder pain.
10. Bad Mood May Make Pain Worse: Emotions and pain are closely connected (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 11/10/09)
If you're trying to get your mind off pain, think of something pleasant. That's the conclusion of Canadian researchers who have linked mood to pain.
11. Trouble thinking? Better see the dentist (Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 11/09)
Good oral care - regular brushing and flossing and trips to the dentist -- may help aging adults keep their thinking skills intact.
12. Teen Obesity Ups MS Risk in Women (Neurology, 11/10/09)
While there are plenty of good reasons to avoid obesity in your teens, a new study now suggests that extra weight in adolescence may increase your risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) later. Being obese at age 18 more than doubles a woman's risk of developing MS later in life compared to her slimmer peers.
13. Acceptance of Chronic Illness Helps People Move On (Health Psychology, 11/09)
For chronically ill patients, giving up the hope that they will get better may actually lead to more happiness. Hope can sometimes make people put off getting on with their life, and can get in the way of happiness.
14. Bacteria in intestines play role key role in weight gain (Science Translational Medicine, 11/09)
A high-fat, high-sugar diet alters the composition of bacteria in the gut, making it easier to gain weight and harder to lose it.
15. Baby Boomers May Prove More Disabled Than Their Elders: Boomers Doomed to Disability? (American Journal of Public Health, 11/12/09)
Baby boomers in the United States may enter their 60s with far more physical disabilities than previous generations, which could spell trouble for an already overburdened health-care system. This finding may be related to the obesity epidemic.
16. More muscle power means lower Alzheimer's risk (Annals of Neurology, 11/09)
Older people with stronger muscles are at reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to their weaker peers. The greater your muscle strength, the lower your likelihood of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The most likely explanation for the mental function-muscle strength link is that there is something going in the body that causes both muscle weakness and loss of mental ability. Good physical health is important for good brain function.
17. Study links BPA in plastics to erectile dysfunction (Human Reproduction, 11/09)
Bisphenol-A, a chemical found in hard, clear plastic used to make everything from baby bottles to food packaging, may increase the risk of erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems in male factory workers exposed to large amounts of the substance.
18. To Feel Better, Low-Fat Diet May Be Best (Archives of Internal Medicine, 11/9/09)
Both a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet such as the popular Atkins program/ and a low-fat, high-carb diet appear to help people lose pounds over the course of a year. But as for mood? Only the low-fat diets will result in long-term improvement in mood.
19. Statins may protect the gallbladder (Journal of the American Medical Association, 11/11/09)
A popular class of cholesterol-lowering medications appears to reduce the risk for gallstones that ultimately require surgery. Adults who take a statin medication for at least one year are less likely to develop gallstones that result in having the gallbladder removed. Most gallstones are made from cholesterol deposits that occur in bile, a fluid that helps break down fats. Bile is stored in the gallbladder and flows through tubes, called ducts, to the small intestine.
20. Bad-Behaving Teens May Be Living Up to Expectations (Journal of Research on Adolescence, 11/09)
Teens are more likely to behave badly if their parents expect them to. Higher levels of risky behavior were seen in kids whose mothers expected them to take more risks and be more rebellious, as well as among those who had negative expectations of themselves. It’s a mistake to assume that previously well-behaved youngsters will automatically become rebellious at age 13.
21. Daily Nasal Saline Irrigation May Encourage Sinus Infections (American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 11/9/09)
Long-term use of a neti pot to clear stuffy noses and blocked nasal passages may actually encourage more sinus problems rather than keep them away. People who used nasal saline irrigation for a year and then discontinued use the following year had 62% fewer cases of sinusitis in the year that they didn't use the device.
22. Dirty air, heat, cold may all trigger heart attacks (Heart, 11/09)
Extreme temperatures and heavy air pollution boost heart attack risk. And on days when the air is extra dirty and the temperature is unusually hot or cold, the effects are likely to be particularly bad, given that temperature and pollution seem to harm the body in different ways.
23. Dense Breasts Raise Risk of Cancer Recurrence (Cancer, 12/15/09)
After a lumpectomy, women with very dense breasts have a higher risk of cancer recurrence in the affected breast. Women with high-density breasts may want to strongly consider whole-breast radiation.
24. Watch for kidney stones in kids with abdominal pain (Pediatrics, 11/09)
Many children with kidney stones don't have the classical symptoms associated with the condition, such as painful, bloody urination. Consider kidney stones in kids with recurrent abdominal pain, especially those who have a history of such stones in the family, even if painful and blood urination is absent.
25. Recall: 1 Million Maclaren Baby Strollers Recalled (Consumer Product Safety Commission, 11/9/09)
Maclaren USA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a voluntary recall of "about a million" Maclaren baby strollers because of the risk of fingertip amputation. Maclaren USA has gotten 15 reports of children placing their finger in the stroller's hinge mechanism, resulting in 12 reports of fingertip amputations in the U.S.
