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Health News Results - 245
New U.S. Overdose Death Numbers Show 'Sustained' Decline
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- November 14, 2024
- Full Page
After decades of battling the opioid epidemic, U.S. health officials reported Wednesday that overdose deaths have now declined for the second year in a row.
By how much did these deaths of despair drop? There were about 97,000 overdose deaths in the 12-month period that ...
Psychedelics Like Psilocybin, MDMA Tied to Higher Odds for Schizophrenia
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- November 13, 2024
- Full Page
People are at higher risk of schizophrenia if they indulge in psychedelic drugs, a new study warns.
Patients who land in the ER following hallucinogen use have a 21-fold higher risk of developing schizophrenia compared to the general population, Canadian researchers repo...
Bystanders More Readily Perform CPR If 911 Operator Instructs
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- November 11, 2024
- Full Page
You encounter someone collapsed on the sidewalk and quickly dial 911.
Whether or not the operator instructs you on how to deliver cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) could mean life or death, especially if the victim is female, new research shows.
In a study ...
Have an Implanted Defibrillator? Triple-Digit Heatwaves Could Pose Danger
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- November 11, 2024
- Full Page
Thousands of Americans with heart trouble have small implanted defibrillators, to help regulate their heartbeat and keep cardiac events at bay.
But new research finds that on extremely hot days, people with the devices face nearly triple the odds for a dangerous ar...
Drowsy Driving: Not Taken as Seriously as Drunk Driving, But It Can Kill
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- November 6, 2024
- Full Page
Folks are more likely to drive drowsy than drive drunk, even though both raise the risk of a fatal crash, a new survey shows.
About 4 in 10 adults say they’ll find alternative transportation when they haven’t gotten enough
A Visit to the ER Can Often Precede a Cancer Diagnosis
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- November 5, 2024
- Full Page
Canadian researchers have found that about 1 in every 3 people newly diagnosed with cancer experienced at least one emergency department visit sometime during the three months prior to their diagnosis.
Many of the visits ended up being caused by symptoms related to the c...
More Than Half of Heat Deaths Can Be Blamed on Global Warming: Study
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- October 29, 2024
- Full Page
Researchers looking at the sweltering European summer of 2022 estimated that more than half of the heat-linked deaths occurring on the continent would not have happened if human-led climate change wasn't in place.
"Without strong action, record temperatures and heat-rela...
Every Minute Counts: Speedy Defibrillator Delivery Saves Lives From Cardiac Arrest
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- October 28, 2024
- Full Page
Every minute spent waiting for a first shock from a defibrillator cuts the odds of surviving cardiac arrest by 6%, a new Dutch study finds.
"Our research shows that every minute of delay in giving the first shock has a major impact," said study first author says
Wildfires Are Gaining Speed in Western U.S., Upping Threat to People
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- October 25, 2024
- Full Page
Wildfires that spread so fast they outrun the efforts of fire crews trying to contain them: These types of conflagrations are becoming far more common across the Western United States, a new study warns.
A fire's velocity could be even more important than its size when i...
There's Still Confusion on How to Spot, Treat Severe Allergic Reactions
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- October 25, 2024
- Full Page
Anaphylaxis involves a sudden, potentially life-threatening reaction to an allergen, including even very small amounts of food allergens such as egg or peanut.
Now, two studies find that people with allergies, as well as those charged with their care, are often unsure w...
Fatal Opioid-Meth Overdoses Have Fallen in U.S. by More Than a Third
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- October 22, 2024
- Full Page
Expanded access to addiction treatment and the overdose-reversal med naloxone likely prompted a 37% reduction in OD deaths linked to opioids taken with meth or other s...
What's the Best Clot-Buster Med After Stroke?
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- October 17, 2024
- Full Page
An off-label clot-busting drug appears to work slightly better in treating stroke patients than an approved medication, a new review finds.
Biden Administration Uses Wartime Powers to Help Restart IV Fluid Plant in North Carolina
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- October 16, 2024
- Full Page
Following hurricane damage that shuttered a North Carolina plant that makes 60% of the country's IV fluids, U.S. health officials have invoked the Defense Production Act to hasten rebuilding of the factory.
A nationwide shortage of IV fluids has only worsened since Hurri...
More Kids Having Seizures After Swallowing Rx Painkillers, Synthetic Pot
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- October 16, 2024
- Full Page
The number of U.S. children who suffer seizures after swallowing prescription medications or illicit drugs has doubled in recent years, a new study finds.
Drug poisonings among kids resulting in seizures increased from 1,418 in 2009 to 2,749 in 2023, steadily rising abou...
ERs See More Trauma Patients on Smog-Filled Days
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- October 16, 2024
- Full Page
Accident victims tend to flood emergency rooms on days with heavy air pollution, a new study shows.
The number of patients treated at ERs increase by 10% to 15% on days with increased particle pollution in the air, researchers found.
That increase is driven by case...
Parents or Ambulance: How a Child Reaches an ER Could Matter
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- October 15, 2024
- Full Page
It’s natural for a parent to bundle an injured child into a car and rush their kid to the emergency room.
But that decision could actually delay their child’s emergency care, a new study shows.
Severely injured children brought to an ER by their parents...
Homeless Americans' Death Rate Rises on Hot Days
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- October 15, 2024
- Full Page
As temperatures soar in some of America's hottest spots, death rates among local homeless people rise as well, new research shows.
Data from 2015 through 2022 finds a big bump in deaths among unhoused people in Clark County in Nevada (which includes Las Vegas), and Los A...
Most ERs Not Fully Equipped to Treat Pediatric Patients
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- October 14, 2024
- Full Page
New findings may worry many parents: Nearly 8 in 10 emergency rooms lack the supplies and training needed to treat pediatric patients, new U.S. research shows.
To be ready to address children’s emergencies, ERs need “key pediatric equipment and supplies,&rdqu...
More Bystanders Are Using Naloxone to Save Folks From Overdose
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- October 14, 2024
- Full Page
More bystanders are stepping in to administer naloxone to people who’ve overdosed on opioids, a new study shows.
Nearly 25,000 OD patients received naloxone from an untrained bystander before paramedics arrived, according to emergency medical services records from ...
IV Fluid Plant in Florida Remains Functional After Milton
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- October 11, 2024
- Full Page
Facing a nationwide shortage of vital IV fluids after Hurricane Helene knocked out a North Carolina production plant, officials heaved a sigh of relief at the news that a second plant in Daytona Beach, Fla., was spared by Hurricane Milton and remains functional.
Accordin...
U.S. Scrambles to Find Hospital IV Fluids After Helene Damages NC Plant
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- October 10, 2024
- Full Page
After Hurricane Helene knocked out a North Carolina production plant for a major supplier of IV fluids for U.S. hospitals, officials said the federal government is reaching out internationally to help restore supply.
The situation could get even worse: As Hurricane Milto...
Florida Hospitals Brace for Hurricane Milton's Arrival
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- October 9, 2024
- Full Page
As Hurricane Milton barreled toward the west coast of Florida, hospitals in its path were making ready.
Milton is projected to make landfall a bit south of the Tampa area late Wednesday night. Long-term care facilities in counties where mandatory evacuations have been i...
Be Alert to Carbon Monoxide Dangers During, After Hurricane Milton
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- October 9, 2024
- Full Page
High winds, torrential rain: All dangerous, but there's a silent killer lurking in the aftermath of hurricanes like Milton -- carbon monoxide.
Experts at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are warning of the potentially lethal effects of carbon monoxide (...
AI May Not Be Ready to Run Emergency Rooms
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- October 8, 2024
- Full Page
AI isn’t ready to run a hospital’s emergency room just yet, a new study concludes.
ChatGPT likely would ask for unnecessary x-rays and antibiot...
Epinephrine: Tips to the 'EpiPen' Ingredient and How It Treats Anaphylaxis
- Todd A. Mahr, MD, Executive Medical Director, American College Of Allergy, Asthma And Immunology HealthDay Reporter
- October 8, 2024
- Full Page
TUESDAY, Oct. 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) --- The recent approval of a new epinephrine nasal spray gives patients a p...
Food Allergies Spur Serious Anxiety in Most of Those Affected, Survey Finds
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- October 4, 2024
- Full Page
The large majority of people with food allergy, and the caregivers of kids with such allergies, say the condition has led to psychological distress, a new study finds.
However, only about 1 in every 5 such people have ever been assessed and counseled on their anxieties, ...
At Two Dallas Hospitals, Kids' ER Visits for Heat Illness Nearly Tripled Over Last Decade
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- September 27, 2024
- Full Page
In a sign that climate change may be fueling heat illnesses in kids, a new study reveals that such visits to two Texas children's emergency rooms spiked 170% between 2012 and 2023.
Grandma, the Family Dog: Unexpected Sources of Opioid Tragedies for Young Kids
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- September 27, 2024
- Full Page
Grandma's pill organizer. Fido's pain medication. A tossed-away tissue.
All are potential sources of opioid poisoning for young children, researchers at the New Jersey Poison Control Center report.
Their five-year look at 230 cases of opioid exposure in children be...
One Gun Law Reduces School Shooting Deaths
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- September 27, 2024
- Full Page
Laws that ban assault weapons do indeed protect children from dying in mass shootings, but the same can't be said for more common types of gun restrictions and regulations, new research shows.
“Mass shootings are horrific events. We found that large capacity magazi...
988 Mental Health Crisis Calls Now Link to Caller Location, Not Area Code
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- September 25, 2024
- Full Page
In a move that could mean more Americans in crisis get help and get it quickly, federal officials announced Tuesday that major cellphone carriers now have the technology to direct 988 callers to local mental health services based on their location instead of their area code.
Climate Change Could Triple U.S. Heat Deaths by Mid-Century
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- September 23, 2024
- Full Page
If global warming is left largely unchecked, the number of Americans who succumb to extreme heat will triple by mid-century, new projections estimate.
These deaths could affect poor and minority Americans much more than the white and better-off, according to a team led b...
Stroke Kills 7 Million Worldwide Each Year, and Deaths Are Rising
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- September 19, 2024
- Full Page
Climate change and worsening diets are sending global rates of stroke and stroke deaths skyward, a new study warns.
Almost 12 million people worldwide had a stroke in 2021, up 70% since 1990, according to a team led by ...
Black Stroke Patients More Likely to Arrive Late at Hospital, Without Prior ER Notification
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- September 12, 2024
- Full Page
Black stroke victims are arriving at emergency rooms much later than white patients, greatly increasing their risk of death or lifelong disability, a new...
Rural Hospitals Especially Vulnerable to Ransomware Attacks
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 30, 2024
- Full Page
Rural hospitals – and their patients -- are particularly vulnerable to the aftershocks caused by ransomware attacks, a new study reports.
“Ransomware attacks are bad news for hospitals and pa...
Recreational Drug Use Triples Odds for Repeat Heart Crises
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 28, 2024
- Full Page
Recreational drug users are three times more likely to have repeated heart health emergencies than people who don’t use, a new study has found.
About 11% of patients admitted to intensive cardiac care units have been using recreational drugs, said researcher
Most Americans Unsure How to Help Someone in Opioid Overdose
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 26, 2024
- Full Page
The U.S. opioid epidemic has caused a startling number of overdose deaths, but a new survey shows that most Americans still have no idea how to help an OD victim.
More than 3 in 4 people (77%) said they would not know how to respond if they saw someone having an overdose...
Naloxone Might Help Revive People After Opioid-Linked Cardiac Arrest
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 20, 2024
- Full Page
The overdose-reversing drug naloxone can help save the lives of people whose hearts have stopped due to an opioid OD, a new study shows.
Naloxone rapidly reverses opioid ODs by blocking the ability of opioids to bind with receptors in the brain, researchers said in backg...
Implant Automatically Releases Naloxone to Reverse Opioid Overdose
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 14, 2024
- Full Page
A new implant could help prevent overdose deaths by automatically administering the OD-reversing drug naloxone, a new study shows.
The implant, about the size of a stick of gum, is placed under the skin, where it monitors vital signs like heart rate and breathing, resear...
Child ER Visits Linked to Water Beads Doubled in One Year
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- August 14, 2024
- Full Page
Child safety experts have warned about the sometimes lethal dangers of toy water beads.
Now, a report finds a doubling in just one year of U.S. pediatric ER visits linked to the products.
“The number of pediatric water bead-related emergency department visit...
As Heat Waves Hit U.S., Poll Finds Most Can't Locate Local Cooling Station
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 13, 2024
- Full Page
It's been a sweltering summer for much of the United States, and a new poll finds many people can recognize the signs of heat sickness if it strikes them or someone else.
However, many more don’t know crucial information that could help them during a heatwave, suc...
FDA Approves First Nasal Spray to Curb Anaphylaxis, An Alternative to Injections
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- August 9, 2024
- Full Page
Folks nervous about administering a rescue shot for anaphylaxis finally have a new alternative in a nasal spray.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday announced that it has approved neffy, the first non-injected treatment for life-threatening allergic reactions...
Red Cross Issues Blood Shortage Alert as Summer Heat Cuts Donations
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- August 7, 2024
- Full Page
This summer's blistering temperatures have helped prompt an emergency blood shortage, the American Red Cross has warned.
Heat waves affected almost 100 blood drives last month, either by hurting turnout or forcing the events to be canceled. Since July 1, the nationa...
Bystander CPR More Likely to Save Your Life If You're White and Male: Study
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 7, 2024
- Full Page
Whites are three times more likely to survive a cardiac arrest after receiving bystander CPR than Black adults are, a new study has found.
Likewise, men are twice as likely to survive after bystander CPR than women, researchers found.
“CPR saves lives -- that...
Fake Oxycontin Pills Widespread and Potentially Deadly: Report
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- July 26, 2024
- Full Page
The rate at which young Americans are ending up in hospital ICUs after using fake Oxycontin pills spiked with fentanyl is soaring, especially in the U.S. West, a new report warns.
Medical toxicology data from one unnamed hospital in the western U.S. found the number of c...
Your Odds for Accidental Gun Death Rise Greatly in Certain States
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- July 26, 2024
- Full Page
Americans' risk of dying in a firearm accident depends in large part on where they live in the United States, a new study finds.
People in Southeastern states like Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama run the greatest risk of a gunshot accidentally killing them, researcher...
Risk of Mental Illness Rises for Kids Treated in ICUs
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- July 24, 2024
- Full Page
Youngsters so sick they’ve needed treatment in an ICU appear to bear the scars of that experience years later, a new study finds.
Children and teenagers treated in an intensive care unit have a significantly higher risk of developing a mental illness as they grow ...
U.S. Injuries From Electric Bikes, Scooters Are Soaring
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- July 23, 2024
- Full Page
More and more Americans who use "micromobility" transport, such as electric bikes and e-scooters, are motoring their way straight into the ER, new data shows.
In fact, the rate of e-bike injuries among Americans doubled each year between 2017 and 2022, reportED a team l...
Extra Money Keeps Poorer Americans Out of the ER, Study Finds
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- July 23, 2024
- Full Page
It's a simple strategy that could deliver powerful health dividends: New research shows that giving cash to poor people could help them stay out of the ER.
In the study, investigators followed nearly 2,900 low-income people who applied for a lottery in the Boston area. A...
Two Years Later, 988 Crisis Line Has Answered 10 Million Requests
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- July 17, 2024
- Full Page
Just two years after the launch of the nation's three-digit crisis hotline, more than 10 million calls, texts and chat messages have been fielded by counselors, U.S. health officials announced Tuesday.
U.S. Surgeon General Declares Gun Violence a Public Health Emergency
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- June 25, 2024
- Full Page
Gun violence in the United States has become a national public health crisis, the U.S. Surgeon General declared Tuesday.
"Today, for the first time in the history of our office, I am issuing a Surgeon General's Advisory on firearm violence. It outlines the urgent threat ...