Roll Up Your Sleeve and Donate Blood for Cancer Patients

Many people don't realize that cancer patients are in constant need of blood supplies.

Chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer can damage the body's ability to produce healthy blood cells and cause potentially life-threatening conditions. Blood transfusions help provide critical clotting factors, proteins and antibodies.

Is High Blood Pressure in First Pregnancy a Harbinger of Heart Trouble?

Having high blood pressure in a first pregnancy quadruples a woman's risk of heart attack or death from heart disease, a new study finds.

About 2% to 8% of pregnant women with previously normal blood pressure develop a condition called preeclampsia, which includes high blood pressure that usually begins after 20 weeks of pregn...

'Couch Potato' Lifestyle Poses Danger to Women's Hearts

Most folks know that being a couch potato is bad for their health, but new research suggests that women who spend hours in their chairs and sofas might face greater risks than believed.

Sitting for long periods of time can increase risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, particularly if those bouts of sitting aren't broken up by o...

Shotguns Often Play Tragic Role in Rural Teens' Suicides: Study

Could stricter safety rules for rifles and shotguns help prevent suicide?

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore analyzed nearly 4,000 firearm suicides and found that long guns, not handguns, are more often the method of choice for youths and people in rural areas.

Their analysis of Maryland data for 2003 to 2018 ...

Small Babies Have High Risk for Heart-Lung Weakness as Adults: Study

Being small at birth after a full-term pregnancy could leave you gasping for breath later on in life.

Swedish researchers report that babies with low birth weights are more likely to have poor heart-lung (cardiorespiratory) fitness when they reach adulthood.

Cardiorespiratory fitness -- the ability to supply oxygen to muscles...

Measles Complications Can Affect Every Organ: Study

Hepatitis, appendicitis and viral meningitis are among the serious complications that can occur when you get the measles, doctors warn in a new report.

The study -- which outlines cases involving three adults who developed major complications -- is also a reminder of the importance of vaccination against the illness.

Measles ...

Price Hikes Have Patients Turning to Craigslist for Insulin, Asthma Inhalers

Maybe you've gone to Craigslist to find a used car or a secondhand couch, but imagine having to turn to the internet to pay for lifesaving drugs.

It's already happening: A new study found that hundreds of ads were placed on Craigslist for insulin and asthma inhalers during a 12-day period in June 2019.

"This study shines a l...

Study Probes Side Effects of Methotrexate, Used for Psoriasis, Rheumatoid Arthritis

Many Americans battling autoimmune illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis turn to a long-used drug, methotrexate, for relief.

But until now there's been little comprehensive research on side effects tied to the drug.

A new study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health may fill that gap. It finds that pat...

Recommended Diuretic Drug Tied to Harmful Side Effects

Patients taking a common diuretic to help lower blood pressure may be better off with a similarly effective but safer one, a new study suggests.

Current guidelines recommend the drug chlorthalidone (Thalitone) as the first-line diuretic. But it can have serious side effects that can be avoided with another diuretic, hydrochlorothiazid...

AHA News: Domestic Abuse May Do Long-Term Damage to Women's Health

Women who experience domestic abuse may be more likely to develop heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes, new research suggests.

The British study, published this week in the Journal of the American Heart Association, sought to fill in gaps in what is known about the link between domestic abuse and cardiovascular disease &...

AHA News: Race and Gender May Tip the Scales on Traditional Stroke Risk Factors

Traditional stroke risk factors, such as high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes, impact people of various races and genders differently, new research shows.

"The biggest thing we found was that hypertension has a bigger effect on stroke among African American men than it does on (white people) or African American women, even in you...

Chinese Report Says Lion's Share of Coronavirus Cases Are Mild

New details on nearly 45,000 cases of COVID-19 coronavirus in China show that 80% of cases are mild and the number of new cases has been declining for most of February.

The report, released Monday by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, offers some hope that the outbreak might be abating, the Associated Press<...