Breast Cancer Caught Earlier in U.S. States With Expanded Medicaid: Study

Early-stage breast cancer is more likely to be diagnosed in U.S. states that have expanded Medicaid coverage under Obamacare than in those that haven't, researchers say.

Their new study looked at a database of more than 71,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in 31 states that expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act ...

Common Blood Pressure Meds May Lower Colon Cancer Risk

Millions of Americans take medication to keep their blood pressure down. A new study suggests that two types of blood pressure drugs might do double-duty, keeping colon cancer away, too.

Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (often called ACE inhibitors) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) help lower blood pressure by relax...

Black Patients Fare Worse After Angioplasty

Even after undergoing the artery-clearing procedure angioplasty, Black patients with heart disease are more likely than whites to suffer a heart attack or die within the next several years.

That's the conclusion of a new analysis of 10 clinical trials: On balance, both Black and Hispanic patients fared worse after angioplasty, versus w...

Coronavirus Ups Anxiety, Depression in the LGBTQ Community

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, anxiety and depression are striking many in the LGBTQ+ community for the first time, researchers say.

"What I was hearing at the beginning of the pandemic was that people who were already anxious were more anxious than ever, and we didn't find that," said researcher Annesa Flentje, an assista...

Major Medical Groups Urge Americans to Wear Face Masks

Three major medical groups are urging Americans to wear face masks, wash their hands and practice social distancing as coronavirus cases continue to surge in the United States.

In an open letter to the public released Monday, the groups noted that stay-at-home orders and other social distancing policies curbed the spread of COVID-19 i...

Obamacare Helps Poorer Americans Spot Cancer Earlier: Study

Medicaid expansion under Obamacare may have decreased the number of poorer Americans diagnosed with advanced cancer, a new study suggests.

The study focused on Ohio, which was among the first states to expand its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014.

The researchers found that in the three years after...

New U.S. Coronavirus Cases Hit Another High

FRIDAY, July 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- For the 27th day in a row, the rolling seven-day average for daily new coronavirus cases in the United States set another record on Sunday, climbing past 48,000 COVID-19 infections in just 24 hours.

At the same time, coronavirus-related hospitalizations rose to their highest levels to date in A...

Will the COVID-19 Pandemic Leave a Mental Health Crisis in Its Wake?

Stressed from home-schooling your kids? Lonely from lockdown? Worried about a sick loved one isolated in a nursing home? Worried you might lose your job?

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone's mental health in ways small and large, and experts are concerned that for many, today's anxiety will become a tidal wave of menta...

With Pandemic-Related Stress, Abuse Against Kids Can Surge

Stress from social distancing and isolation to stop the spread of COVID-19 can lead to increased family violence at home, Tulane University experts say.

These changes in routine can upset kids, who may lash out and test limits. Stress from bad behavior, along with financial and other concerns can result in angry outbursts -- even verb...

How Immune System Fights COVID-19 May Be Key to Vaccine Success

Even the sickest COVID-19 patients make T-cells to fight the infection, a new study finds.

This means that a COVID-19 vaccine will have to cause the body to make T-cells along with antibodies, researchers say.

The immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, was the same in American and Dutch patients in ...

Follow Exercise Guidelines and You'll Live Longer, Study Says

Getting the recommended amount of exercise could cut your risk of early death, a new study indicates.

U.S. government guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic activity a week. They also suggest adults do moderate or greater intensity muscle-strengthening exerci...

Multiple Surgeries for Cleft Lip, Palate Won't Cause Major Psychological Damage

Having multiple surgeries for cleft lip and palate doesn't appear to have a major impact on children's mental health, a new study shows.

But there may be one three-year period that ups the odds for anxiety and depression, researchers say.

The study included 55 teens with cleft lip and palate (CLP), a birth defect where the li...

U.S. Coronavirus Hospitalizations Spiking in South, West

FRIDAY, July 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As the daily toll of new coronavirus cases in the United States broke yet another record and topped 55,000 on Thursday, COVID-19 hospitalizations were also climbing across the South and West.

Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Nevada and Arizona all set records for hospitalizations on Thursday, a s...

HIV May Not Worsen COVID-19 Outlook

People with HIV who were hospitalized with COVID-19 didn't have worse results than COVID-19 patients without HIV, new research shows.

"Throughout the pandemic, we've suspected that immunocompromised patients, such as those with HIV, could be at a higher risk for infection and suffer more severe outcomes, but without data on how COVID-1...

Injuries Shoot Up After Fireworks Laws Loosened in West Virginia

West Virginia loosened fireworks sales rules in 2016. And since then, the state has seen a 40% boom in fireworks-related injuries, researchers say.

The regulation change made it easier for people to buy Class C fireworks such as Roman candles, bottle rockets and fountains.

"Since there has been a trend among states to lib...

Definition of 'Dog Years' Not as Simple as Multiplying by 7

Mapping changes in the genome over time, researchers have developed a new formula to compare dog age with human age -- and it's not as clear-cut as every dog year equals seven human years.

The formula is based on chemical changes in what's known as methyl groups in the genes of dogs and humans. From that, researchers can better calcula...

COVID-19 Death Risk Twice as High in New York City as Some Countries

New York City's COVID-19 death rate was more than double that of some countries, and the city's oldest people had the highest risk of death, researchers report.

They used a computer model to analyze over 191,000 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases along with more than 20,000 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths in New York City from March 1...

Stroke Appears 8 Times More Likely With COVID Than With Flu

Both flu and COVID-19 can raise your risk for a stroke, but the odds appear to be eight times higher with the coronavirus, a new study finds.

Among more than 1,900 patients with COVID-19, 1.6% suffered a stroke, versus 0.2% of nearly 1,500 patients seriously ill with flu, researchers found.

"Doctors and practitioners...

Asthma, Allergies Plus Pandemic May Pose 4th of July Challenges

The coronavirus pandemic makes planning for July 4th a challenge this year, especially if someone in the family has allergies or asthma, an allergy expert says.

"This summer will see modifications in how people celebrate Independence Day," said Dr. J. Allen Meadows, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Animal Tests Point to Possible Path to Ultrafast Insulin

An experimental ultrafast-acting insulin could work four times quicker than current fast-acting formulas, researchers say.

For the study, the researchers focused on a form of insulin called monomeric insulin. Though its structure should, in theory, allow it to act faster, monomeric insulin is too unstable for practical use, so the Stan...