Here are some of HealthDay’s top stories for Friday, Sept. 17: FDA advisory panel meets on need for COVID-19 booster shots. Presented with evidence seemingly pro and con, an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will convene Friday to decide whether or not Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine booster shotsContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Sept. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Childhood obesity was a worrisome issue before the pandemic, and now it’s alarmingly worse, new data shows. A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found a “profound increase in weight gain for kids” that is “substantial and alarming,” Dr. Alyson Goodman,Continue Reading
FRIDAY, Sept. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Treating sickle cell anemia with the drug hydroxyurea may also reverse related heart abnormalities, a new study suggests. Heart issues are common among people with sickle cell disease. Among them are enlargement of the heart and an impaired ability to relax heart muscles,Continue Reading
FRIDAY, Sept. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) — When the COVID-19 public health emergency ends, a new crisis in insurance coverage in the United States may begin. Fifteen million Americans who enrolled in Medicaid during the pandemic could lose their coverage when the emergency declaration ends, according to an analysis byContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Sept. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Health officials are bracing for a viral double whammy this fall and winter. “This year, we expect influenza and COVID-19 to circulate at the same time,” said Dr. Jonathan Grein, director of hospital epidemiology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. That’s why Grein andContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Sept. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Diseases that can rob you of vision as you age also appear to be tied to an increased risk for dementia, a new study finds. Specifically, age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and diabetes-related eye disease were linked with a higher likelihood of dementia, researchersContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Sept. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Logging and landscaping are the most dangerous jobs in America, a new study finds. The risk of death for loggers is more than 30 times higher than for all U.S. workers. Tree care workers also encounter hazards at rates far higher than aContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Sept. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Cholesterol made in the brain may spur development of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests. Cholesterol made by cells called astrocytes is needed for controlling production of amyloid beta, a sticky protein that builds up in the brain and accumulates into the plaquesContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Sept. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Researchers hoped to show that the natural antioxidant urate could delay Parkinson’s disease progression, but a study completed at Massachusetts General Hospital dashed those expectations. The trial enrolled nearly 300 individuals recently diagnosed with early Parkinson’s disease, which affects the body’s motor system.Continue Reading
THURSDAY, Sept. 16, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Movement can be very difficult for people with Parkinson’s disease, as shaking and stiffness play havoc with balance, coordination and gait. There are many different tricks Parkinson’s patients can use to improve their walking and avoid injury from a bad tumble — butContinue Reading