WEDNESDAY, Oct. 17, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Adding to growing alarm about America’s opioid crisis, cases of a potentially deadly heart infection have jumped 10-fold among North Carolina’s injection drug users, new research shows. The infection is endocarditis, which strikes one or more of the heart’s four valves. Usually aContinue Reading

MONDAY, Oct. 15, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Fear of doctors is common among American preschoolers, and a trip to the pediatrician’s office can cause equal anxiety for Mom and Dad. Half of 2- to 5-year-olds are afraid of going to the doctor, according to a new survey of 726 parents.Continue Reading

FRIDAY, Oct. 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Too few teens and young adults with an opioid addiction are tested for hepatitis C, even though they’re at high risk for the liver infection, researchers say. In 2016, hepatitis C killed more than 18,000 Americans, making it the most common cause ofContinue Reading

SUNDAY, Sept. 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) — There’s disappointing news for seniors: A new trial shows that taking daily low-dose aspirin doesn’t prolong healthy, independent living in otherwise healthy people aged 70 and older. Aspirin has long been recommended for middle-aged folks with a history of heart disease, to preventContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Sept. 13, 2018 (HealthDay News) — One in seven older veterans are sent home from the hospital with doses of blood pressure medications so high they can leave them feeling dizzy and at risk for falls, a new study finds. Prescribing higher doses of these drugs occurs even thoughContinue Reading

MONDAY, Sept. 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The United States is in the grip of an epidemic of opioid painkiller addiction. But now, research shows that in nearly a third of cases there’s no medical reason documented for opioids prescribed in an outpatient setting. The findings show the need forContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Sept. 6, 2018 (HealthDay News) — There is no evidence to support the widespread use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to prevent heart disease and stroke in old and very old people, Spanish researchers say. For the new study, the investigators analyzed data from nearly 47,000 people aged 75 andContinue Reading

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) — U.S. voters’ despair over poor health and premature deaths might have tipped the 2016 presidential election in Donald Trump’s favor, a new analysis argues. Counties that voted Republican more heavily had a 15 percent higher age-adjusted death rate than counties that voted heavilyContinue Reading