Health Library

Control of Heart Risks May Vary Among Outpatient Practices FRIDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) -- Management of heart disease risk factors -- such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking -- varies significantly among outpatient practices in the United States, according to a new study. Researchers found that among 18 primary care and cardiology practices studied, the percentage of patients screened for smoking and counseled on how to quit ranged from about 54 percent to 86 percent. The study aut...

Cellphone Use May Reveal Your 'Dominant Brain' FRIDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests the dominant side of your brain may make the call on which ear you choose to use while talking on your cellphone. The dominant side of your brain is where your speech and language center resides. Ninety-five percent of the human population is left-brain dominant, and those people tend to be right-handed. The opposite holds true for people who are right-brain dominant. In this study, scientists found t...

Certain COPD Meds Might Raise Heart Risks, Study Says MONDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- Long-acting inhaled medications used by millions of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may raise the risk of cardiovascular complications among older patients, a new large Canadian study reveals. The finding centers around patients over age 65 who are prescribed long-acting bronchodilators -- either anticholinergics (such as Spiriva) or beta-agonists (such as Serevent). Both medications are com...

COPD Patients May Do Fine With Shorter Course of Steroids TUESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Less is more when it comes to steroid therapy for patients having severe bouts of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to Swiss investigators. Five days of glucocorticoid treatment with prednisone to treat COPD flare-ups was as good as the standard 14 days, but with fewer chances for adverse side effects, they said. "We wanted to show that a shorter period of treatment was not less effective ...

CT Scans Reduce Lung Cancer Deaths, Study Confirms WEDNESDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians weighing the benefits and risks of CT scans for detecting lung cancer now have more information to help with the decision. A new analysis of a 2010 U.S. study finds that low-dose CT scans pick up significantly more lung tumors than chest X-rays do. People with a long history of smoking are at high risk for lung cancer, the deadliest form of cancer in the United States. But doctors have to consider the pot...

Cost of Treating Strokes in U.S. Could Soar to $180B Annually by 2030: Report WEDNESDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Over the next two decades, the cost of treating strokes in the United States is expected to more than double, topping more than $180 billion a year, according to new research. The main factor driving the increase: an aging population. The report, from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association, was published May 22 in the journal Stroke . "Strokes will absolut...

Children Who Have CT Scans May Face Higher Cancer Risk WEDNESDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Children and teens exposed to radiation during CT scans are 24 percent more likely to develop cancer, according to a large, long-term study. The risks, however, are still low: Among a group of 10,000 young people who each had one CT scan, only about six extra cancers would be expected to occur within 10 years, according to researchers from Australia and Europe. The researchers said doctors should carefully weigh...

COPD May Be Over-Diagnosed Among Uninsured WEDNESDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Roughly four in 10 uninsured patients who have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) actually do not have the lung disease, a small new study suggests. At issue: Faulty diagnoses were made based on an evaluation of symptoms, rather than by means of the so-called "gold standard" disease test known as spirometry, which shows how well a patient's lungs are working by measuring the amount of air they ...

Could Statins Raise Diabetes Risk? THURSDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Certain statins -- the widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs -- may increase your chances of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. The risk was greatest for patients taking atorvastatin (brand name Lipitor), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor), the study said. Focusing on almost 500,000 Ontario residents, researchers in Canada found that the overall odds of developing diabetes were low in patients prescribed ...

Chronic Heartburn May Raise Odds for Throat Cancer: Study THURSDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- People who suffer from frequent heartburn may be at increased risk for cancers of the throat and vocal cords even if they don't smoke or drink alcohol, a new study says. Interestingly, common over-the-counter antacids seemed to protect against these cancers while prescription medications such as Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid didn't, the researchers said. "There has been a controversy about whether heartburn co...