Health Library

Doctors Reluctant to Expand Nurse Practitioners' Role: Survey WEDNESDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- The United States has a shortage of primary care doctors, and some policymakers want to fill the gap by expanding the role of nurse practitioners. But the two professions are engaged in a turf war over who can do the job better, a new survey finds. The results of the survey were reported in the May 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine . Experts expected some controversy, but said they were surp...

Depression May Boost Stroke Risk in Middle-Aged Women, Too THURSDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Women in their 40s and 50s who suffer from depression are almost twice as likely to have a stroke as women who aren't depressed, according to a large, long-running Australian study. This is not the first study to link depression with an increased risk for stroke, in both men and women. Exactly how depression is associated with stroke is unclear, as is whether treating it reduces the risk, experts say. "Althou...

Depression May Raise Low Blood Sugar Risk in Diabetics TUESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Depression can affect almost every aspect of life, but some of the changes brought about by the disorder can be downright dangerous for those with diabetes. New research has found that people with diabetes who are depressed have more than a 40 percent higher risk of having a severe low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) episode that lands them in the hospital compared to people with diabetes who aren't depressed. "Depress...

Daily Gene Rhythms May Be Off in Depressed People MONDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- Just like you, the genes in your brain follow a daily routine. But that natural rhythm may be thrown off in people with depression, a new study suggests. Researchers say the findings shed new light on what goes wrong in the brain when depression strikes. And they hope the results, published online Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , could spur new therapies down the road. It has long ...

Dog DNA May Yield Clues to Human Eczema FRIDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- A gene associated with eczema in dogs has been identified, and that might one day lead to better treatments for people with the skin disease, a new study contends. The skin of patients with eczema -- whether canine or human -- is easily irritated by allergens such as pollens, house mites and certain foods. This irritation leads to itching, scratching and flaky skin that is vulnerable to infections. Examining the DNA of dogs, the ...

Docs Should Ask Heart Patients About Quality of Life TUESDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) -- Completing quality-of-life surveys at a doctor's office could help heart disease patients live longer and have better lives, according to a new statement from the American Heart Association. The statement urged doctors to use these surveys to assess patients' heart health. The surveys reveal the impact of heart disease on patients, including their symptoms, quality of life, and ability to function physically and ment...

Death Rate Dropping for Children on Dialysis: Study SATURDAY, May 4 (HealthDay News) -- The death risk for American children and teens undergoing dialysis for kidney failure has dropped significantly in recent decades, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data from more than 23,000 patients younger than age 21 who began dialysis between 1990 and 2010. During that time, there was a progressive decrease in the rates of deaths from all causes and from heart- and infection-related causes. "Numerous facto...

Drug Shows Some Benefit for Kids With Autism WEDNESDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental drug for autism did not improve levels of lethargy and social withdrawal in children who took it, but it did show some other benefits, a new study finds. Children on arbaclofen did improve on an overall measure of autism severity when compared to kids taking an inactive placebo, said lead researcher Dr. Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, an associate professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and pharmacology at Vanderb...

Drugs Can Sometimes Prevent Migraines, but at a Cost MONDAY, April 29 (HealthDay News) -- People with severe or frequent migraines often turn to drugs to prevent them. But do the medications work? A new review of preventive treatments shows there is not much difference in the effectiveness of commonly prescribed drugs -- they work for some people, in some cases. But there is wide variation in the amount and severity of side effects associated with the drugs. The researchers found that drugs worked bette...

Don't Blame Parents for Sins of the Child FRIDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- When the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings were identified as two brothers -- one of them a teenager -- many parents wondered, "Who raised these boys?" Mental health experts say it's normal to want to blame parents or close relatives of young people whose violent acts lead to unfathomable tragedy, but in most cases, it's just not that simple. Did something in their family life influence Boston Marathon suspects Tamerla...