Reuters: Health News

Kids should get moving to avoid obesity

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:22:35 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Vigorous exercise may be an especially good way to keep kids lean, but sitting around, in and of itself, doesn't appear to have a major role in making them fat, new research shows.

Many pregnant women take drugs harmful to baby

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:00:13 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - With the help of their doctors, women planning to become pregnant should take an inventory of the medications they take, researchers from Canada advise.

Detergent exposure hard on workers' lungs: studies

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:18:13 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who work in detergent factories are at increased risk of developing respiratory problems, including asthma, probably from exposure to chemicals contained in detergent, two new studies hint.

More than 1,000 deaths in past week from H1N1: WHO

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:05:02 GMT

GENEVA (Reuters) - More than 1,000 deaths from the H1N1 swine flu virus were officially reported in the past week, a sharp rise which brings the global total to at least 7,826, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

Dementia big threat for elderly in poorer nations

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:30:22 GMT

* Dementia threat growing in low and middle income nations

China AIDS sufferers face widespread discrimination: U.N.

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:42:56 GMT

BEIJING (Reuters) - People in China living with HIV and AIDS face widespread discrimination and stigma, with even medical workers sometimes refusing to touch them, according to a U.N. survey released on Friday.

U.S. diabetes cases to double, costs triple by 2034

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:27:14 GMT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - By 2034, nearly twice as many Americans will have diabetes and spending on the disease will triple, further straining the U.S. health system and testing the viability of Medicare and other government health insurance programs, U.S. researchers said on Friday.

Sharp increase in swine flu deaths in France

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:12:55 GMT

PARIS (Reuters) - The number of deaths in mainland France from the H1N1 swine flu virus jumped in the last week, according to official data Thursday.

Women who smoke risk having seizures: study

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:29:47 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who smoke may have a higher risk of developing seizures than non-smokers do, a new study suggests.

Herbal supplements may raise blood lead levels

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:28:21 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Some herbal supplements may boost the levels of lead in the blood of women, new research shows.

HRT given to protect heart, despite lack of proof

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:24:56 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women with the highest heart disease risk were the most likely to quit taking hormone therapy after it was shown to offer no protection against cardiovascular disease, a new analysis of national data shows.

Drug resistant H1N1 no major change in virus: WHO

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:59:00 GMT

GENEVA (Reuters) - Tamiflu resistance in some H1N1 patients with badly weakened immune systems does not seem to reflect a major change in the virus' susceptibility to the frontline drug, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.

Timely and continuous HIV care extends survival

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:28:08 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, high-risk behavior, HIV infection itself, as well as late initiation and early discontinuation of anti-HIV therapy all contribute to substantial decreases in life expectancy, United States researchers report.

Professional pesticide use ups risk of nasal woes

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:17:39 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When people think about pesticides and health, cancer and birth defects probably come to mind. But new research shows pesticide exposure may contribute to a much more common affliction: itchy, runny, stuffy noses.

Cost concerns unlikely to sink U.S. health overhaul

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:01:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. debt that is topping $12 trillion is raising fresh questions about the cost of President Barack Obama's proposed healthcare overhaul, but those concerns are unlikely to sink the legislation.

Depression may up risk of a leaky bladder in women

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:39:48 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older women who suffer from major depression are at greater risk of developing urinary incontinence than women of the same age who are not depressed, new research shows.

WHO donates 9 million flu shots to Philippines

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:06:29 GMT

MANILA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) promised on Thursday to donate 9 million H1N1 flu shots to the Philippines, and assured the country the vaccines were safe.

Greater risks seen with certain imaging agents: FDA

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:27:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Food and Drug Administration review found the risk of a serious skin disorder is greater with MRI imaging contrast agents made by GE Healthcare, Bayer AG's and Covidien, according to an agency memo released on Wednesday.

Cancer drug preserves insulin cells in diabetes

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:13:13 GMT

BOSTON (Reuters) - Rituxan, a drug used to treat cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, may help slow the development of newly discovered type 1 or juvenile diabetes, researchers reported on Wednesday.

Cancer or inflammation? New pancreas test tells

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:09:57 GMT

BOSTON (Reuters) - Researchers in Italy said on Wednesday they have developed a test that identifies most people with autoimmune pancreatitis, which could make it easier for doctors to distinguish it from pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest types of cancer.

Long-term effects of testicular cancer chemo seen

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:03:15 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men wondering about the long-term side effects of chemotherapy for testicular cancer may now have a road map defining likely outcomes.

U.S. sees rise in secondary infections after flu

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:39:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials said on Wednesday they are seeing a worrying pattern of serious bacterial infections in swine flu patients, mostly among younger adults not normally vulnerable to them.

Fertility treatment may produce fewer baby boys

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:13:11 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The number of baby boys conceived by a fertility treatment known as ICSI may be lower than what is produced by Mother Nature, a new study suggests.

Moms-to-be smoke less after workplace smoking ban

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:12:24 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Ireland's implementation of a workplace smoking ban in 2004 appears tied to a decline in maternal smoking rates as well as lower risk for preterm births, study findings hint.

Abuse by partner harms health of all couples

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:11:13 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Intimate partner violence takes a similar health toll in same-sex and opposite-sex couples, a new study in the American Journal of Public Health shows.