“Lonely heart patients at ‘increased risk of dying’ after leaving hospital,” reports The Independent. A survey of people with heart diseases discharged from hospitals in Denmark found that those who said they felt lonely were more likely to report feeling depressed and anxious, report a lower quality of life and were almost 3 times more
“One jog a week is all you need to cut the risk of early death,” Sky News reports. The headline is prompted by a new review that has gathered the results from 6 large studies looking at the effect of running upon mortality in around 230,000 middle-aged adults. About 1 in 10 adults died during
“Study links taking Tylenol in pregnancy to two-fold higher risks of having children with ADHD and autism – but experts say the household painkiller is an unlikely cause” reports Mail Online. The story published by Mail Online uses the US name for paracetamol (acetaminophen) and the US brand name Tylenol. Researchers in the US measured
“Peanut-allergy therapy ‘protection not a cure’,” reports BBC News. Peanut allergy can be life-threatening, and affects about 2% of school children in the UK. The only way to manage a severe peanut allergy is to completely avoid peanuts, and to carry emergency medicine, such as an auto-injector, to treat reactions after any accidental contact with
“Risks of cannabis use for mental health treatment outweigh benefits”, The Guardian reports, following the publication of a study on the treatment of mental health conditions using medical cannabis. Medical cannabis is being increasingly used to treat various conditions, including chronic pain, epilepsy and certain mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. There has
Several media sources reported that blood pressure tablets work better if taken at bedtime, reducing the risk of a heart attack and early death. This follows a large trial carried out across general practices in northern Spain. It included around 20,000 adults (aged 60 on average) with high blood pressure. Half the people were told
“Number of children with anorexia on the rise,” reports The Guardian. The headline is based on a study of records of eating disorders in children and young people in the UK and Ireland carried out in 2015. Child and adolescent psychiatrists reported 305 new cases of anorexia during an 8-month period, among children and young
“Ex-pro footballers 3 times more likely to get dementia from heading balls,” reports The Sun. The headline was prompted by a study of 7,676 male ex-professional footballers in Scotland, which found they were more likely to die from conditions linked to brain or nerve damage. These conditions, called neurodegenerative diseases, included Alzheimer’s disease and other
“Benefits of statins ‘are marginal at best’ for otherwise healthy people,” reports the Mail Online. Statins, which reduce levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the blood, are medicines that are widely used to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Heart attacks and strokes can happen in people who have cardiovascular disease (disease of the heart and
“Cortisone injections for hip and knee pain are more dangerous than was thought”, reports The Telegraph. The headline follows a study looking into the effects of steroid injections (also called corticosteroid injections) in the hip and knee. Steroid injections in joints are intended to relieve joint pain by reducing inflammation. In the UK, you may
Most Commented