Similar to Adults, Obesity Raises Kids' Odds for Severe COVID-19

If a child is infected with the new coronavirus, being obese appears to greatly raise the odds for developing a severe form of COVID-19, a new study finds.

The report was based on 50 cases of pediatric COVID-19 severe enough to require admission to a New York City hospital.

Eleven (22%) of the 50 kids were obese, and six ...

Plasma Therapy Aids Recovery in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients

The blood plasma of people who have recovered from the new coronavirus infection may help critically ill COVID-19 patients recover, a new study finds.

Of 25 sick patients given plasma transfusions, 19 improved and 11 left the hospital, the researchers reported. None of the patients had side effects from the transfusion.

"Whil...

Domestic Violence May Have Risen Under Stay-at-Home Rules

Domestic violence cases rose after Los Angeles and Indianapolis introduced stay-at-home rules to help stop the spread of COVID-19, researchers say.

"Shelter-in-place rules, by mandating more time at home, are very likely to increase the volume of domestic or intimate partner violence, which thrives behind closed doors," said senior aut...

Living Near Oil, Gas Wells Tied to Low Birth Weight Infants

Pregnant women who live near active oil and gas wells may be at risk for having low birth weight infants, a new study suggests.

Researchers analyzed nearly 3 million births to Californians living within six miles of an oil or gas well between 2006 and 2015.

It was found that women living within less than a mile of a well we...

Many Protests Happening in Cities With High Numbers of New COVID-19 Cases

A new review shows that protests have now unfolded in every one of the 25 U.S. communities with the highest concentrations of new COVID-19 cases, stoking fears of a spike in new infections.

The Associated Press analysis also found that some cities -- Minneapolis, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles among them -- have wit...

Case Study Examines What's Behind Severe Kids' Illness After COVID-19

Four of the earliest U.S. cases of a rare inflammatory syndrome in kids with COVID-19 are described in a study that offers insight into the condition.

The four children -- aged 5, 10, 12 and 13 -- arrived at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City with what is known as exaggerated cytokine storm, an abnormal autoimmune response to the ne...

Dogs Do Want to Rescue Trapped Owners, Experiments Show

Lassie desperately trying to get Timmy out of the well isn't a myth -- your dog really wants to save you, a new study suggests.

"It's a pervasive legend," said researcher Joshua Van Bourg, a graduate student in psychology at Arizona State University in Tempe. "The difficult challenge is figuring out why they do it."

...

Are Food Allergies Under-Diagnosed in Poor Families?

Food allergies may be under-diagnosed among children covered by Medicaid, a new study suggests.

"We were surprised to find such a large discrepancy in estimates of food allergy prevalence in children on Medicaid compared to the general population," said senior study author Dr. Ruchi Gupta, a pediatrician and food allergy researcher at ...

Coronavirus Pandemic Spurring Mental Health Crisis, Especially in the Young

The coronavirus pandemic is taking its toll on Americans' mental health, with more than 88,000 people developing anxiety or depression as a result, according to Mental Health America (MHA), a U.S. community-based nonprofit organization.

Also, more than 21,000 Americans who completed MHA's free online mental health screening last month...

In a Pandemic-Stressed America, Protests Add to Mental Strain

Just as Americans are emerging from COVID-19 quarantines, hoping to resume normal life but still fearful of infection, protests against police violence are raging in cities across the country.

And millions remain unemployed, as a shaky economy attempts to restart.

How are folks expected to cope with all of this?

"Fo...

Last Year's NYC Measles Outbreak Has Lessons for COVID Crisis

In a finding that could help guide the response to the coronavirus pandemic, new research shows that a measles outbreak that struck New York City last year could have been much worse if the city had not launched a vaccine campaign.

The measles outbreak -- the largest in the United States in nearly three decades -- ultimately sickened 6...

COVID-19 Exacts Emotional Toll on Doctors

In a possible harbinger of future mental health problems among doctors working during the coronavirus pandemic, new research shows the levels of depression, anxiety and fear jumped among young doctors in China treating COVID-19 patients.

Chinese and American researchers found that for more than 380 medical residents in Shanghai, their...

Cost of Type 1 Diabetes: $2,500 a Year With Insurance

Out-of-pocket costs for Americans with type 1 diabetes average $2,500 a year, a new study says.

But 8% of patients have more than $5,000 in out-of-pocket costs, possibly due to having high-deductible health insurance plans or significant medical needs, researchers found.

And insulin accounted for only 18% of total out...

COVID-19 Cases Drop in Warm Weather, But Not Much

So many questions remain unanswered about COVID-19, including whether the pandemic coronavirus will wane with warmer weather, like some other respiratory viruses.

In search of an answer, researchers at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Mass., studied the effects of temperature, precipitation and sunlight (UV index) on the number of ...

AHA News: Both Blood Pressure Numbers Key to Pinpointing Heart Attack, Stroke Risk in Young Adults

High blood pressure of any kind in young adults increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events, according to new findings that shed light on an issue experts say has been understudied.

Blood pressure readings have two measurements. Systolic is the top number and indicates how much pressure the blood exerts a...

AHA News: Looking for Ways to Protect Against Pandemic PTSD

As many places start to look forward to life after the first wave of the coronavirus, another type of illness could be about to follow in its wake.

"We're going to have many more mental health issues as time goes on," said Dr. Rima Styra, a psychiatrist at Toronto's University Health Network and associate professor of psychiatry at the U...

Final States Reopen Amid Worries That Protests Will Spark New COVID Infections

Michigan prepared to lift its stay-at-home order on Tuesday -- one of the last states to do so. But in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned that protests rampant in numerous American cities could trigger a second wave of COVID-19 infections.

"Protest, just be smart about it," Cuomo said. New York plans to reopen all of the state, inclu...

Maria Shriver and AARP Take on Alzheimer's in Women

An Alzheimer's diagnosis is devastating, no matter your sex. But the disease strikes far more women than men.

Journalist and author Maria Shriver is determined to help researchers figure out why women make up two-thirds of those with Alzheimer's disease. And why certain races and ethnicities are harder hit, too.

"Some of th...

Trump-Touted Hydroxychloroquine in Short Supply for Lupus Patients

A drug championed by President Donald Trump as a coronavirus panacea appears to be in short supply for people who really need it: lupus patients.

More than one-third of U.S. lupus patients who take hydroxychloroquine have struggled to fill prescriptions for the drug during the COVID-19 crisis, a new survey finds.

One patient ...

Sinus Infection? 'Good' Germs in Your Nose May Be Key

If you constantly battle sinus infections, low levels of good bacteria in your nose may be to blame, new research suggests.

Previous research has shown that health-protecting strains of bacteria reside in your digestive system, genital tract and on your skin.

In this study, researchers found that people with chronic nasal and...