Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

You’ve probably never heard of Q fever, but the bacterial disease may be sickening — and killing — more Americans than once believed, a new study suggests. Caused by a bacteria carried by livestock, Query (Q) fever is a rare disease first discovered in 1947 and is found mostly in dry, dusty areas of California and the Southwest. “Q fever is underdiagnosed in the United States,” said lead researcher Dr. Christine Akamine, assistant professor of medicine at Loma Linda University in California. “We suspect this is because most patients have only mild symptoms and do not present for medical evaluation.” But her research revealed that more patients than expected had severe cases of Q fever — and diagnosis was often delayed. Akamine said increasing awareness of the disease could change that. People can get Q fever either by direct contact with livestock that carry the bacteria, called Coxiella burnetii, or by inhaling the spores carried by dust and wind. For the study, Akamine and colleagues collected data on patients hospitalized for Q fever between 2000 and 2016. Patients lived in a dusty, dry, windy area of Southern California ideal for spread of the disease. Of the 20 patients who were diagnosed with Q fever, three developed chronic cases of the disease and two died, the study found. Most cases of Q fever are mild and… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Leg swelling typically occurs from fluid buildup or inflammation, says Mayo Clinic. It can affect any part of the leg, including the foot, ankle, calf or thigh. Even for non-emergency problems, prompt care is still recommended. To minimize leg swelling, consider: Restricting the amount of salt in your diet. Putting a pillow under your legs when lying down. Wearing elastic compression stockings. Giving yourself breaks, especially if you need to sit or stand for long periods. Seek emergency medical care if you are also having chest pain, difficulty breathing, feeling faint or coughing blood.

Parents often fret when their teen drivers get behind the wheel, but parents of teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may now have added worries. A new study found that teens with ADHD are significantly more likely to get into a car crash than their peers. During the first month a teen with ADHD is driving, the risk of an auto accident is 62% higher than for other teens. And over four years, the risk of an alcohol-related crash is roughly two times higher for drivers with ADHD. Teens with ADHD are also more likely to get traffic tickets and engage in risky behaviors, such as not wearing a seatbelt, using electronics behind the wheel and driving too fast, the new research found. “Teen drivers with ADHD are at an elevated risk for motor vehicle crashes, and the risk is particularly elevated in the first month of licensure, regardless of when they got licensed. Parents shouldn’t assume that delaying licensure will lower their teen’s risk,” said study author Allison Curry. She’s a senior scientist at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. ADHD is common in childhood and usually persists into adolescence, the study authors said. Symptoms include hyperactive behavior, inattention and impulsivity. Many of the skills needed for driving are impaired in teens with ADHD. The study included nearly 15,000… read on >

Just a few extra pounds during adolescence may translate into higher odds for heart disease in adulthood, a new study of young men suggests. It included about 1.7 million Swedish men who began military service at ages 18 or 19 between 1969 and 2005. They were followed for up to 46 years. During the follow-up, nearly 4,500 were diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, an uncommon heart muscle condition that can lead to heart failure. Average age at diagnosis was 45.5 years. Men who were lean as teens (body mass index, or BMI, below 20) had a low risk of cardiomyopathy. But risk steadily rose with increased weight, even among men who were on the high end of normal BMI (22.5 to 25) as teens. BMI is an estimate of body fat based on weight and height. A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese: For example, a 5-foot-10-inch man who weighs 209 pounds has a BMI of 30. There are several types of cardiomyopathy. In dilated cardiomyopathy, the heart muscle becomes weak and can’t pump blood efficiently. In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, it becomes stiff and the heart can’t fill with blood properly. Men who had a BMI of 35 and over in their teens (someone 5-foot-10 who weighs 245 or more) were eight times more likely to develop dilated cardiomyopathy than those who were lean in their… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Many American kids don’t don helmets when biking, skateboarding and riding scooters, a troubling new poll finds. Among more than 1,300 parents surveyed, 18% said their kids never wear helmets while biking, 58% said their kids don’t wear helmets while skateboarding, and 61% said their children don’t wear helmets when riding scooters, according to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at the University of Michigan. “Helmets are vital to preventing head injuries in case a child falls or is struck by a car,” said University of Michigan pediatrician Dr. Gary Freed. “It is very concerning that so many children ride bikes and other non-motorized wheeled vehicles without ever using helmets.” In 2015 alone, more than 426,000 children went to an emergency room with injuries from these activities. The researchers found that 93% of parents said their children give cars the right of way and 82% said their children stop at stop signs. But most said their child doesn’t use hand signals or walk their bike across crosswalks. “Our report suggests that families should take more precautions to ensure children are safe, including wearing helmets and understanding safety in the streets,” Freed said in a university news release. Most parents said their child rode their bikes on sidewalks (73%) or in parks or on trails (59%). But 42% said… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Ringworm is a fungal infection that gets its name from the red circular rash that develops. The inside of the ring typically is clear or scaly. People who use public lockers and showers, athletes and people with weak immune systems are especially at risk. To prevent the infection, Mayo Clinic suggests: Wash your hands often. Don’t wear thick clothing in warm, humid weather. Avoid infected animals. Don’t share personal items.

(HealthDay News) — A helmet can prevent someone from a serious head injury, says the New York State Department of Health. Some states even require people, especially children, to wear helmets while biking or skateboarding. The Department of Health encourages parents to: Select a helmet that meets Consumer Product Safety Commission standards. Make sure your child wears a helmet appropriate for his or her sport. Buy a helmet that fits your child. Replace a helmet that has been involved in an accident.

The pain Sara Langill felt in her right hip didn’t concern her much, until she felt a lump as she massaged tendons near her hip flexors following a soccer game. “I felt this thing that felt like a rubbery grape,” recalls Langill, 33. Thinking it might be a hernia, she went to the doctor. Within days, Langill was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma — an advanced stage of the most serious form of skin cancer. A “typical Southern California” kid born and raised in San Diego, Langill spent hours and hours soaking up sunshine engaged in outdoor pursuits. “I’ve had more sunburns than I can count. I used to come into work on Monday, and if I wasn’t sunburned, I didn’t have a great weekend,” Langill recalls. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and Langill is now speaking out as part of a campaign to get people to protect themselves from the sun and have their skin checked regularly. Her melanoma diagnosis came in September 2016. A biopsy found cancer in the lymph nodes near her hip, and doctors eventually tracked the cancer to a “really small mole on the outside of my right calf,” Langill said. She soon underwent surgery to remove the cancerous lymph nodes as well as the original tumor on her calf. Langill now bears a 6-inch scar down the front… read on >

Mornings spent figuring out Sudoku or finessing a crossword could spell better health for aging brains, researchers say. In a study of over 19,000 British adults aged 50 and over who were tracked for 25 years, the habit of doing word or number puzzles seemed to help keep minds nimble over time. “We’ve found that the more regularly people engage with puzzles such as crosswords and Sudoku, the sharper their performance is across a range of tasks assessing memory, attention and reasoning,” said research leader Dr. Anne Corbett, of the University of Exeter Medical School. “The improvements are particularly clear in the speed and accuracy of their performance,” she added in a university news release. “In some areas, the improvement was quite dramatic — on measures of problem-solving, people who regularly do these puzzles performed equivalent to an average of eight years younger compared to those who don’t.” Does that translate to protection against Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia? The study “can’t say” at this point, Corbett said, “but this research supports previous findings that indicate regular use of word and number puzzles helps keep our brains working better for longer.” The study was conducted online. Participants were assessed each year, and they were asked how often they did word and number puzzles. They were also given a series of tests measuring attention, reasoning… read on >