Revealing some good news for minorities, a new study found similar survival rates for Hispanic, Black and white COVID-19 patients at a New York City hospital system. “It is well-documented that communities of color have shouldered the heaviest burden of COVID-19 in the United States, and there have been many explanations offered for why that is the case,” said Dr. Andrew Racine. He is system senior vice president and chief medical officer at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. “We discovered, somewhat surprisingly, that Black and Hispanic patients, when hospitalized, had similar or slightly better survival outcomes compared to white patients,” Racine said in a Montefiore news release. The study included more than 5,900 COVID-19 patients admitted to the medical center. As has been seen nationwide, black and Hispanic people were more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than white people, the findings showed. And Black and Hispanic people who were hospitalized were more likely to have two or more pre-existing conditions (38% and 43%, respectively) than white people (34%). However, survival rates among Black and Hispanic patients were at least as good as those for white patients after the researchers controlled for age, sex, income levels and pre-existing conditions, according to the study. The results were published online Sept. 25 in JAMA Network Open. Similar findings have been reported from other major health systems…  read on >

Falling leaves, pumpkins and apples are signs of fall. And so is asthma. Asthma attacks tend to increase in early autumn. During the coronavirus pandemic, it’s especially important for people with the disease to know how to prevent flare-ups, a lung expert says. “There are two different types of asthma flare-ups,” said Dr. Pushan Jani, an assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. “First, you have those who suffer asthma year-round, and then there are some people who have seasonal asthma, which is triggered by different allergens and pollen in the air,” he said in a UTHealth news release. “This time of the year increases the attacks for seasonal asthma and can make those who suffer from persistent asthma control worse.” Every fall, Jani said he sees a significant increase in asthma-related hospitalizations as various types of pollen, such as ragweed, and mold fill the air. The combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the flu season and high pollen levels mean that people with asthma need to protect themselves so they don’t end up in the hospital. Stock up on any medications or inhalers needed to control flare-ups, Jani advised. Get an allergy test. “If you are unaware of what triggers these attacks, get tested. This will help pinpoint what you should…  read on >

A life support technique called ECMO has saved the lives of many critically ill COVID-19 patients, a new study shows. The ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machine takes over the function of the lungs and heart. Blood is pumped from the body into equipment that adds oxygen to the blood before it’s returned to the body. This technique has saved lives in previous epidemics of lung-damaging viruses, but small studies published early in the coronavirus pandemic questioned its effectiveness. This international study included 1,035 COVID-19 patients at high risk of death because ventilators and other types of care couldn’t support their lungs. After being placed on ECMO, the death rate among these patients was less than 40%, according to the study authors. “These results from hospitals experienced in providing ECMO are similar to past reports of ECMO-supported patients, with other forms of acute respiratory distress syndrome or viral pneumonia,” said co-author Dr. Ryan Barbaro, of the University of Michigan. “The results support recommendations to consider ECMO in COVID-19 if the ventilator is failing. We hope these findings help hospitals make decisions about this resource-intensive option,” Barbaro said in a university news release. Most centers in this study did not need to use ECMO for COVID-19 very often, said study co-author Graeme MacLaren, of the National University Health System in Singapore. “By bringing data from over 200…  read on >

Over the years electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) — commonly known as “shock therapy” — has gotten a bad rap. But new research out of Italy suggests that reputation may be unwarranted. Investigators found that among bipolar patients who fail to respond to standard treatments, ECT can be a lifesaver, preventing out-of-control mood swings and dramatically lowering suicide risk. The study — among the largest of its kind — tracked 670 Italian adults who had ECT for bipolar disorder at a single psychiatric clinic between 2006 and 2019. “Importantly, 84% of patients showing high risk of suicide before ECT were no longer considered overtly suicidal after treatment,” said lead author Dr. Giulio Brancati, a resident in clinical and experimental medicine at the University of Pisa. “Overall, 72% of patients showed a good response to ECT,” Brancati added. For about six in 10, ECT appeared to offer relief from an array of debilitating symptoms — including delusions, aggressiveness, uncooperativeness, emotional oversensitivity, physical hyperactivity and paranoia. Depression and anxiety were alleviated in just over one-quarter of the patients. Based on the findings, Brancati said, “ECT should be considered a valuable treatment for severe episodic syndromes,” especially the kind of overexcitement, restlessness, hostility and suspiciousness that can arise when manic, depressive and psychotic symptoms intertwine. The study team noted that bipolar disorder affects about 1% of the population. It can…  read on >

Challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic may increase the risk of suicide, so it’s crucial to know the warning signs, a mental health expert says. Suicide is often preventable, because people considering suicide want help, according to Dr. Ahmad Hameed, a psychiatrist at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Penn. “A majority of the time, individuals who survived a serious suicide attempt say they were relieved that they are alive and that someone was there to listen to them and understand what they were going through,” Hameed said in a Penn State news release. A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study conducted in June found a rise in mental health conditions during the pandemic. Thirty-one percent of respondents reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, and 11% said they had seriously considered suicide in the preceding 30 days. “About 90% of individuals who die by suicide have either a diagnosed or diagnosable mental health disorder,” Hameed said. For people already prone to anxiety, health concerns, potential job loss and worries about loved ones during the pandemic can seem unbearable. “It’s time for loved ones, friends and family members to be really mindful of any potential behaviors they might see in a person with a mental health condition,” Hameed said. Some of the signs to look for include: Is a person’s…  read on >

Challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic may increase the risk of suicide, so it’s crucial to know the warning signs, a mental health expert says. Suicide is often preventable, because people considering suicide want help, according to Dr. Ahmad Hameed, a psychiatrist at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Penn. “A majority of the time, individuals who survived a serious suicide attempt say they were relieved that they are alive and that someone was there to listen to them and understand what they were going through,” Hameed said in a Penn State news release. A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study conducted in June found a rise in mental health conditions during the pandemic. Thirty-one percent of respondents reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, and 11% said they had seriously considered suicide in the preceding 30 days. “About 90% of individuals who die by suicide have either a diagnosed or diagnosable mental health disorder,” Hameed said. For people already prone to anxiety, health concerns, potential job loss and worries about loved ones during the pandemic can seem unbearable. “It’s time for loved ones, friends and family members to be really mindful of any potential behaviors they might see in a person with a mental health condition,” Hameed said. Some of the signs to look for include: Is a person’s…  read on >

If you’re in an area of the United States at risk for flooding during one of the most active hurricane seasons ever, there are a number of precautions you should take, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says. Make a plan for your household, including your pets, so that you and your family know what to do, where to go and what you will need to protect yourselves from flooding as well as COVID-19. Gather supplies, including nonperishable foods, cleaning supplies and water for several days, in case you have leave your home immediately or if services are cut off in your area. You should have at least three days’ worth of supplies on hand, including one gallon of water per day for each person and pet, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends. If possible, include items such as soap, hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, disinfecting wipes and household cleaning supplies that you can use to disinfect frequently touched surfaces. After a flood, you may lack access to these supplies for days or even weeks. Take into account the specific needs of each person and pet in your household, including medication. Include extra batteries and charging devices for phones and other critical equipment. Know types of flood risk in your area. Go to FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center…  read on >

TUESDAY, Sept. 29, 2020 (Healthday News) — The global coronavirus pandemic reached a grim new milestone on Tuesday: One million dead. Americans made up more than 200,000 of those deaths, or one in every five, according to a running tally comprised by Johns Hopkins University. “It’s not just a number. It’s human beings. It’s people we love,” Dr. Howard Markel, a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan, told the Associated Press. He’s an adviser to government officials on how best to handle the pandemic — and he lost his 84-year-old mother to COVID-19 in February. “It’s people we know,” Markel said. “And if you don’t have that human factor right in your face, it’s very easy to make it abstract.” It’s taken the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 virus just 8 months to reach a worldwide death toll that’s meant personal and economic tragedy for billions. Right now, more than 33 million people worldwide are known to have been infected with the new coronavirus, the Hopkins tally found. In the meantime, Americans struggle to stay ahead of the virus. The U.S. government announced Monday that at least 100 million rapid COVID-19 tests will be distributed to states in the coming weeks. Who will get them first? The White House is urging governors to use the tests to help reopen schools, the Associated Press reported.…  read on >

Young women who suffer a particularly deadly condition after a heart attack are 11% more likely to die from it than men, a new study finds. Not only that, women aged 18 to 55 are less likely to receive the tests and aggressive treatment that men routinely receive, and are more likely to die in the hospital, the researchers added. “It’s very difficult to understand exactly what’s causing this,” said lead researcher Dr. Saraschandra Vallabhajosyula, a clinical fellow in interventional cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. “A lot is related to unconscious or conscious bias when it comes to women and when it comes to acute cardiac conditions,” he said. Much of the bias can be traced to doctors, the family or the health care system, Vallabhajosyula said. Also, women who have heart attacks don’t always have the same symptoms as men, which can result in misdiagnosis, he added. “They have atypical symptoms, such as belly pain, headaches, things that you don’t typically associate with having a heart attack,” Vallabhajosyula said. That’s why many heart attacks in women are missed. Women are also more likely to dismiss their symptoms and wait longer before going to the hospital, which makes their condition worse and opens the door for a deadly condition known as cardiogenic shock, he explained. Cardiogenic shock occurs when the heart…  read on >

Isolation due to the pandemic and failure to get hearing aids checked has fueled anxiety, depression and more hearing loss for many seniors. “This has been a very difficult time as senior facilities and individuals try to balance poor health outcomes related to COVID-19 versus poor health outcomes related to social isolation,” said Catherine Palmer, president of the American Academy of Audiology. Unfortunately, older adults who use hearing aids may be using them less, because they think there’s no one to interact with. This can reduce sound input to the brain and lead to auditory deprivation. The individual will be seen as not hearing as well and needing extra effort when communicating. “Family members and friends should encourage their loved ones to continue to use their hearing aids — there is always sound around us,” Palmer said in an academy news release. Hearing aids also need maintenance. For some, their hearing aids may not be working well or at all and they are unable to visit their audiologist for routine care. “If an individual continues to use their hearing aid when it is not working, it functions like an earplug — actually blocking sound,” said Palmer, who’s also an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Many audiologists provide online telehealth and curbside care for those who cannot go into a clinic safely. Some senior…  read on >