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Oral antidiabetics improve outcomes in diabetics with colorectal cancer

Bottom Line: Among patients with both colorectal cancer and diabetes in Korea, those who had a high adherence to their oral diabetes medication had a significantly reduced risk of overall mortality compared with those with lower adherence.

1 Jun 2020

Study: New biopsy methods can help improve benefit-harm ratio of PSA screening

The benefit of population-based PSA screening for men with an average risk of prostate cancer does not outweigh the harm caused.

29 May 2020

Women and minorities inadequately represented in clinical trials for novel cardiometabolic drugs

Women and minorities, particularly African Americans, continue to be inadequately represented in clinical trials for novel cardiometabolic medications, with no evidence of improvement in enrollment numbers over the past decade, according to new research published last week in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access journal of the American Heart Association.

28 May 2020

Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent in American Indians and Alaska Natives

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) affects American Indians and Alaska Natives at approximately three times the rate of white Americans and is closely linked to the disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, according to the American Heart Association Scientific Statement "Cardiovascular Health in American Indians and Alaska Natives," published today in the Association's flagship journal Circulation.

28 May 2020

No-deductible preventive drugs can reduce out-of-pocket costs for diabetic patients

For patients with diabetes - especially those with lower incomes - preventive drug lists (PDLs) of essential medications available with no deductible can reduce out-of-pocket costs while increasing use of important treatments, reports a study in a June supplement to Medical Care.

27 May 2020

Study highlights the benefits of palliative care for heart failure patients

Palliative care is valuable for heart failure patients, and, for those who are hospitalized, it can significantly lower the risk of repeated hospital admissions and the need for invasive procedures such as mechanical ventilation and defibrillator implantation, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access journal of the American Heart Association.

27 May 2020

COVID-like cough sent him to ER — where he got a $3,278 bill

From late March into April, Timothy Regan had severe coughing fits several times a day that often left him out of breath. He had a periodic low-grade fever, too.

26 May 2020

Higher spirituality linked to better quality of life for stroke survivors and their caregivers

Higher spirituality among stroke survivors was strongly linked to better quality of life for them and their caregivers who may also feel depressed, according to new research published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

26 May 2020

Despite low stroke rates among COVID-19 patients, cases are still more severe

The rate of strokes in COVID-19 patients appears relatively low, but a higher proportion of those strokes are presenting in younger people and are often more severe compared to strokes in people who do not have the novel coronavirus.

22 May 2020

Radiation oncology clinics report fewer patients despite improved safety measures

Despite facing challenges such as limited access to personal protective equipment (PPE) following the COVID-19 outbreak, radiation oncology clinics quickly implemented safety and process enhancements that allowed them to continue caring for cancer patients, according to a new national survey from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

20 May 2020

How a company misappropriated Native American culture to sell health insurance

Jill Goodridge was shopping for affordable health insurance when a friend told her about O'NA HealthCare, a low-cost alternative to commercial insurance.

20 May 2020

Immunotherapy, steroids restore heart function in children with COVID-related multi-system inflammatory syndrome

Treatment with antibodies purified from donated blood - immune globulin therapy - and steroids restored heart function in the majority of children with COVID-related multi-system inflammatory syndrome, according to new research published yesterday in Circulation, the flagship journal of the American Heart Association.

19 May 2020

To stem COVID, this small Indiana city decided to test all public-facing employees

Behind a nondescript strip mall in Carmel, Indiana, a short line of cars gathers mid-afternoon next to a large tent. Medical professionals stand out front, dressed head to toe in blue medical coveralls. People in the cars — many of them first responders — drive up to be tested for COVID-19.

19 May 2020

‘An Arm and a Leg’: Angst and advice from a health insurance insider

After hearing the story of Anna Davis Abel's fight with her insurance company over testing related to COVID-19, we heard from a listener who has worked for a health insurance company for decades.

18 May 2020

Tourists, beware: Foreign visitors’ travel health insurance might exclude pandemics

It was evident that the fever, nausea and loss of appetite Vlastimil Gajdoš felt on his wedding day was not a mere case of cold feet.

18 May 2020

Study illuminates the impact of COVID-19 on hospitals and health systems

In the third week of March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, large hospitals in the Northeast experienced a 26 percent decline in average per-facility revenues based on estimated in-network amounts as compared to the same period in 2019.

12 May 2020

Healthy eating habits early in life may reduce risk of adult obesity, cardiovascular disease

How children are fed may be just as important as what they are fed, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association, "Caregiver Influences on Eating Behaviors in Young Children," published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

11 May 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Blowing the whistle on Trump team’s COVID policies

Those working inside the Trump administration are getting so frustrated with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic that they are going public.

8 May 2020

Economic blow of the coronavirus hits America’s already stressed farmers

Richard Oswald, still mourning the loss of his family's homestead to flooding along the Missouri River, is planting corn and soybeans into ground that last year was feet deep underwater.

7 May 2020

Obesity, type 2 diabetes, or high blood pressure in teenagers may lead to prematurely aged arteries

Teenagers who have obesity, type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure may be more likely to have signs of premature blood vessel aging compared to teens without those health conditions, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

6 May 2020