Pope Francis Discharged From Hospital, Leads Palm Sunday Service

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• April 3, 2023
• Full Page

Pope Francis was back delivering Mass on Palm Sunday, just one day after he was released from the hospital following a three-day stay for bronchitis.

Francis, 86, celebrated in St. Peter's Squ...

Pope Francis Remains Hospitalized With Respiratory Infection

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• March 30, 2023
• Full Page

Pope Francis will remain hospitalized for several days because of a respiratory infection that isn't COVID-19, the Vatican announced Wednesday.

"In recent days, Pope Francis complained of some respiratory difficulties, and this afternoon he went to Policlinico A. Gemelli...

Black Americans Would Reap Biggest Health Boon From Cleaner Air

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• March 27, 2023
• Full Page

While all Americans could benefit from proposed new limits on what's called PM2.5 air pollution, new research indicates the change has the potential to benefit Black and low-income Americans the most.

The limits being considered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agen...

Chest Scans for Respiratory Ills Can Also Spot Heart Trouble

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• March 13, 2023
• Full Page

Ordering special heart scans before a major surgery to gauge risks may be unnecessary, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that surgeons can instead estimate patients' risk of heart attack or death by reviewing existing images of the chest captured months earlier dur...

In Stockholm Study, As City Air Improved So Did Kids' Lung Capacity

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• February 27, 2023
• Full Page

Children in Sweden's capital can breathe a little easier.

As Stockholm's air has gotten cleaner, young people's lungs have gotten stronger, new research shows. The findings could have implications for cities worldwide.

While the adverse impact of air pollutants on ...

Two Vaccines May Soon Shield Seniors Against RSV

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 16, 2023
• Full Page

Older people have vaccines available to prevent severe influenza and COVID-19, but there's been nothing to protect against the third respiratory virus that contributed to this season's wretched "triple-demic."

Until now.

Two major pharmaceutical companies published...

Kids' COVID More Dangerous When Co-Infected With RSV, Colds

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• January 18, 2023
• Full Page

As colds, flu and COVID continue to circulate this winter, a new U.S. government study finds that young children infected with COVID plus a second virus tend to become sicker.

While severe COVID is rare among children, kids can and do fall ill enough to end up in the hos...

Holiday Gatherings Didn't Trigger Spike in Respiratory Illnesses: CDC

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• January 16, 2023
• Full Page

Going into the holiday season, many public health experts feared a "tripledemic"of flu, COVID-19 and RSV cases.

New government data now shows that didn't happen.

Reports of flu-like illness are down for the sixth straight week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control ...

Flu, RSV, COVID: Shield Yourself From the 'Tripledemic' This Holiday

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 22, 2022
• Full Page

Public health experts have been warning of a "tripledemic"of respiratory viruses this fall and winter, so the American Lung Association has some tips for breathing easier this holiday season.

Flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 are all spreading throughou...

El vapeo puede afectar al lubricante de los pulmones, y dificultar la respiración

• Hola Doctor and Cara Murez HealthDay Reporters
• December 21, 2022
• Full Page

Unos investigadores han descubierto otro peligro para la salud asociado con vapear.

Inhalar los productos de vapeo podría dañar a una capa esencial de los pulmones, llamada surfactante. El surfactante está hecho de lípidos y proteínas, y posibilita que se ...

Vaping May Affect Lungs' Lubricant, Making Breathing Tougher

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 20, 2022
• Full Page

Researchers have uncovered another health hazard associated with vaping.

Inhaling vape products may damage a critical layer of the lungs called surfactant. Made of lipids and proteins, surfactant makes it possible to breathe with minimal effort by reducing surface tensi...

U.S. Health Officials Urge Indoor Masking in Major Cities as 'Tripledemic' Rages

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 12, 2022
• Full Page

As three highly contagious respiratory viruses spread across the United States, straining hospitals and triggering drug shortages, health officials in some major cities and states are calling for a return to indoor masking.

Over the past few weeks, COVID-19, the flu and ...

Shortages of Antibiotics, Antivirals Are Making a Tough Illness Season Worse

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 30, 2022
• Full Page

An early surge in cold and flu cases has created shortages in key antiviral and antibiotic drugs needed for the annual "sick season,"pharmacists report.

The antiviral flu drug Tamiflu is in short supply for both adults and children, in both its brand name formulation as ...

Cases of Child RSV Are Swamping Hospitals. What Are the Symptoms, Treatments?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• October 25, 2022
• Full Page

Pediatricians' offices, children's hospitals, urgent care centers and emergency rooms across the United States are being overwhelmed by an early, heavy surge of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among infants and...

Survivors of Severe COVID Face Higher Odds for Another Hospitalization Soon After

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• January 26, 2022
• Full Page

People hospitalized for COVID-19 are not necessarily out of the woods once they're discharged: Many land in the hospital again in the months afterward, a large U.K. study finds.

The researchers found that in the 10 months after leaving the hospital, COVID-19 patients wer...

'Secondhand Vaping' May Be Unhealthy -- Could Public Bans Be Coming?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 11, 2022
• Full Page

Secondhand vapor from electronic cigarettes is harmful to others, causing bronchitis symptoms and shortness of breath in young bystanders, a new study reports.

Secondhand exposure to vapor increased teens' risk of bronchitis symptoms by 40% and shortness of breath by 53%...

Baby's Immune System Is Tougher Than You Think

• Robert Preidt
• December 15, 2021
• Full Page

When it comes to fending off new viruses, baby has Mom and Dad beat.

An infant's immune system is better than an adult's at combating new viruses, researchers say.

Compared to adults, babies get a lot of viral respiratory infections, but babies are dealing with the...

Child Nasal Swab Tests Conducted by Parent Yield Accurate Results: Study

• Robert Preidt
• November 12, 2021
• Full Page

Parent-collected nasal swab samples from kids could be as good at detecting respiratory infections such as COVID-19 as those taken by nurses, but that's not the case with saliva samples, British researchers say.

Respiratory infections such as colds and flu are among...

Pandemic Puts 'Outdated' Infection Control Practices Under Scrutiny

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• November 10, 2021
• Full Page

The COVID-19 pandemic has offered some lessons on respiratory disease transmission, and now a new review suggests that hospitals could use those insights to create even smarter infection-control policies.

The review, published Nov. 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, s...

Zinc Might Help Shorten Your Cold or Flu, Study Finds

• Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
• November 2, 2021
• Full Page

Many people pop a zinc supplement at the first sign of a cold, and there's new evidence supporting the habit.

Australian researchers found that the supplements appear to help shorten respiratory tract infections, such as colds, flu, sinusitis and pneumonia.

Many ov...

Social Distancing Kept Kids From Getting Flu, RSV

• Robert Preidt
• October 8, 2021
• Full Page

Social distancing and mask mandates during the pandemic nearly eliminated cases of the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among children, a new study finds.

"Numbers don't lie. Face masking, and proper hygiene and isolation, can be effective means to protect the v...

Pre-Surgery COVID Precautions Tied to Worse, Not Better, Patient Outcomes

• Robert Preidt
• August 10, 2021
• Full Page

Surprisingly, patients who isolate before surgery to protect themselves from COVID-19 actually have a higher risk of lung complications after their operation than those who don't isolate, a new study reports.

The findings conflict with current guidelines that recommend i...