A 19-year-old London man with serious underlying health problems became the fourth person in the UK to die after contracting swine flu, the BBC reported. More than 1,900 Londoners had caught the virus, and experts warned UK cases could reach 100,000 a day within a month.
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Health News
Drugs, disease, healthcare, government and lifestyle: health news beyond the plate.
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Miscellaneous
Fireworks-Related Injuries: What you need to know
An estimated 9,800 people were treated in US emergency departments for fireworks injuries in 2007 and eleven died, with more than half of the injured being children, CDC reports. The safest prevention is leaving displays to trained professionals. Advice on keeping pets calm opens the piece.
Lifestyle
Obesity in the U.S. -- A perfect storm
Childhood obesity rates have more than tripled since 1980, a Trust for America's Health report says. Researchers blame environment and policy as much as calories: fast food outlets crowd neighbourhoods, schools sell sugary food, and fast food filled 23 percent of ads on top teen shows.
Drug
Antismoking drugs cause suicidal thoughts
Drug regulators warned that the smoking cessation drugs Chantix and Zyban can cause suicidal thoughts, agitation and aggression in some patients. Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline will add black box warnings, but an FDA official said the drugs will stay on the market because they help smokers quit.
Disease
Celiac disease on the rise: What you need to know
A Mayo Clinic study cited by WebMD found celiac disease is four times more common in the U.S. than 50 years ago, and that undiagnosed, untreated cases carry a raised risk of early death. One specialist says only about 5 percent of people with the disease know they have it.
Healthcare
Wal-Mart's employee healthcare plan "too expensive"
Wal-Mart backed an employer-funded health care requirement in a letter to President Obama written with the SEIU and the Center for American Progress, yet only 51.8 percent of its 1.4 million employees take its plan. One manager said it cost her $400 a month, more than she could afford.
Miscellaneous
New Study Reveals Surprising Cause of Risky Behavior in Teens
A six-year study of 20,000 teenagers found those who expect to die young take more risks than those who expect long lives, reversing the usual assumption that teens feel invincible. One in five 15- and 16-year-olds expected to die before 20; the real rate is about one in 250.
Government
Acetaminophen and Liver Injury: Q & A for Consumers
Ahead of a June 2009 FDA advisory committee meeting on acetaminophen-related liver injury, this Q&A explains what the drug is, where it appears (Tylenol, Vicodin, Percocet, cold and sleep combinations), and that exceeding the recommended amount can cause liver damage up to acute failure and death.
Disease
Former Georgia Aquarium director Jeffery Swanagan dies from heart attack
Jeffery Swanagan, former executive director and president of the Georgia Aquarium, died Sunday at 51, apparently of a heart attack. The rest of the piece reprints earlier foodconsumer reports tying tea, coffee, tobacco and seven prescription drugs to heart attack risk.
Miscellaneous
Cancer stem cells may revolutionize the cancer fight
University of Rochester researchers write in Science that cancer stem cells, a subtype that resists current treatments, may be the root of tumors, and that targeting them rather than killing all cells could improve on conventional therapy.
Healthcare
Why California Needs Health Reform
A fact sheet on California's health costs: 19.7 million residents get coverage at work, where family premiums average $13,297 and have risen 114 percent since 2000. Nineteen percent are uninsured, and families and businesses carry about $1,400 a year in hidden costs for them.
Government
Secretary Sebelius Releases New Report: Hidden Costs of Health Care (PR)
HHS released “Hidden Costs of Health Care,” reporting that someone with employer coverage paid an average $1,522 out of pocket in 2006, up from $1,260 in 2001. Counting premiums, costs rose 30 percent to $3,744, and the average family plan cost $12,680 in 2008.
Healthcare
Timing of cardiac arrest critical for optimal care
A study in JAMA found 14.7 percent of people survived cardiac arrest in hospital at night or on weekends, against about 20 percent during the day. The gap held everywhere but the emergency room, and researchers point to thinner staffing at off-peak hours.
Disease
Farrah Fawcett dies from anal cancer: What you need to know
Farrah Fawcett died at 62 of anal cancer. Doctors quoted say HPV, a sexually transmitted infection, can cause the disease, though multiple sexual partners, receptive anal intercourse and smoking also raise risk. The piece reprints NCI background on anal cancer.
Miscellaneous
June 27 is the Annual National HIV Testing Day
The 16th annual observance promotes HIV testing as routine care for people aged 13 to 64, yearly testing for men who have sex with men and others at high risk, and early testing in pregnancy. The CDC estimated 1,106,400 Americans were living with HIV at the end of 2006.
Disease
CDC: Swine flu "is not going away"
The CDC's Anne Schuchat said more than 6,000 new H1N1 cases were reported in a week, the most since the outbreak began, with 12 states seeing widespread activity. She called the reported cases the tip of the iceberg and said the disease is not going away.
Disease
Cardiac arrest: What you need to know
Prompted by Michael Jackson's death, this NIH explainer describes sudden cardiac arrest: an arrhythmia stops the heart beating, it is not the same as a heart attack, 95 percent of victims die and most within minutes, and a defibrillator can restore normal rhythm.
Miscellaneous
Michael Jackson dies from cardiac arrest
Michael Jackson, 50, collapsed at a rental home in Holmby Hills and was pronounced dead at UCLA Medical Center about 2:26 pm after more than an hour of resuscitation attempts. The cause of death was unknown, the coroner took the case, and an autopsy was set for June 26, 2009.
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