Parent health sways views of asthmatic kids' health

January 2, 2009 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Parents' own chronic health problems may influence their perceptions of their asthmatic children's well-being, a new study suggests.

Chromosome disorder raises risk of death

January 2, 2009 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Turner syndrome, the most commonly diagnosed sex chromosome abnormality in women, not only leads to substantial illness but is also raises the risk of death, according to UK researchers.

Study finds favorable trends in stroke

January 2, 2009 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Fewer people are suffering stroke and fewer people are dying from stroke, new research from Sweden hints.

Risk of diabetes in pregnancy higher in some women

January 1, 2009 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Certain ethnic groups and women with lower socioeconomic status are at increased risk of developing diabetes while pregnant, research shows.

Diabetes can slow the brain, study finds

January 1, 2009 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Diabetes can slow the brain, causing trouble with two types of mental processing in adults of all ages, Canadian researchers reported on Wednesday.

Many studies needed to tie genes to cancer: study

December 30, 2008 — LONDON (Reuters) - Many genes linked to various cancers do not appear to raise the risk of getting cancer after all, according to an analysis of hundreds of studies published on Tuesday.

Many elderly can improve their walking ability

December 30, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most people in their 50s and older who are having difficulty walking will not get worse over the next 2 years, and many will actually improve, research set for publication in the American Journal of Public Health shows.

Stroke deaths unexplained by customary risk factors

December 30, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While stroke death rates are approximately 50 percent higher than average among residents of the southeastern U.S. -- the so-called "stroke belt" -- traditional risk factors contribute little to the higher death rates there, a national study indicates.

"White-coat" hypertension not benign in diabetics

December 30, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - White-coat hypertension is considered harmless in most people, but it appears to increase the risk of microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes, Brazilian researchers report in Diabetes Care.

Bypass surgery may reverse diabetes in obese teens

December 29, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Type 2 diabetes usually resolves in extremely obese adolescents who undergo weight loss surgery, according to a review of 11 such patients treated at five centers in the United States.

Diabetic youth may try unhealthy dieting tactics

December 26, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are often overweight and many turn to unhealthy weight loss practices, such as using over-the-counter diet aids without a doctor's advice, fasting and taking laxatives, new research shows.

Liver disease may resolve with weight loss surgery

December 26, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obesity surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, not only helps obese individuals shed a significant amount of weight, it also significantly improves or completely resolves a common obesity-related liver problem known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a review of published studies shows.

Metabolic syndrome predicts kidney disease

December 25, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Having the so-called metabolic syndrome may raise the risk of chronic kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes, researchers from China report.

Diet appears to alter heart failure risk

December 25, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Each serving of whole-grains may lessen heart failure risk by 7 percent among middle-aged African-American and white men and women, according to findings from a long-term study.

Blood sugar loss may trigger Alzheimer's: study

December 24, 2008 — LONDON (Reuters) - A slow, chronic reduction of blood sugar to the brain could trigger some forms of Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.