Data from a Danish National Health Survey involving 109,218 adults over the age of 40 showed that those with diabetes were 33% more likely to have osteoarthritis, 70% more likely to have rheumatoid arthritis, and 29% more likely to have osteoporosis. Low back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain were also more common among diabetics.…

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the rate of serious birth complications in the United States rose from 101 per 10,000 delivery hospitalizations to 147 per 10,000 between 2006 and 2015, and the rates of acute kidney failure, shock, mechanical ventilation use, and sepsis at delivery more than doubled during the same…

In this study, researchers analyzed data concerning nearly 47,000 elderly adults with no history of heart disease and found that statins were not associated with a reduced risk of heart disease or death from any cause in healthy people in this age group. BMJ, September 2018

In this study, researchers found that six hours of sleep deprivation led to elevated blood glucose in the liver, an increase in triglyceride levels, and changes to levels of liver enzymes related to metabolism in otherwise healthy rats. The research team believes that the changes induced by sleep deprivation may be the root cause of…

A two-year project in which 30 academics, policymakers, and health experts examined how to measure and improve healthcare quality worldwide concluded that poor-quality healthcare leads to about 5 million deaths per year in developing countries. They found that poor-quality care is a major cause of deaths from treatable conditions, such as cardiovascular deaths, neonatal conditions,…

Three variants of the multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria have been discovered in samples from 78 hospitals in ten countries. It is suspected that the superbug is spreading rapidly due to the high use of antibiotics in intensive care units, where patients are routinely prescribed strong drugs. Researcher Dr. Ben Howden adds, “This highlights that the…

Among a sample of 1,429 Australian women over the age of 70, researchers observed a relationship between the diversity of vegetables one eats and their risk for suffering a serious fall. In particular, the research team found that for every serving of a different vegetable consumed per day, the risk for experiencing a serious fall…

Being overweight may thicken heart muscle tissue and increase blood pressure, elevating one’s risk for future heart disease. In this study, researchers analyzed data on thousands of healthy young adults and found a link between a greater BMI and both higher blood pressure and enlargement of left ventricle of the heart. Lead author Dr. Kaitlin…

In this study, researchers measured the fitness levels of 2,014 apparently healthy men at age 50 and monitored their health status for the next three decades. The research team found that participants in better shape at midlife had a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease before age 60. European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, August…

Schizophrenia is described as a serious mental health condition that can involve hallucinations or delusions and symptoms of a mood disorder, such as mania and depression. A review of data from twelve published studies indicates that smokers are twice as likely to develop the condition as nonsmokers. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, August 2018