Harvard Health Content API

People with pain caused by migraines, back issues or psychological distress may have an increased risk of suicide, a new study suggests. Researchers looked at records for more than 4.8 million people in the Veterans Affairs medical system. They focused on people with chronic (long-lasting) pain that was not related to cancer. In the next 3 years, more than 2,800 people with a pain-causing condition committed suicide. People with most pain conditions had higher rates of suicide than people without pain. Some people with pain also had mental-health conditions. Researchers adjusted the numbers to account for the effects this might have on suicide rates. Three causes of pain were still linked with a higher suicide risk. The increased risk was 13% with back pain and 34% with migraines. The highest increased risk was 58% for people with psychogenic pain.

The costs of treating stroke will more than double by 2030, a new report says. The main reason given is the aging of the U.S. population. American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association released the policy statement. It predicts that the actual number of strokes will rise 20%. Stroke care costs are projected to jump from about $72 billion in 2010 to $183 billion in 2030. The result will be a strain on the health care system, an expert told HealthDay News. Lost productivity would cost another $57 billion, the policy statement says. That’s up from $34 billion in 2010. About 90% of people who survive a stroke are left with some type of disability. Strokes are expected to increase most among people ages 45 to 64 years old, and among Hispanics. The journal Stroke published the statement. HealthDay News wrote about it May 22.

Sunscreens that Americans buy this summer should have more accurate labels. Updated rules from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took effect in December. But a consumer group says some labels may still be misleading. Sunscreens have a sun protection factor (SPF) to indicate how well they work. The FDA says sunscreens with an SPF of 15 to 50 can claim protection against skin cancer and early aging, as well as sunburn. The FDA says there’s no proof that protection increases further for numbers above 50. But an Environmental Working Group survey found higher numbers on 1 out of 7 products. The group checked 1,400 sunscreens. Experts worry that numbers above 50 could encourage people to stay out in the sun longer. The new FDA rules require all “broad spectrum” sunscreens to protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Both can cause skin cancer. UVA rays also cause skin aging.

In any given year, up to 1 in 5 U.S. children has a mental health disorder, a new report says. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report. It’s the government’s first detailed look at the subject. Estimates cover children ages 3 through 17. Nearly 7% have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most common condition. About 3.5% have behavior or conduct disorders. About 3% have anxiety, 2% have depression and 1% have autism. The report also looked at substance abuse disorders among teenagers. Drug use disorders affected nearly 5%. Other totals included more than 4% for alcohol abuse and nearly 3% for cigarettes. The journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it May 16.

Women in their 40s and 50s have a very low risk of stroke, but the risk doubles if they are depressed, a new study finds. The study included 10,547 women who had no history of stroke. Their ages ranged between 47 and 52 when the study began. Researchers had them fill out health surveys every 3 years for the next 12 years. In that time, 177 women had strokes. The stroke rate among women with depression was 2.4 times as high as for women without depression. Depressed women also were more likely to have other health factors, such as smoking, that increased their risk of stroke. After researchers accounted for those factors, depression alone almost doubled the women’s risk of stroke. Overall, about 1.5% of the women had strokes during the study. The journal Stroke published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it May 16.

Surgery to repair pelvic organ prolapse fails over time for many women, a new study concludes. Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when the tissues that support the uterus, bladder and cervix are damaged or relax over time. The organs may push down into the top of the vagina. This can cause pain, bleeding and urinary problems. The study included 215 women. All had an operation called sacrocolpopexy to support the organs with a synthetic material called surgical mesh. Half also had another procedure to stop problems with urine leakage. The rate of failure increased each year in both groups. For example, symptoms returned within 2 years for 14% of the women who had both procedures. The return of symptoms occurred in 21% after 4 years and 29% after 7 years. Treatment failures were slightly lower for those who had the single procedure.