Harvard Health Content API

The number of Americans with asthma increased 12% between 2001 and 2009, a new report says. Now about 25 million Americans have the disease. The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention released the report. It says the increase was especially sharp among black children. Their asthma rate jumped almost 50%. Now about 17% of U.S. black children have asthma. That’s the highest for any racial or ethnic group. Drugs to treat the disease are available. But still 50% of those with asthma have severe attacks. And only 1 out of 9 people without health insurance can afford to buy medicine, the report says. Health officials don’t know why rates are rising. But the report listed steps that may help. These include laws to prevent indoor smoking, education on how to avoid asthma triggers and more use of appropriate medicines. HealthDay News wrote about the report May 3.

Many U.S. mothers give their babies herbal teas or supplements, a new study finds. The study was based on a survey of 2,600 mothers. About 9% said they gave such supplements to their infants. The study included a higher percentage of white mothers than the country’s population. Researchers estimated that the true proportion of babies getting these products is 3% to 10%. Supplements were used most often for colic. These included chamomile tea and gripe water. Products also were used for fussiness, stomach problems and other conditions. The authors said there is a potential for harm in these products. The United States has little regulation of their quality or safety. The journal Pediatrics published the study. The Associated Press wrote about it May 2.

An older, cheaper drug helps a serious eye disease just as much as a newer, more costly drug, a study released this week says. The research compared two injectable drugs for treating wet macular degeneration. This disease gets worse quickly and can lead to blindness. The drugs are injected directly into the eye. The study included 1,200 people. They were randomly divided into 4 groups. One group received a monthly shot of ranibizumab (Lucentis). A second group got this drug, which costs $2,000 a shot, as needed. The other two groups were given bevacizumab (Avastin), which costs $50 a shot. One group got the drug once a month. The other group got it as needed. A year later, people who got their shots once a month had similar gains in vision, no matter which drug they received. And as-needed Lucentis preserved vision nearly as well as monthly Avastin or monthly Lucentis.

People who have a hard time understanding health information and services are said to have low “health literacy.” A new study finds that they tend to be older, poorer, less educated, in poorer health — and more likely to die early. The study looked at 1,500 people with heart failure. All of them had the same health insurance, a managed care plan. Using a survey, researchers concluded that 17.6% had poor health literacy. Researchers kept track of people for more than a year. In that time, 124 died. This included almost 18% of those with low health literacy and 6% of the others. People with low health literacy also were more likely to have a hospital stay. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it April 26.

Tai chi may improve well-being for people with heart failure, new research suggests. The study included 100 people. They were randomly assigned to one of two programs. One group took classes in tai chi. This ancient Chinese exercise form combines flowing movements and weight-shifting. The other group took classes to learn more about heart failure. Both programs lasted 12 weeks. At the end, people who did tai chi reported more improvements in quality of life than the other group. They also showed a bigger boost in mood and burned more calories each week. But people in both groups could walk about the same distance in 6 minutes. They also had similar use of oxygen during exercise. The journal Archives of Internal Medicine published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it April 25.

Having Botox injections to reduce wrinkles may also reduce your ability to read emotions on people’s faces, a new study suggests. Why? Botox freezes muscles. Therefore, you are less able to mimic someone else’s facial expression. And mimicry is one of the ways that people interpret the emotions they see on a face, researchers said. The study involved 31 women. They were divided into two groups. Both groups received injections in the face. One group got botulinum toxin (Botox). The other group got a facial filler substance that did not affect muscles. Both groups were asked to look at images of faces. People who got Botox were less able to recognize emotions in the faces than the other group. The journal Social Psychological and Personality Science published the study online. Medical News Today wrote about it April 25.

U.S. health officials are aiming to reduce heart disease and stroke deaths 20% within 10 years. That’s one of the goals of Healthy People 2020. This report contains a large collection of health care goals. It comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The American Heart Association (AHA) has joined in endorsing the heart-related goals. The AHA also wants to improve Americans’ heart health by 20%. The report includes specific goals to promote the general ones. These include increasing the number of people who get blood pressure and cholesterol tests and take action to reduce high levels. The AHA also is promoting “Life’s Simple 7.” These are ways to prevent heart disease and stroke. They include exercise, better diet and weight loss. Other goals urge people to avoid smoking and control their cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.