Harvard Health Content API

Research has shown a higher stroke risk among people who recently had shingles, a painful skin infection. But a new study pins down the risk for different groups. The study looked at 7,760 adults who had been treated for shingles and 23,280 who had not. Within one year, 1.7% of the shingles group had a stroke. The rate was 1.3% for the no-shingles group. Researchers adjusted the numbers for other differences between groups that could affect their stroke risk. They found that overall stroke risk was 31% higher for those who had shingles. This means there were 131 strokes in the shingles group for every 100 in the no-shingles group. But risk was even higher for those who had shingles in or around the eye. It was more than four times as high as for people with no shingles. The study is in the October 9 issue of the journal Stroke.

Couples who go through a miscarriage are more likely to break up, a new study finds. The study looked at the results of 7,700 pregnancies, as reported in a large U.S. survey. Researchers divided results into two groups. For one group, the miscarriage occurred before 20 weeks of pregnancy. These couples were 22% more likely to break up than those who had a live birth. The biggest difference in breakups occurred 1½ to 3 years after the miscarriage. Researchers also looked at pregnancy losses at 20 weeks or later. For these couples, the effect was greater and longer lasting. They were 40% more likely to break up than couples who had live births. The effect continued for up to 10 years. The study appeared in the journal Pediatrics. HealthDay News wrote about it April 5.

An experiment in public schools suggests that removing whole milk from public schools can help kids reduce calories and fat. New York City public schools dropped whole milk in 2005. They sold only low-fat and skim milk in cafeterias. The change saved about 600 grams of fat per year for a student who drank milk. Students continued to buy milk. Purchases actually increased about 1% after the switch. Study results were published January 28. They appeared in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

People who follow the Mediterranean diet may be less depressed, new research suggests. This diet includes olive oil plus many fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Protein often comes from fish, nuts, beans and legumes. The study included 10,000 healthy Spaniards. They regularly filled out a list of questions about mood and diet. Researchers kept track of them for an average of 4.4 years. Those who followed the Mediterranean diet most closely had a 30% lower rate of depression. This means that 70 people were depressed for every 100 people who didn’t follow the diet as well. The study appeared in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry. HealthDay news wrote about it October 5.

Using guidelines can reduce unnecessary brain scans in children with head injuries, a study finds. The study included 42,000 children. All came to hospital emergency rooms with head injuries. Researchers looked at medical records for the first 22 months of the study. They used them to make guidelines to predict which children do not have an important brain injury. The guidelines include a child’s mental state, behavior, evidence of injury and other factors. Researchers then tested their guidelines. They did this by comparing them to head injury cases from the next three months. The guidelines correctly predicted which children did not have an important brain injury. They were correct for all children under 2 and nearly all of the others. Many children in these low-risk groups had computed tomography (CT) scans. But they didn’t need the scans, researchers said.

Most doctors don’t properly use one screening method for colorectal cancer, a survey suggests. Researchers surveyed 1,134 primary care doctors. About 3 out of 4 doctors said they perform or order an office fecal occult blood test for patients. The others rely on just the home-based fecal occult blood test. The home test uses three stool samples. It is more accurate than the office test. About half of doctors used both tests. The fecal occult blood test looks for hidden blood in the stool. This can be a sign of colon cancer. The study was published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. HealthDays News wrote about it April 15.

Vitamin E pills may help many people who have the most common long-term liver disease, new research suggests. The illness is nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. It is also called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. It can lead to a life-threatening liver condition, cirrhosis. The study included 247 adults with the condition. They were randomly assigned into four groups. One group received vitamin E pills. Another group got pioglitazone (Actos), a diabetes medicine. The other two groups received placebo pills that looked like one of these drugs. About 4 out of 10 people who took vitamin E improved, compared with 2 out of 10 who took the placebo. Fewer people who took pioglitazone improved. The difference compared with the placebo could have been caused by chance. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study online. The Associated Press about it April 29.

The most common flu bug so far this year is resistant to the leading medicine used to treat it, the federal government says. Tamiflu is one of two drugs called antivirals. Most people don’t take antiviral drugs when they get the flu. Government officials point out that other flu bugs could become more common as flu season continues. They say flu shots are the best protection. The government announcement was part of a weekly flu report released December 19. The Associated Press reported on the announcement the same day.

A 6-year study has found that the popular supplement Ginkgo biloba does not slow memory loss or memory problems in older people. More than 3,000 people were enrolled in the study. All were between the ages of 72 and 96. Half took Gingko pills. The other half took identical-looking pills with no Gingko in them. Equal numbers of people in each group suffered memory loss and memory problems. The study was published in the December 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. USA Today wrote about it December 30.

Holiday myths die hard, but a study in the British Medical Journal examines some of the most common. Researchers looked at evidence for six common beliefs related to the holiday season. They found the following: Sugar does not make kids hyperactive; suicides do not go up during the holidays; poinsettias are not poison; you don’t lose most of your body heat through your head; eating at night does not make you fat; and there’s no cure for a hangover. The Washington Post wrote about the study December 19.