Harvard Health Content API

As confirmed cases of swine flu rose Monday, health officials took steps to fight the outbreak. Suspected deaths rose to 149 in Mexico, the Associated Press said. Officials have confirmed 48 U.S. cases so far. Worldwide, 73 were confirmed. Also Monday, the World Health Organization raised its pandemic alert status. It is now Phase 4 out of 6. This means that the virus has spread from person to person in more than one country. U.S. officials released 11 million doses of anti-flu medicine to the states. The United States and the European Union advised people to avoid travel to Mexico. Several Asian countries also checked returning travelers for signs of fever.

More Medicare patients are getting a costly, complex form of back surgery. But a simpler surgery would be fine for many, a study finds. Researchers looked at people who had a painful squeezing (called stenosis) in the lower back. Three types of surgery treat it. The simpler one costs about $30,000. The more complex ones average about $80,000. Rates of the complex surgeries rose 15-fold from 2002 to 2007. The study was in the Journal of the American Medical Association on April 17.

New guidelines advise doctors on how to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that are not related to movement. The guidelines come from the American Academy of Neurology. Neurologists treat Parkinson’s disease and other diseases of the brain and nerves. The main symptoms of Parkinson’s are problems with body movement. But people with this disease also may have fatigue and constipation. They may feel sleepy in the daytime. Many men with Parkinson’s disease have problems with sexual function. The new guidelines suggest medicines that can improve these symptoms. They were published in the journal Neurology. HealthDay News wrote about them March 16.

A gene variant may increase the risk of muscle weakness in people who take statin drugs. A new study found the gene. Researchers scanned the genes of 85 people who developed muscle weakness and 90 who did not. Risk of muscle weakness was less than 1% in people without the gene variant. It rose to 18% for people with two copies of the gene. Statins are used to lower cholesterol. Researchers said the gene variant causes about 6 out of 10 cases. The Associated Press and Reuters news service wrote about the study. It was published July 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Age limits on drinking have reduced alcohol-related traffic deaths by 11%, a study concludes. This reduction was in people under 21. In all states, 21 is the minimum age to buy or possess alcohol. Some states have even stronger laws. These laws vary widely. Some states require intense screening for fake IDs. Some target adults or stores that supply alcohol to people under 21. Others suspend driving for underage drinkers. In states with strong laws, alcohol-related traffic deaths were even lower. They were 7% lower for people under 21. HealthDay News wrote about the study July 1. It was published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.

Someone with schizophrenia is four times as likely to die of cancer as the average person, a new study finds. It’s the second leading cause of death, after suicide, for people with this mental illness. The study included more than 3,400 people with schizophrenia. In 11 years, 476 of them died. Cancer deaths totaled 74. Researchers said the higher rates might be caused by high rates of smoking, delays in diagnosis and less compliance with treatment. The study was published online in the journal Cancer. HealthDay News wrote about it June 23.

Small increases in blood sugar may affect memory, a study says. When blood sugar goes up, blood flow to part of the brain decreases. That part, called the dentate gyrus, is important for memory. Researchers saw this trend in older people, and then did laboratory tests to confirm it. People with uncontrolled diabetes have high blood sugar levels. And doctors already know that people with diabetes are at higher risk for dementia and other thinking and memory problems. The study was published in the December issue of the Annals of Neurology. The New York Times reported on the research January 1.

Three research groups are studying “good fat,” which helps the body generate heat. This fat, called brown fat, is found around the neck and collarbone. Researchers have found that lean people have more brown fat than overweight people do. They also learned that brown fat is more active in a cooler environment. The research could one day help with weight loss. The Associated Press reported on the studies April 10.

Beginning regular activity at 50 can extend your life, a study finds. But it takes about 10 years for this effect to appear. The Swedish study kept track of 2,205 men for more than 20 years, beginning at age 50. Researchers divided them into groups based on exercise levels. In the first five years of the study, death rates were lowest among those who exercised the most. But some men started to exercise between 50 and 60. After 10 years, their death rates were as low as those of men who had exercised all along. Exercise made as big a difference in death rates as quitting smoking, researchers said. The study appeared in the British Medical Journal. Reuters Health news service wrote about it March 6.

Common pills for depression may help older adults with anxiety, a study finds. Now, older adults usually are given sedatives for anxiety. The study included 177 adults, age 60 or older. All of them had generalized anxiety disorder. They were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group took escitalopram (Lexapro). The other group took a placebo (sugar pill) that looked the same. After 12 weeks, more than two-thirds of those taking escitalopram felt better. About half of those taking the placebo felt better. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HealthDay News and Reuters News Service wrote about it January 20.