Harvard Health Content API

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.

Long-term drug treatment doesn’t help people who don’t respond to their first treatment for chronic hepatitis C, a study has found. Many people with this disease are treated with two drugs, peginterferon and ribavirin. The study included 1,050 people who didn’t get better with this treatment. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group took low-dose peginterferon. The other group received no further treatment. After 3½ years, tests showed no difference in liver damage between the groups. Reuters Health news service wrote about the study December 5. It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Only about half of older adults on Medicaid get recommended cancer screening tests, a study finds. Researchers looked at medical records and claims for 1,951 people. All were age 50 or older. About half of the women had a recent mammogram and a Pap test for cervical cancer. Half of the men and women had at least one test for colon cancer. The study was published October 13 in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

One shot looks like enough to protect adults from H1N1 (swine) flu, researchers reported September 11. The Australian company CSL Ltd. found in a study that its vaccine would protect 75% to 96% of adults from swine flu with one shot. U.S. data released this week show similar results, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The U.S. study shows that protection begins 8 to 10 days after the shot, AP said. Both studies were published online by the New England Journal of Medicine. It’s also the time for seasonal flu shots. The new research means that people now will need two shots. Public health experts had feared that they would need three, including two for swine flu. The seasonal flu vaccine is available now. Swine flu vaccine is expected to arrive in doctor’s offices in mid-October.

Brief, intense bursts of exercise may allow people to get fitter but work out less, some experts say. The Associated Press (AP) wrote February 25 about this form of exercise. It’s known as high-intensity interval training. It involves a few minutes of very strenuous exercise, followed by a few minutes of rest. Then the cycle is repeated. Experts told AP that this program could provide a week’s worth of exercise in an hour. They said intense exercise is exactly what spurs the body to build stronger muscles. Research has shown that interval training can double endurance. It also can improve oxygen use, fitness and strength, AP reported. But most research has been done on young, healthy people. Experts say people should talk to a doctor before starting a new workout program.

Smokers are known to have an increased risk of developing diabetes. But those who quit may have an even higher diabetes risk for a few years, a new study found. The increased risk was directly related to weight gain, researchers told HealthDay News. Researchers said smokers should not let this news keep them from quitting. But their doctors should pay special attention to weight counseling. The study included 11,000 middle-aged people. They were not diabetic when the study started. During the next 9 years, about 380 quit smoking. In that time, they were 70% more likely to develop diabetes than people who never smoked. The higher risk lasted for about six years after they quit. But people who kept on smoking also were more likely to develop diabetes. Their risk was 30% higher than for people who never smoked. The study appeared January 5 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Runners live longer and with less disability, a study spanning 20 years has found. The study included 284 runners and 156 non-runners over age 50. When the study started, the runners ran an average of 4 hours a week. By the end, they ran 76 minutes a week. In those 19 years, 1 out of 3 non-runners died. Only 1 out of 7 runners died. Runners also avoided problems with daily activities, such as dressing, for about 16 years longer than non-runners. HealthDay News wrote about the study August 11. It appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Men recently diagnosed with prostate cancer may be more likely to have a heart attack or commit suicide, a new study finds. Researchers looked at U.S. data on 340,000 men. They were diagnosed between 1979 and 2004. Overall, they were 40% more likely to commit suicide in the year after diagnosis than the average American man. The heart attack rate was 9% higher than average in the year after diagnosis. Both risks were even higher one to three months after diagnosis. But the increased risk of suicide was higher only in the period before 1993. Since then, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has been widely used. The test suggests which men may need a prostate biopsy for possible cancer. This has led to more early diagnosis and treatment. The risk of heart attack has stayed the same since PSA testing. The study was in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Two types of breathing problems during sleep are linked to specific types of heart rhythm problems, researchers report. The study included 2,911 men, age 65 or older. Their hearts and breathing were monitored while they slept. Some men had central sleep apnea. This means that breathing stops briefly when the brain “forgets” to breathe. Men with central sleep apnea were more likely to have a rhythm problem in the upper chambers of the heart. Other men had obstructive sleep apnea. This occurs when throat muscles relax, blocking the airway during sleep. These men were more likely to have a rhythm problem involving the lower chambers of the heart. The study appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. Reuters Health news service wrote about it June 22.

A computed tomography (CT) scan can help diagnose the cause of chest pain faster than standard tests, a new study suggests. The study included 749 people who came to emergency rooms with chest pain. They were given standard tests, including an electrocardiogram and blood tests. But these tests did not show clear signs of a heart attack. Half of the people also were given CT scans. The others were observed in the emergency room and got repeat tests a few hours later. This was followed by an exercise stress test. Stress tests and CT scans both are used to detect artery blockages that can lead to a heart attack. Finding out who had impending heart attacks took an average of three hours using CT scans. It took an average of six hours for the other group. The Associated Press wrote about the study. It was released November 18 at a conference.