Harvard Health Content API

Breathing polluted air for a long time may increase the risk of blood clots in the legs, a study suggests. The study looked at data on 870 people who had been diagnosed with these blood clots. They were compared with 1,210 people who did not have a clot. Researchers collected data on air pollution in areas where the people lived. Blood clots were more likely in high-pollution areas. For every 10-unit increase in soot particles, the risk rose 70%. The study was published May 13 in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Pediatricians have a role to play in guarding the dental health of children, a new policy says. The policy comes from the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is the nation’s largest group of children’s doctors. Children should have their first dental visit by age 1, the policy says. But pediatricians also should assess children’s risk of cavities. Some children don’t have a dentist. In this case, the pediatrician can apply fluoride varnish to the teeth of a child with a high cavity risk. The policy was published December 1 in the journal Pediatrics.

People age 60 or older should get a shot to help prevent a painful skin disease called shingles, U.S. health officials say. People who get the shot are half as likely to get shingles as people who don’t, studies show. Shingles produces a severe rash. It is caused by the same virus as chickenpox. Older adults are most likely to get it. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially decided this week to recommend the shot. The Associated Press wrote about it May 16.

One “superbug” seems to be declining in U.S. hospitals. But another may be increasing, a new study finds. Hospitals have struggled in recent years to combat bacteria known as MRSA. This stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It’s called “resistant” because most antibiotics can’t kill it. But a new study of hospitals in four states found that the rate of another infection was higher. Researchers counted infections acquired in the hospitals in a two-year period. There were 680 cases of MRSA and 847 cases of Clostridium difficile. This colon infection is also known as C. diff. The study also found that MRSA cases were falling but C. diff was rising. Researchers presented study results at a conference March 20. The Associated Press (AP) wrote about the study. A U.S. health official told AP that C. diff is rising in some hospitals but not others.

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to have small babies or give birth by cesarean section, new research finds. But they don’t have a higher risk of other pregnancy problems, the study says. Researchers looked at a database that covered 18.8 million U.S. births. About 10,000 of the babies were born to women with MS. About 2.7% of these women had babies with restricted growth. This compares with 1.9% of other women. The cesarean section rate was 42% for women with MS and 33% for other women. Women with MS had average rates of preeclampsia. This is a potentially dangerous problem that occurs in some pregnancies. Women with MS also had average rates of early membrane rupture and high blood pressure. The journal Neurology published the study online. HealthDay News wrote about it November 18.

An older cholesterol drug may help to reduce amputations for people with diabetes, researchers say. They focused on fenofibrate. This drug lowers high cholesterol. But today most people with this problem take statin drugs instead. Researchers used data from a 2005 study. It included 10,000 older adults with type 2 diabetes. People who took fenofibrate had a 36% lower risk of a first amputation below the ankle than those who got fake pills. This means that the fenofibrate group had 64 amputations for every 100 in the other group. The rate of amputations above the ankle was the same for the two groups. The journal Lancet published the new study. The Associated Press wrote about it May 22.

Kids who play the new breed of “active” video games like the Wii and Dance Dance Revolution can burn as many calories as they could with moderate exercise, according to scientists the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. They compared calories burned while kids played physically active video games to calories burned while watching TV and walking on a treadmill at different speeds. The study was published online in the journal Pediatrics.

Adult obesity rose in 23 states last year, a new report says. Obesity rates didn’t fall in any state. And baby boomers are fatter than older adults, the Associated Press said. The report came from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It found that Mississippi still has the highest adult obesity rate, 32.5%. Three other states have rates of 30% or higher. In every state, the oldest baby boomers, ages 55 to 64, are heavier than people 65 or older, the report said. Obesity costs money when it comes to health care. Medicare spends $1,400 to $6,000 more each year for an obese person than for someone thinner, the report said.

Human growth hormone (HGH), one of the substances at the center of so many recent doping scandals in professional sports, does not improve athletic ability. There’s even some evidence to suggest that HGH may worsen athletic performance. That’s according to a review of multiple studies.

Sharply cutting calories extends life for some of humans’ closest relatives, researchers say. The finding is based on a 20-year study of 76 rhesus monkeys. Researchers divided them into two groups. One group ate the normal diet of a captive monkey. The other group ate a nutritious diet with 30% fewer calories. So far, 37% of the monkeys on the regular diet have died of age-related diseases, researchers said. This compares with just 13% of those on the lower-calorie diet. A few other monkeys died of causes not considered to be age-related. Monkeys eating fewer calories also had less than half of the cancer and heart disease of the normal-diet group. They had less brain shrinkage and muscle loss as well. The study was published in the journal Science. The Associated Press wrote about it July 10.