Harvard Health Content API

New studies raise further concern about the use of cough and cold medicines. They are not recommended for young children, especially those under age 2. In one study, 596 children under 2 were brought to a hospital with a life-threatening emergency. About half were tested for foreign substances in the blood. Of these, about 5% had taken an over-the-counter cold medicine. Another study looked at 21 unexpected baby deaths. Tests found that 10 had been given cold medicines. A third study used survey data for 4,267 U.S. children. It found that about 10% of the children used a cold or cough medicine in a given week. This included 6% to 9% of children under age 2. The studies were published August 4 in the journal Pediatrics.

Mexico, the origin of a worldwide swine flu outbreak, is allowing people to resume more normal activities this week. Officials there say they believe the flu is waning, the Associated Press reported. But the World Health Organization (WHO) says it is too soon to say if the outbreak is slowing down. More than 1,000 cases have been confirmed around the world. WHO says that a pandemic is “imminent.” Pandemic means that an outbreak is widespread. It is not necessarily severe.

Women’s heart attack symptoms are not much different than men’s, a new study concludes. That’s contrary to other research that found women’s symptoms were often different. The study did not look at people having actual heart attacks. Rather, it looked at 305 people who had angioplasty. This procedure opens a blocked artery by inflating a tiny balloon inside the artery. While the balloon blocks the artery, people often have heart attack symptoms. Researchers asked people about their symptoms. Women reported chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath and pain in the left arm just as often as men. But they reported jaw, neck and throat pain more than men did. Researchers said women should tell doctors about all of their symptoms. They shouldn’t wait to be asked about something specific. The study was presented at a heart conference. The Canadian Press wrote about it October 25.

In a study, people lost more weight on low-carbohydrate and Mediterranean diets than on a low-fat diet. Low carbs also led to better cholesterol numbers, researchers found. The study included 322 people. They worked and ate lunch together. About 85% stuck to the diets. After two years, people on the low-carb diet had lost about 10.3 pounds. The average lost was 10 pounds with the Mediterranean diet and 6.5 with the low-fat diet. The Associated Press wrote about the study July 17. It appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In a study, children exposed to more air pollution before birth had lower IQs at age 5. This is the first time research has linked air pollution and intelligence, the Associated Press reported. The study included 249 pregnant New York City women. None of them smoked. They lived mostly in low-income areas of Manhattan and the South Bronx. The women wore devices to track pollution for two days during the latter part of pregnancy. At age 5, their children were given IQ tests. Those exposed to the most pollution before birth scored 4 to 5 points lower than children exposed to less pollution. The journal Pediatrics published the study online July 20.

Donating a kidney doesn’t seem to harm people’s long-term health, a study finds. The research looked at nearly 3,700 people who donated a kidney in the last 40 years. Their survival rates were similar to the U.S. average. A smaller group of donors were randomly selected for medical tests. Their health also was found to be average. In the overall group of donors, 11 later needed dialysis or a kidney transplant. That rate is lower than average. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The Associated Press wrote about it January 29.

Women with a certain pattern of migraine headaches may be more likely to have a heart attack, a study has found. The study included about 28,000 women, age 45 or older. More than 3,500 women had migraines. Some had migraines with aura. They would see flashing lights or have blurred vision before a headache. During the 12-year study, 1 out of 100 women had a heart attack. Heart attack rates were twice the average in women who had a migraine with aura less than once a month. No increased risk was seen with women who had migraines more often or without aura. An earlier study in this group found four times the average risk of stroke among women who had migraines with aura once a week. The new study appeared in the journal Neurology. HealthDay News wrote about it June 24.

A 20-year study finds that men who take in more vitamin C appear less likely to get gout, a painful type of arthritis common in men. Nearly 50,000 men were surveyed about their diet and health. The risk of developing gout was 45% lower in men taking 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C per day or higher. Vitamin C appears to reduce uric acid. This naturally occurring acid can form deposits around joints, leading to the pain and swelling of gout. The study appeared in the March 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Allergists have some news for the Obama family: There’s no such thing as a “hypoallergenic” dog. President-elect Barack Obama says that his family will get a dog when they move to the White House. He said his daughter Malia “is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic.” But all dogs produce the proteins that can cause allergies, experts told the Associated Press. The proteins are found in dander (dead skin cells), saliva and urine. Grooming and bathing can reduce symptoms, experts said. So can frequent cleaning and removing carpets.

Americans spend $34 billion a year on alternative medicine, a new report says. The report was released July 30. It came from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. This agency leads research in the field. The director, Josephine Briggs, M.D., talked to the Associated Press about the report. She said some alternative treatments are “promising and sensible.” Others can be harmful, she said. This report included herbal pills but not vitamins and minerals. A later report will cover these pills. More research is needed because so many people use these treatments, Dr. Briggs said.