Harvard Health Content API

Most people in the hospital for heart failure don’t get sent home with a drug that could prevent a return visit, a study finds. The drug is spironolactone, a water pill. This drug helps to prevent fluid buildup in the lungs, blood and elsewhere in people with heart failure. It has been shown to reduce hospital stays and deaths. But it also can be dangerous in some people, such as those with kidney problems. The study included 201 hospitals. More than 12,500 patients were eligible to receive spironolactone. But only about one-third received the pills. Guidelines for doctors have recommended this drug for heart failure since 2005. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The Associated Press wrote about it October 21.

People have been urged to eat more fish for the sake of their health. But doctors writing in a medical journal say it’s not possible for everyone to follow this advice. The world’s fish stocks are not big enough. Poor countries already are losing their supplies of fish as people in richer countries eat more of it. The authors also say there’s not enough evidence that eating fish improves health. Not all studies have found a benefit from fish. The article appeared March 17 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

New studies show high quality of life for breast cancer survivors and hopes for new treatments. One study surveyed 1,050 women who were treated for early-stage breast cancer. The follow-up lasted up to 15 years after treatment. The women said their quality of life was very high and their health average. Less than 5% reported severe problems with pain, usual activities or self-care. In another study, three weeks of radiation treatment worked as well as five weeks. A third study compared acupuncture with an antidepressant to relieve side effects of treatment. They were equally effective. Acupuncture caused fewer side effects. HealthDay News reported on the studies. They were presented September 21 and 22 at a conference.

More middle-aged people are making a major effort to “manage” aging, the Associated Press reported December 8. They do more than just exercise and eat healthy foods. Other tactics include hormone injections, severe calorie cutting and Botox. A few extreme treatments have raised safety concerns. They include radon gas, fetal cell injections and removal of testicles. Even young people seem to be affected. A survey found that one-third of teen girls wanted plastic surgery to improve how they looked. Age “managers” say they want long, healthy lives. Some say looking young also helps their careers.

New techniques may make ovary transplants useful for more women, researchers say. Now some women have ovaries removed before treatment for cancer or other serious diseases. This prevents damage to eggs from treatment. The ovaries are frozen and transplanted later. But few procedures have succeeded. Now researchers have announced new techniques at a conference. One group froze ovaries faster and saved nearly all of the eggs. Slow freezing saved only half of them. Another group tried implanting just part of the ovary first. This helped the body to get blood and hormones flowing before the transplant. Researchers said these techniques may help healthy women, too. They may be able to freeze ovaries when they are young. They would get a transplant later, when they wanted to have a baby. The Associated Press wrote about the research June 29.

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.