Month: June 2021

Michigan health officials on Monday reported the state’s first confirmed human case of the deadly hantavirus. The rat-borne illness, which U.S. health officials say cannot be transmitted from person-to-person, is typically passed to patients when they breathe in air contaminated with the virus through rodent droppings. The confirmed case under investigation by county and state health officials involved a woman in Washtenaw County, "recently hospitalized with a serious pulmonary illness from Sin Nombre hantavirus," according to a release from the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. "The individual was likely exposed when cleaning an unoccupied dwelling that contained signs of an active rodent infestation." It’s also possible to contract the virus through a bite from an inf...

As much as you may love the jolt of energy coffee gives you on a groggy morning, like most aspects of life, you can have too much of a good thing. It's well documented that there are a handful of risks associated with consuming a lot of caffeine. Not only can too much contribute to your anxiety levels or sleepless nights, but it can also cause digestive issues, high blood pressure, and even kidney problems. And now, there's another risk to add to the list. A recent study found that drinking a certain amount of coffee a day can put you at an increased risk of vision loss. To see if you fall into this category, read on. RELATED: If You Notice This With Your Eyes, Get Your Thyroid Checked, Doctors Say. ...

The first new drug for Alzheimer's disease in nearly 20 years received approval from government health officials on Monday. The decision disregarded warnings from independent advisers that the much-debated treatment hasn't been shown to help slow the brain-destroying disease. The Food and Drug Administration said it granted approval to the drug developed by Biogen for patients with Alzheimer's disease. The drug, known as Aduhelm, has the scientific name aducanumab (pronounced "add-yoo-CAN-yoo-mab"). It's the only drug that U.S. regulators have said can likely treat the underlying disease, rather than manage symptoms like anxiety and insomnia. Biogen shares soared after the FDA announcement, climbing 38% to close at $395.85. The decision, which could impact millions of older Amer...

How can I prevent Alzheimer’s? Are there any treatments out there for people who already have it? “Those are the two things people want to know,” says P. Murali Doraiswamy, director of the Neurocognitive Disorders Program at Duke University School of Medicine, and co-author of “The Alzheimer’s Action Plan.” Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, affects 6.2 million Americans 65 and older. It is one of the most feared diseases and also one of the most elusive in terms of treatment and cure. On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first Alzheimer’s drug in nearly two decades, Biogen’s aducanumab, which will be sold under the brand name Aduhelm. The approval of the drug came after years of research and doubts over its effec...