https://medicalxpress.com/common-illnesses-prevention-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Common Illnesses & Prevention Viral infections that attack the lungs are among the leading reasons infants are hospitalized. A new treatment may offer protection against these infections that is as effective and safe as existing options but requires far fewer injections. The Phase III SMART clinical trial investigated the safety and efficacy of clesrovimab (brand name ENFLONSIA), a long-acting medicine designed to protect babies from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-rsv-shot-emerges-shield-infants.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:50:01 EDT news703934345 Young women are leading a worrying increase in early-onset type 2 diabetes diagnoses in England, according to a new analysis. In a population study of type 2 diabetes in England, researchers found a clear generational divide, with diagnosis rates rising rapidly among younger adults, particularly women, while declining in older age groups. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-young-women-england-early-onset.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:20:03 EDT news703937521 Tick-borne diseases are common throughout the United States, and most cases are treated effectively. A rarely diagnosed tick-borne infection, the Bourbon virus, transmitted by the common lone star tick, could soon begin to complicate diagnoses if it becomes more prevalent this summer and in coming years. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-lone-star-infection-bourbon-virus.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:40:01 EDT news703929361 Anyone who has bought medicine online may have wondered whether what arrived in the mail was really what they had paid for. They are not alone. A recent global survey found that around 60% of people fear their medicines could be fake—and the unsettling truth is that they have good reason to. About one in 10 medicines sold worldwide is thought to be either counterfeit or substandard. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ten-medicines-worldwide-fake-substandard.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:20:07 EDT news703929901 A new randomized clinical trial suggests that singing therapy may provide a more effective and engaging treatment option than standard breathing exercises for people with supragastric belching, a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that can significantly affect quality of life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-therapy-symptom-relief-greater-quality.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:00:05 EDT news703851176 Many more Americans than previously estimated carry antibodies related to a meat allergy caused by tick bites, a new study says. Nearly 1 in 4 adults in states with the highest rates of alpha-gal syndrome carry antibodies related to the condition, researchers report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-borne-meat-allergy-alpha-gal.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:40:05 EDT news703925067 Hispanic and Asian adults with longer durations of U.S. residence have a higher prevalence of obesity, according to a research letter published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-obesity-immigrants-longer-duration-residence.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:20:05 EDT news703924955 Certain antibiotics are overused in most countries, while too few people receive the specific antibiotic treatments they need, according to a study of antibiotic use across 186 countries published in The Lancet Public Health journal. The study provides scientific estimates of how many and which types of antibiotics each country could be expected to use ideally, based on local rates of infection and antibiotic resistance. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-countries-overuse-powerful-antibiotics-global.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:00:03 EDT news703925405 Being frail appears to accelerate the onset of dementia, particularly in people who show little or no signs of the disease, a University of Queensland-led study has found. Dr. David Ward from UQ's Frazer Institute said the findings suggest frailty could be an important independent clinical marker to help diagnose and potentially treat dementia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-frailty-key-early-dementia-diagnosis.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:20:03 EDT news703918561 Sometimes, doctors cannot find the cause of intracranial hypertension, a syndrome characterized by excess pressure inside the skull. Patients' symptoms are effectively relieved by a procedure that dilates a vein in the brain … yet no one truly understands why. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-idiopathic-intracranial-hypertension-role-cerebral.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:00:03 EDT news703851902 A fifth person has died in a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York City, health officials said Tuesday night. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-5th-person-dies-legionnaires-disease.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:30:03 EDT news703911710 Women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS; also known as polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS) face a fourfold higher risk of heart disease than women without PMOS, according to a new nationwide U.S. study published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-women-pmos-higher-heart-disease.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:20:01 EDT news703857371 Heart failure already affects more than 60 million people worldwide and is one of the leading causes of hospitalization among people 65 and older. Although it is commonly associated with advanced cardiovascular disease, it actually develops over many years, often without symptoms. Authors of a new expert statement published in the European Heart Journal argue that this is precisely why prevention may become the most effective weapon in tackling one of the greatest challenges of modern medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-latest-evidence-factors-early-intervention.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:20:04 EDT news703856966 Consuming common foods such as corn chips and popcorn may put pregnant women at risk of exposure to mycotoxins—harmful substances produced by mold—according to Rutgers researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-estrogen-mold-toxins-linked-corn.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:20:08 EDT news703870922 Cannabis beverages are increasingly turning up in stores next to iced tea, sodas and even chocolate milk, and doctors warn that easy access is putting kids at risk. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-cannabis-sold-soda-kids-er.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:20:01 EDT news703868992 The Trump administration's disruptions to a global AIDS relief program have forced organizations to close clinics, lay off staff and cut services, seriously impeding efforts to prevent and treat the disease in dozens of countries, a new report released Tuesday shows. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-actions-global-efforts-hiv-dozens.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:40:07 EDT news703868762 Although the effects of air pollution on respiratory diseases are well established, its effects on cardiometabolic health are often overlooked. This population-based European cohort study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation, suggests that higher exposure to air pollution during childhood at home and at school may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. The study was published in Environmental Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-childhood-exposure-air-pollution-linked.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:00:02 EDT news703864681 Sharing a common language is key to improved long-term health for Francophone and diverse linguistic communities, according to researchers from the University of Ottawa and the University of Manitoba. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-doctor-patient-common-language-term.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:40:01 EDT news703863989 Venezuela confirmed on Tuesday that three people died of infections of hantavirus, but stressed there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission in the South American country, which has rarely reported cases of the rodent-borne disease in humans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-hantavirus-venezuela.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:20:06 EDT news703868939 Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses a light-sensitive drug and a specific wavelength of light to destroy cancer cells. The treatment has become an important option for certain skin cancers because it can target diseased tissue while limiting damage to surrounding skin. But PDT has a fundamental challenge: both the drug and the light must reach the same area of tissue. While drugs applied to the skin often struggle to penetrate deeply, light also loses intensity as it passes through tissue, limiting treatment to relatively shallow lesions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-microneedles-hard-skin-cancers.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:00:10 EDT news703858681 Risk calculators that doctors use to estimate a person's risk of a heart attack or stroke work about as well for predicting certain cancers, according to a new study by UCL (University College London) researchers. The tools, used widely by primary care physicians and hospitals in the U.K., U.S. and Europe, estimate a person's percentage risk of having a heart attack or stroke over 10 years based on factors such as age, BMI and smoking status—factors also linked to a higher risk of cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-heart-tools-cancers-disease.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:00:03 EDT news703861021 A racing heart can be frightening at any age. Palpitations are common during perimenopause and may occur alongside hot flashes, anxiety and disturbed sleep. In many cases, they do not indicate a serious heart problem, but they should not automatically be attributed to hormonal changes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-perimenopause-heart-health-chest-symptoms.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:20:02 EDT news703859222 In the 108-year history of daylight saving time in the United States, the country has moved three times to institute it year-round: during each of the two world wars and in 1973–74. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-clock-congress-daylight.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:00:01 EDT news703858556 Discharge day in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, should feel like a finish line. After weeks or months of monitors, alarms, oxygen, feeding tubes, blood tests and waiting, a family can finally take their baby home. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-im-philly-neonatologist-discharge-baby.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:40:06 EDT news703858533 A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham finds that nearly 1 in 3 U.S. adults without heart disease—and almost 4 in 5 of those who have already had a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular event—have LDL, or "bad," cholesterol levels above the goals set by the newly released 2026 American cholesterol guidelines. Additionally, among adults without heart disease who were above target, about 3 in 4 are not receiving any cholesterol-lowering medication. The results are published in JAMA. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-americans-heart-disease-cholesterol-goals.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:40:02 EDT news703856161 Women who experience pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia or preterm delivery have a significantly increased long-term risk of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD) later in life, according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine by Casey Crump of the University of Texas, U.S., and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-pregnancy-complications-linked-term-peripheral.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:00:04 EDT news703850685 Parents are helping prevent harm to children in hospital emergency departments, according to new study. Researchers from PRIME Center Wales, Cardiff University, with collaborators at the University Hospital of Wales and the University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, reviewed 4,000 patient safety incident reports involving children who attended emergency departments. Of the 658 incidents that involved parental participation, 90% described parents helping to prevent, identify or reduce harm to their child. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-parents-key-partners-pediatric-emergency.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:40:06 EDT news703853102 Partners do not simply grow old together; they often grow more alike. Decades of shared routines, environments and experiences leave couples with increasingly similar health profiles, a pattern long recognized for obesity, diabetes and heart disease and stroke. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-dementia-higher-spouse-lifestyle.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:20:07 EDT news703846442 When the BBC presenter Lauren Laverne revealed she has smoldering myeloma, the diagnosis sounded more alarming than it is. Her situation is more subtle and nuanced than the word "myeloma" suggests. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-smoldering-myeloma-lauren-laverne-diagnosis.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:00:04 EDT news703846383 Australian research has shown for the first time that a swimming program can be clinically effective at reducing disability caused by chronic low back pain. Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the EduSwim clinical trial found that an eight-week individualized program of swimming and education, guided by a physiotherapist, improved function and reduced pain significantly more than education alone in people with back pain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-trial-disability-chronic-pain.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:10:01 EDT news703841341