https://medicalxpress.com/common-illnesses-prevention-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Common Illnesses & Prevention The American Association for Cancer Research has released its annual Cancer Progress Report, highlighting recent progress in cancer research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-annual-highlights-cancer.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:20:05 EDT news708868192 With climate change leading to more extreme and prolonged heavy rainfall across the northern hemisphere, flooding is a risk, especially in fall and winter. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-biggest-death.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:00:24 EDT news708879182 Medicine should never feel out of reach. Yet for many Filipinos, a trip to the pharmacy can mean literally crossing mountains and streams for a handful of tablets. In a remote location in Barangay Kalawakan, Bulacan, getting to the nearest pharmacy can mean traveling almost a dozen kilometers without public transportation. A single trip to town can cost more than ₱400—almost an entire day's minimum wage. For some, the only alternative is more than an hour's walk, even in good weather. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-sari-bridge-medicine-gaps-remote.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:40:09 EDT news708877681 There is no cure for HIV. While scientists have made considerable progress in controlling the infection, patients still must take daily antiretroviral medication for the rest of their lives. Results from a clinical trial led by Rockefeller, Imperial College London, and the University of Oxford (RIO) have offered a new strategy, suggesting that just one or two doses of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) can suppress the virus long term, keeping it at undetectable levels for months and even years. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-immune-hiv.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:00:08 EDT news708871262 One person died from malaria in Frankfurt and another was infected, local health officials said Thursday, the latest cases in a malaria outbreak linked to the city's airport. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-malaria-death-germany-outbreak-frankfurt.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:40:01 EDT news708869043 People with a severe mental illness die more than 10 years earlier than the general population, research led by The University of Queensland has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-people-mental-illness-die-younger.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:20:07 EDT news708867844 Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are the clinical gold standards for screening blood sugar levels, yet they provide only static snapshots that fail to reflect the highly dynamic and heterogeneous nature of metabolic impairment. However, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is reshaping our understanding of these levels. While the medical community already has begun capitalizing on CGM for diabetes management, a new study has the potential to change current clinical practices for cardiovascular disease risk stratification in individuals without diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-glucose-reveal-hidden-heart-patterns.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:00:37 EDT news708863041 Most research on the diagnosis of dementia focuses on people who are never diagnosed. But in a new study, Yale researchers look at the other side: people who have been diagnosed but do not know it or do not acknowledge it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-dementia-patients-dont-diagnosis.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:40:15 EDT news708866762 Researchers at the University of Konstanz have demonstrated at a molecular level how bacteria in the human gut influence the entire body. Among other things, they can lower blood sugar levels and reduce fatty liver disease. The work is published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-gut-microbe-molecule-reveals-molecular.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:00:08 EDT news708865681 For as long as Laura Hogan, 69, can remember, living with the rare skin condition lamellar ichthyosis has meant more than managing painful blisters and scaly skin. Throughout her life, she also has dealt with food allergies, chronic bronchitis, countless eyelid surgeries and overheating in the summer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-people-rare-skin-disorder-high.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:00:01 EDT news708866102 Dizziness, fatigue, brain fog and a racing heart. They're commonly associated with long COVID, but new Adelaide University research suggests that for some people, these symptoms may also be indications of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a debilitating and difficult-to-diagnose condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-heart-reveal-overlap-covid-pots.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:40:25 EDT news708865621 Many people will learn CPR using a flat-chested manikin. A 2024 study of 20 models of CPR manikins sold worldwide found that three-quarters were described as male or had no sex specified. Of the 20, only one offered a breast overlay. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-decades-malefocused-medical-bias-health.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:40:03 EDT news708867062 Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects about 1 in 10 women worldwide, yet diagnosis is often delayed and women are less likely to receive critical treatments like dialysis or a kidney transplant compared with men, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in the journal Circulation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-women-kidney-health-overlooked-delaying.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:20:36 EDT news708862981 Chronic pain, including arthritis pain, affects more than one-third of U.K. adults. Current painkillers such as methotrexate and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) work by damping down the immune system, which is overproducing inflammatory agents that cause pain, but relief is often short-lived and incomplete, and they can leave patients more vulnerable to infection. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-body-warmth-sensor-secretly-pain.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:20:07 EDT news708863822 Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world's leading causes of death, and preventing post-treatment relapse continues to be a major global health challenge. But a new study led by scientists at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) reveals that combining an immunotherapy with the traditional Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine drastically lowers the risk of TB relapse in preclinical models. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-boosted-bacille-calmette-gurin-vaccine.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:40:06 EDT news708856201 As climate change drives more frequent and intense wildfires, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have published two large-scale studies showing that wildfire smoke may pose greater health risks than other sources of air pollution, with higher risks of hospitalization for cardiovascular and respiratory disease and poorer survival among patients with lung cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-wildfire-air-pollution.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:40:01 EDT news708860221 Millions of people worldwide—as many as 1 in 8 adults in the U.S.—are taking GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy and Zepbound, to treat diabetes or for weight loss. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-youre-glp1-drugs-fast-yom.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:20:17 EDT news708856021 Women with a higher body mass index (BMI) in early adulthood may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer after menopause because of lasting changes in the structure of their breast tissue, according to researchers at The University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-early-adult-bmi-postmenopausal-breast.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:20:12 EDT news708859861 A tick-borne food allergy that was almost unheard of years ago is now so common in Kentucky that many residents know someone living with it. To help patients, families, clinicians and the community make sense of it, registered dietitians at the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) have published one of the first nutrition-focused guides to the condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-dietitians-nutrition-focused-alpha-gal.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:40:40 EDT news708855842 Redness and pain at the injection site, fever, fatigue or headaches: Vaccines can cause side effects, but their frequency and severity vary considerably from person to person. Why? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-vaccination-dont-side-effects.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:40:38 EDT news708859801 Every year, around 1.9 million people worldwide are diagnosed with bowel cancer. To prevent the disease, many countries have introduced screening programs that enable more polyps to be detected and removed before cancer develops. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-trial-frequent-colonoscopies-safely-high.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:20:13 EDT news708856921 The foundations of brain development are laid during a crucial period of pregnancy, and a common household plasticizer called DEHP may be quietly interfering with this process. Scientists have now found that prenatal exposure to DEHP is linked to higher autism spectrum disorder (ASD)- and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related symptoms at ages 2 and 4. The effects could be traced back to changes in gene networks that play a key role in brain development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-plasticizer-exposure-pregnancy-linked-autism.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:00:02 EDT news708856331 Scroll through social media these days and you'll likely come across someone injecting themselves with a clear liquid, raving about how it's changed their body for the better, improved their recovery or maybe their skin. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-peptides-social-media-platforms-health.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:40:01 EDT news708847904 Long-term medical treatment for chronic lung disease has stumped doctors and scientists for years. Now, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have created new artificial lung technology that could drastically change health outcomes and quality of life for patients across the country. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-artificial-lung-technology-game-chronic.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 08:40:12 EDT news708847141 In the United States, areas such as Michigan have been hotspots for residents pushing back against data center construction in their neighborhoods. Now, similar concerns about noise—and potential health impacts—are gaining traction in Australia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-centers-noisy-bad-health.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 08:20:06 EDT news708847082 Most Australians recognize climate change as a serious national issue, and many believe it poses a serious risk to their personal health, according to new research led by the Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI) at Macquarie University and published in the Medical Journal of Australia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-australians-health-ready-climate-emergencies.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:20:03 EDT news708845102 Fiji has declared a national HIV crisis as sexual transmission and illicit drug use help spread the virus, now infecting an estimated one in 60 adults in the Pacific nation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-fiji-declares-national-hiv-crisis.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:05:06 EDT news708836672 Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of chronic kidney disease, making prevention of kidney failure a key part of treatment. Newer diabetes medications, including GLP-1s and SGLT2 inhibitors, can reduce the risk of kidney disease, but previous studies have included large proportions of patients who already had signs of kidney damage, making it unclear whether the findings applied to patients without kidney damage. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-simple-urine-kidney-treatment-choices.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:30:04 EDT news708794101 Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of how people seek, interpret and act on health information. Yet the technology is advancing faster than the evidence needed to determine whether these systems actually help people understand what matters, make informed health decisions and know what to do next. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-ai-health-ready.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 17:20:04 EDT news708797401 The head of the U.N. health agency is hailing "encouraging signs" in the fight against an Ebola outbreak in one part of eastern Congo, while warning that case counts are rising fast in another as officials race to tamp down the virus. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-congo-ebola-cases-eastern-region.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:20:07 EDT news708786440