TUESDAY, May 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A new study finds that while hydrocortisone on its own may not prevent death from sepsis, it can improve survival when combined with other steroids while eliminating the need for vasopressor drugs.Vasopressor medications help raise blood pressure when it’s so low that you can’t get enough blood to your organs. Doctor often deliver these drugs via an IV.“For the first time, the effects of hydrocortisone for the treatment of patients with septic shock could be studied by analyzing individual data from the main randomized trials published to date,” said researcher Dr. Romain Pirracchio, a professor of anesthesia at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). “This study shows that if the effect of hydrocortisone on the mortality of...

MONDAY, May 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Maybe you can’t weed your garden without sneezing. Perhaps your eyes start watering when you clean your home. Did your skin begin itching last night during dinner?You may have an allergy, but you’re not alone. More than 50 million adults and children in the United States have a bad reaction to pollen, dust, mold, pet dander and other common allergens, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology (ACAAI).What are allergies (allergic reactions)?An allergy is your body’s reaction to an allergen such as pollen, mold and more. Pollen causes a pollen allergy and mold causes a mold allergy.It’s your immune system that reacts. It is very important because it protects you from germs and viruses, but sometimes it gets...

MONDAY, May 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Many seniors skip or stretch prescription medications due to costs despite being insured by Medicare, a new U.S. study finds. Roughly 20% of older adults reported taking less medication than prescribed or not taking medication because of cost, the researchers found. "We also found that most respondents wanted to talk with their doctors about medication costs and would want their doctor to use tools to estimate their medication prices if they were available, " said lead researcher Stacie Dusetzina, a professor of health policy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.For the study, Dusetzina and her colleagues surveyed more than 2,000 men and women age 65 and older, via phone and online. Among those taking part in the survey, 20% said cost...

MONDAY, May 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Obese people might be wise to slim down before undergoing an ablation procedure to treat an abnormal heart rhythm, researchers report.Folks with atrial fibrillation who lost 3% or more of their body weight before undergoing ablation had greater odds of their heart returning to a normal rhythm than those who didn't, a new study finds.A-fib, as atrial fibrillation is called, is an abnormal heartbeat that causes the heart to beat faster and out of sequence. A-fib can cause blood clots that can result in a stroke. To control a-fib, doctors prescribe medication or a procedure called catheter ablation. Ablation uses heat to kill heart cells that are causing the abnormality. The goal is to return the heart to its normal sinus rhythm."Weight loss is a...