MONDAY, Sept. 11, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- As this summer has shown, the massive smoke plumes generated by wildfires can dirty the air of regions many miles away. Now a new study is raising the question of whether that pollution is contributing to suicides in rural America.Researchers found a correlation between air pollution from "drifting" wildfire smoke and a rise in U.S. counties' suicide rates. The connection was not seen everywhere, however: It was concentrated in rural counties, and among certain groups with a relatively heightened suicide rate to begin with: white, working-age men without a college education.For every 10% increase in wildfire air pollutants, the study found, a rural county's monthly suicide rate rose by 1.5%, on average.The study was published Sept. 11 in...

MONDAY, Sept. 11, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The American Red Cross said Monday that it urgently needs blood donations because the national blood supply has dropped nearly 25% since early August.Back-to-back climate-related disasters have hampered blood collection efforts, and a summer shortfall has made the shortage worse.Patients in need of transfusions as part of cancer and sickle cell disease treatments face the potential danger of not having the blood supply they need, the Red Cross said. The organization asked for people of all blood types to donate. Platelet donors and those with type O blood are especially needed.“For so many patients living with urgent medical care needs, crises don’t stop with natural disasters,” Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical officer for the American...

MONDAY, Sept. 11, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Millions of people who suffer from sleep apnea go to bed at night with a motorized device called a CPAP machine. Now, two new studies confirm the treatment has significant benefits not just on quality of sleep, but also for keeping people's hearts healthy. Together, the studies may offer more reasons to endure the not-always-comfortable treatment known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) that keeps people breathing properly through the night.“The results are striking,” said Dr. Jordi de Batlle, co-author of one of the studies.Over the study period, patients who stuck with CPAP treatment reduced their risk of death from heart disease by 36%. And they had a 40% lower risk of death from any cause, his study found. Previous research...

MONDAY, Sept. 11, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- You've probably heard of West Nile virus, but mosquitoes spread various other illnesses, too, including the little-known Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV), which is garnering attention across the United States.For example, health officials in Connecticut have so far identified mosquitoes carrying JCV in 12 towns across the state. Although no confirmed human cases of the disease have occurred there this year, scientists are watching it carefully, as it's affecting more people around the United States."In the last six years, we have seen an increase in the number of reported disease cases," said Stacey Martin, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, "this could be due to better awareness of the disease and...