Will you get long covid? Study breaks down the odds of recovery months after infection
It’s likely you’ve heard of long covid by now, and you may be wondering what’s the likelihood of developing it after a covid-19 infection. Researchers in Scotland have sought to determine a person’s long covid chances in a new, nationwide study examining thousands of people in the country who had...
How to change Medicare plans — and why you might want to
Medicare open enrollment starts soon, but 7 in 10 Medicare beneficiaries say they don’t compare Medicare plans during this period, according to a 2021 analysis by KFF, a health policy nonprofit. That’s not great, since Medicare Advantage plans — which operate much like the private insurance you may have had...
FDA clears updated covid boosters for kids as young as 5
The U.S. on Wednesday authorized updated covid-19 boosters for children as young as 5, seeking to expand protection ahead of an expected winter wave. Tweaked boosters rolled out for Americans 12 and older last month, doses modified to target today’s most common and contagious omicron relative. While there wasn’t a...
As suicides rise, U.S. military seeks to address mental health
WASHINGTON — After finishing a tour in Afghanistan in 2013, Dionne Williamson felt emotionally numb. More warning signs appeared during several years of subsequent overseas postings. “It’s like I lost me somewhere,” said Williamson, a Navy lieutenant commander who experienced disorientation, depression, memory loss and chronic exhaustion. “I went to...
These women effected change to spur radon laws in their statesVideo
For Gail Orcutt, what began as a cough and a bit of wheezing ended with a baffling diagnosis of lung cancer one day short of her 57th birthday. She never smoked, always watched her diet and never missed a chance to exercise. While recovering from surgery to remove her left...
For children, radon risks outweigh that for adultsVideo
In Dr. Ned Ketyer’s opinion, there is no doubt that schools should test for radon — and test regularly. “The way radon works when it gets in the body is it damages DNA, and so that’s why radon is associated with cancer, especially lung cancer,” said Ketyer, a pediatrician with...
Some say radon legislation in Pa. comes down to politics; others say it’s the money
State Sen. Wayne Fontana didn’t mince words. When it comes to getting a law passed requiring radon testing in schools, “I think it’s going to take a tragedy of some sort,” said Fontana, a Democrat from Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood. He was alluding to a 2019 fatal fire at an Erie...
Invisible danger: Most Western Pa. schools don’t test for radon, despite high levels in the state
As a father of four, Tim Briggs considered it common sense that schools would test for radon. As a state lawmaker, he was appalled that every school doesn’t, and he has made it his mission to do something about it. A monthslong Tribune-Review investigation found that most schools in Southwestern...
Covid shots saved at least 330,000 seniors’ lives last year
Covid-19 booster vaccinations can save tens of thousands of lives in the weeks and months ahead, Biden administration officials said, citing new data that shows the impact of previous shots on hospitalizations and deaths among older Americans. Primary immunizations were associated with up to 680,000 fewer covid hospitalizations and between...
Excela goes pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month
A touch of pink is coming to local hospitals and football games for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Excela Frick, Excela Latrobe and Excela Westmoreland Hospitals will be lit up pink throughout October to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer treatments. “All three front facades will be flooded with pink,...
New survey suggests little progress against U.S. teen vaping
NEW YORK — The latest government study on teen vaping suggests there’s been little progress in keeping e-cigarettes out of the hands of kids. The data seems to show more high school students vaping, with 14% saying they had done so recently, according to survey results released Thursday. In last...
3 years after clinical trial, ketamine provides hope for severely depressed
LOS ANGELES — Patients arriving at Dr. Philip O’Carroll’s Newport Beach office for their first ketamine treatment are in pain and often lost. They have visited other doctors, tried other solutions and are ready for what is considered a last resort. They are led to a private room with a...
Nobel Prize for 3 chemists who made molecules ‘click’
STOCKHOLM — Three scientists were jointly awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for developing a way of “snapping molecules together” that can be used to design better medicines, including ones that target diseases such as cancer more precisely. Americans Carolyn R. Bertozzi and K. Barry Sharpless, and...
Breast cancer survivor offers encouragement at Westmoreland Pink Ribbon Walk
Nikki Williams listened to what her body was telling her. That’s what helped her to learn she was suffering from breast cancer and to get the treatment she needed to beat the disease. “I want to be an advocate for women, to make sure they do their self-exams,” said the...
ALS drug wins FDA approval despite questionable data
WASHINGTON — A much-debated drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease won U.S. approval Thursday, a long-sought victory for patients that is likely to renew questions about the scientific rigor behind government reviews of experimental medicines. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug from Amylyx Pharmaceuticals based on results from one...
Alzheimer’s drug shows promise in early results of study
Shares of Biogen and other drugmakers researching Alzheimer’s disease soared early Wednesday after Japan’s Eisai Co. said its potential treatment appeared to slow the fatal disease’s progress in a late-stage study. Eisai announced results late Tuesday from a global study of nearly 1,800 people with early-stage Alzheimer’s. The drugmaker said...
Millions of Americans will save on Medicare fees next year
WASHINGTON — For the first time in a decade, Americans will pay less next year on monthly premiums for Medicare’s Part B plan, which covers routine doctors’ visits and other outpatient care. The rare 3% decrease in monthly premiums — a savings of $5.20 for most — comes after millions...
Some cities are passing bans on natural gas appliances to help curb emissions, climate change
Cookin’ with gas? Maybe not for long. According to CBS News, “major cities across the U.S. are passing bans on gas stoves and other appliances that run on natural gas because of their planet-warming emissions.” About 80 local governments — mostly in California — have passed laws requiring or encouraging...
Washington School District alerts families to potential monkeypox case
Washington School District alerted students and families of a potential monkeypox case at Washington Park Primary School. A student suspected of having monkeypox or another similar disease was at the school Monday, Superintendent George Lammay said in a letter to families. “The school immediately sanitized all physical locations that the...
Fall allergies share symptoms with covid; ragweed a leading trigger
A stuffy, runny nose could be a sign that your body is coping with a flu or covid-19 infection, or it could be an overreaction to an allergen. The maturation of pollen-packed plants like ragweed means the fall allergy season has arrived in Western Pennsylvania. “If you have nasal congestion,...
‘Out of control’ STD situation prompts call for changes
NEW YORK — Sharply rising cases of some sexually transmitted diseases — including a 26% rise in new syphilis infections reported last year — are prompting U.S. health officials to call for new prevention and treatment efforts. “It is imperative that we … work to rebuild, innovate, and expand (STD)...
U.S. warns monkeypox could mutate to resist antiviral drug
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials are warning against overuse of the lone drug available to treat monkeypox, saying that even a small mutation in the virus could render the pills ineffective. The Food and Drug Administration updated its guidance this week for Tpoxx, which has been prescribed to tens of...
5 things to know about updated covid-19 booster shots
Two weeks after the federal government signed off on covid-19 booster shots targeting the most dominant strains of the virus, clinics and health care providers in Southwestern Pennsylvania have begun offering the shots to eligible recipients. The newly authorized bivalent vaccines are updated boosters that specifically target the BA.4 and...
Pitt, UPMC officials tap Dr. Freddie Fu recruit to fill ‘irreplaceable’ doctor’s orthopedic roles
The University of Pittsburgh and UPMC ended a yearlong search Monday for a successor for Dr. Freddie Fu, who helped catapult orthopedics at the university and health system to international renown during his tenure, which ran from 1998 until his death in 2021. Officials have tapped Dr. MaCalus V. Hogan...
Americans give health care system failing mark: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — When Emmanuel Obeng-Dankwa is worried about making rent on his New York City apartment, he sometimes holds off on filling his blood pressure medication. “If there’s no money, I prefer to skip the medication to being homeless,” said Obeng-Dankwa, a 58-year-old security guard. He is among a majority...
