Tag: Public-Health
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Cost of care for falls in elderly population
Researchers estimated medical costs attributable to both fatal and nonfatal falls in the elderly population and found that approximately 50 billion dollars were spent in 2015. These findings are published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Researchers utilized population data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) and cost estimates from the Web-based Injury Statistics…
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Association between inflammatory bowel disease and heart disease found
Researchers analyzed medical-record data from more than 17.5 million patients found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk for a heart attack, regardless of whether or not they have risk factors for heart disease. This research is presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 67th Annual Scientific Session. “Younger patients had…
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New flu simulation map using health and social media data
Researchers at the University of Chicago have created computer simulations to predict spread of flu across the United States utilizing datasets of demographics, healthcare visits and geographic movements of 150 million people over nine years. The study is published in the journal eLife. Simulation map of flu spread. Credit: Andrey Rzhetsky, UChicago Researchers utilized deidentified patient…
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Artificial intelligence algorithm to predict and prevent spread of infectious diseases
Team of researchers from USC Viterbi School of Engineering has created an algorithm that can help policymakers reduce the overall spread of disease. The algorithm is optimized to make the most of limited resources, such as advertising budgets, thus helping cash strapped public health agencies. To create the artificial intellegence algorithm, the researchers used behavioral,…
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Computational model to track flu using Twitter data
An international team led by Alessandro Vespignani from Northeastern University has developed a computational model to predict the spread of the flu in real time. This unique model uses posts on Twitter in combination with key parameters of each season’s epidemic, including the incubation period of the disease, the immunization rate, how many people an…
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Price tag for cardiovascular disease to reach 1 trillion dollars by 2035
A new study projects that by 2035, cardiovascular disease, the most costly and prevalent killer, if left unchecked, will place a crushing economic and health burden on the nation’s financial and health care systems. According to the study, in the next two decades, the number of Americans with cardiovascular disease will rise to 131.2 million…
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Antidepressants use associated with birth defects
A new Université de Montréal study in the British Medical Journal reveals that antidepressants prescribed to pregnant women could increase the chance of having a baby with birth defects. The risk is 6 to 10 %, versus 3 to 5 % in women who do not take the drugs and it is high enough to…
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Proton pump inhibitors linked with increased risk of infectious gastroenteritis
Research has found a link between proton pump inhibitors and an increase in the risk of infectious gastroenteritis. The study led by The Australian National University (ANU) and based on data from the Sax Institute’s 45 and Up Study, found people who take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), had a 70 per cent increase in the…
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Decreased mortality associated with eating red hot chili peppers
Researchers at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, who found that consumption of hot red chili peppers is associated with a 13 percent reduction in total mortality primarily in deaths due to heart disease or stroke in a large prospective study. The study was published recently in PLoS ONE. Chili Peppers.…
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