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Here are some of the latest developments in health and medicine compiled by HealthDay's editors:
Record number of tick-related cases in the US last year: CDC
The number of Americans with tick-borne diseases has reached a record of nearly 60,000 in 2017, says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most of these cases (42,743) had Lyme disease. There were 36,000 cases of Lyme disease in 2016, NBC News reported.
Other cases of tick-borne disease in 2017 included: ehrlichiosis (7,700); Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (6,200); babesiosis (2,300); tularemia (239) and Powassan virus (33), according to the CDC.
The 60,000 reported cases of tick-borne diseases last year are probably much lower than the actual number.
"The actual number of cases is probably 10 times higher," said Dr. John Aucott, director of the Lyme Disease Research Center Johns Hopkins and chair of the federal Task Force on Tick-borne Diseases. NBC News.
A report released Wednesday by the task force indicates that state and federal agencies need to increase funding to detect, prevent and treat tick-borne diseases.
"There are more cases, and each year, the geographic distribution grows," Aucott said. NBC News.
The working group was established in 2016 and it is its first report.
"There are so many questions that we have not answered," Aucott said. We have heard the comments of hundreds and hundreds of patients. It is obvious that it is a real problem, that people really suffer. "
The reasons for the increase in tick-borne diseases are unclear, according to the CDC.
"A number of factors can affect the number of ticks each year, including temperature, precipitation, humidity, and host populations such as mice and other animals," the CDC said. his report on the number of new cases. NBC News reported.
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Primary Care Physicians Should Track Unhealthy Alcohol Use Among Adult Patients: Working Group
Primary care physicians should examine all adult patients regarding unhealthy eating habits, said the Preventive Services Task Force in a new statement.
He also said that doctors should provide quick advice to those who drink more than the recommended limits, CNN reported.
The statement was published Tuesday in the press. Journal of the American Medical Association.
According to the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, unhealthy alcohol consumption is more than four drinks a day and 14 drinks a week.
For older women and men, this definition is more than three drinks a day and more than seven drinks a week. There is no safe level of alcohol for pregnant women because drinking during pregnancy increases the risk of birth defects and developmental problems in children. CNN reported.
Alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States, according to the task force.
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AMA to collect data on suicide among doctors in training
By collecting data on suicides among medical students, residents and fellows, the American Medical Association (AMA) hopes to find ways to reduce the number of suicides among doctors in training.
The data collection policy was approved at a meeting on Tuesday.
"Studies have shown that the suicide rate of physicians is higher than that of any profession in the US We are working hard to reduce burnout and increase doctors' access and medical students at the mental health services. "He fully understands the problem," said WADA board member Dr. Ryan Ribeira in a news release. association.
"We believe that collecting data on the incidence of suicide among doctors in training will help us identify the systemic factors that contribute to this problem and save lives," added Ribeira.
As part of its efforts to reduce the number of physician suicides, WADA offers online modules to prevent burnout, increase resiliency and improve well-being.
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FDA Bans Six Artificial Flavors
Six artificial cancer-related flavors in animals must be eliminated from food products, the US Food and Drug Administration announced.
They bear names such as methyl eugenol, benzophenone, ethyl acrylate and pyridine and simulate cinnamon or spices, fruity or menthol aromas and even balsamic vinegar, Associated press.
Food manufacturers have two years to stop using artificial flavors. We do not know which food products currently contain them.
When requested by AP for examples of products in which the six ingredients are used, the FDA and the association of flavor and extract manufacturers have not responded.
The FDA believes that the six ingredients used are safe, but ordered them to no longer have access to food because of a lawsuit filed by consumer advocacy groups. They cited a rule banning additives that are proven to cause cancer in animals, even though their numbers were much higher than what people would consume, AP reported.
Critics of the rule say that it is too strict.
But animal studies provide the strongest evidence about cancer risk in humans, and it's best to be cautious, said Christopher Kemp, a professor of cancer biology at the Center for Research on Cancer. Fred Hutchinson cancer. AP.
The Natural Resources Defense Council is one of the groups that has filed lawsuits against the six artificial flavors. In addition to the risk of cancer in animals, the effect of the six additives is unknown when they are associated with other ingredients, according to Erik Olson of the council.
He also noted that the six ingredients are listed on food labels only as "artificial flavor", which means that it is impossible for consumers to know in what concentrations they are used in specific products.
"It's all secret: you can not take an ice cream, a chewing gum or a baked product and have no idea of the chemicals it contains," Olson said at AP.
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