Reuters Health News Summary

08/16/2016 0:58

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Aetna pulls back on Obamacare health insurance plans in 2017

Aetna Inc, the No. 3 U.S. health insurer, on Monday said that due to persistent financial losses on Obamacare plans, it will sell individual insurance on the government-run online marketplaces in only four states next year, down from the current 15 states. Aetna's decision follows similar moves from UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Humana Inc., which have cited similar concerns about financial losses on these exchanges created under President Barack Obama's national healthcare reform law.

Video monitors show most parents put babies to sleep the wrong way

Even when parents know they're being watched, they still put babies to sleep in unsafe ways that are linked to an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), a U.S. study suggests. Researchers analyzed nighttime video recordings taken in family homes when babies were 1 month, 3 months and 6 months old.

Lack of stores with fresh foods linked to signs of early heart disease

Living in poor neighborhoods has been linked to increased heart risk, and a new U.S. study suggests the lack of access to fresh, healthy foods may be to blame. "Previous studies have found relationships between neighborhood characteristics and cardiovascular disease," said lead author Jeffrey Wing of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "Finding that the density of healthy food stores was the only factor among those tested that consistently was related to slowing the progression of coronary calcium build-up was interesting in that we didn't see the same relation with other neighborhood features," like recreation centers, Wing told Reuters Health by email.

Longer distance to tobacco shop tied to better odds of quitting

Having to walk further from home to get to a tobacco shop increases the odds that smokers will quit, according a large study in Finland. Researchers found that every 500-meter (about one third of a mile) increase in distance to the nearest tobacco shop increased an individual's odds of quitting by 20 percent to 60 percent.

Pain drugs in pregnancy tied to behavior issues in kids

Women who take the common pain reliever acetaminophen during pregnancy may be more likely to have children with behavior problems than those who don't use the drug, a British study suggests. Researchers analyzed survey data from about 7,800 mothers and found more than half of them took acetaminophen at some point during pregnancy.

Heart groups suggests people get up every now and then

People should get about 30 minutes of exercise each day to counteract the potentially harmful effects of being inactive for too long, according to a new statement from a leading U.S. heart group. Research suggests inactivity may be linked to increased risk for diabetes, other blood sugar problems, heart disease, stroke and an earlier death, according to the statement from the American Heart Association.

Delaware court backs UCB drug patent, shares jump

A ruling by the Delaware District Court in the United States upholding the validity of UCB's patent for epilepsy drug Vimpat sent shares in the Belgian pharmaceutical firm up more than 7 percent on Monday. Sales of the drug totaled 679 million euros ($759 million) last year, of which about three quarters were in the United States.

Prescription drug abuse tied to increased risk of teen suicide

Suicide is a leading cause of death for teens worldwide, and the odds of suicide attempts may be higher when adolescents abuse prescription drugs, a Chinese study suggests. To explore the connection between suicide risk and misuse of prescription opiates and sedatives, researchers surveyed about 3,300 Chinese teens once when they were about 14 years old and again a year later.

08/16/2016 0:58