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Doctors have long relied on a few key patient characteristics to assess risk of a heart attack or stroke, using a calculus that considers blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and diabetes status, as well as demographics: age, sex and race. Now, the American Heart Association is taking race out of the equation. The overhaul of the widely used cardiac-risk algorithm is an acknowledgment that, unlike sex or age, race identification in and of itself is not a biological risk factor. (Rabin, 11/14)

 The suicide rate in the United States spiked in 2021, reversing two years of decline, and rates among older men were especially high, a new report says. There were about 30 suicide deaths for every 100,000 men ages 55 and older in 2021, according to a report published Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – more than double the overall age-adjusted rate of about 14 suicide deaths for every 100,000 people that year. Men 85 and older were the most at risk, with nearly 56 suicide deaths for every 100,000 people in that group, higher than any other age group. (McPhillips, 11/15)

Caregiving was associated with a lower risk of death in older women in the U.S., according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. ... The women who reported themselves as caregivers had a 9% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to the non-caregivers, according to the study findings. The researchers also found that the caregiving group had a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease or cancer. (McGorry, 11/15)

Researchers in France assessed statistics from 97 different emergency departments across the country between Dec. 12-14, 2022, focusing on patients who were older than age 75. They compared patients in two different groups: those who were admitted to a regular hospital room before midnight, and those who had to spend a full night in the ER before they were given a room. The latter group was more likely to die in the hospital within 30 days (15.7% vs. 11.1%). (Rudy, 11/15)

A new report details the toll lung cancer is taking on public health. The American Lung Association's data breaks down the challenges faced by each state. More than 350 people die from lung cancer nationwide each day. But there's been a 22% increase in survival rates over the past five years. (11/14)

Donna Thompson, who lives in Havertown, has had lung cancer twice. She was first diagnosed when she was 45. "It's scary and it is life-changing," she said. Doctors think environmental exposures to things like radon could be part of the reason for the growing number of young nonsmokers with lung cancer. (Stahl, 11/14)

Climate change continues to have a worsening effect on health and mortality around the world, according to an exhaustive report published on Tuesday by an international team of 114 researchers. One of the starkest findings is that heat-related deaths of people older than 65 have increased by 85 percent since the 1990s, according to modeling that incorporates both changing temperatures and demographics. People in this age group, along with babies, are especially vulnerable to health risks like heat stroke. As global temperatures have risen, older people and infants now are exposed to twice the number of heat-wave days annually as they were from 1986 to 2005. (Erdenesanaa, 11/14)

The demographics of eating disorders are shifting younger, now most commonly affecting teens between 14 and 18 years old, according to a new analysis. The data, based on a FAIR Health repository of 43 billion private health insurance claims, sheds new light on an uptick in eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among teens. (Reed, 11/15)

In Stockton, California, almost 60% of the city’s 320,000 residents are prediabetic or living with diabetes. Shane Bailey, a 72-year-old longtime resident and U.S. Coast Guard veteran, is one of them. And because she lives in a neighborhood that is considered a food desert because it lacks nearby grocery stores, it can be a huge challenge to access healthy, affordable food. (Nayak, 11/14)

In a study at multiple sites nationwide, researchers are testing the effectiveness of four nonsurgical treatments in connection with specific personal traits of patients. Each treatment has been shown to work, though not equally well for everyone. The four treatments: acceptance-and-commitment therapy, which helps people learn new skills for dealing with pain; duloxetine, a medication used for depression, anxiety and chronic musculoskeletal pain; an online program with personalized messages to teach lifestyle skills for pain management; and a form of exercise therapy with stretches, strength training and hands- on treatment by a physical therapist or chiropractor. (Landro, 11/14)

An analysis released Tuesday from scientists behind a research initiative called the BIG JOY Project finds that people who commit daily "micro-acts" of joy experience about a 25% increase in emotional well-being over the course of a week. "We're really excited," says Emiliana Simon-Thomas, a BIG JOY project leader, and science director of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. "There are statistically significant, measurable changes [including] greater well-being, better coping, less stress, more satisfaction with relationships." (Aubrey, 11/14)