Health

The number of patients in England waiting longer than 18 weeks for routine treatment is the largest since September 2008, official figures show. The data showed there were over 382,000 patients waiting longer than the target timeframe in April out of a total of 3.78 million on the waiting list. Problems also continued to be seen in waiting times for ...

Dark red onions, known as the richest source of dietary flavonoids, may help fight off cancer of the colon and breast, a researcher has suggested. “We found that onions are excellent at killing cancer cells,” said Abdulmonem Murayyan, doctoral student at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.   “Onions activate pathways that encourage cancer cells to undergo cell death. ...

Residents at 23 neighbhourhoods in Dhaka were at a greater risk of being infected with Chikungunya, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research or IEDCR gave a list of the locations while presenting a research paper at the Secretariat on Thursday. Health Minister Mohammed Nasim was present in the event. ‘Aedes ...

If you are a smoker using the so-called light cigarettes, for their lower levels of tar or nicotine, think twice. According to a study, you may be at an increased risk of developing a certain form of lung cancer that occurs deep in the lungs.   Cigarettes labelled as lights, milds, or low-tar — also known as high-ventilation (light) cigarettes ...

One in ten pregnant women, who suffer preeclampsia — characterised by high blood pressure, swollen feet, ankles and face and severe headaches — may be six times more at risk of suffering a stroke during or after childbirth, researchers said. Preeclampsia — a high-blood pressure disorder unique to pregnancy — develops in about 3 to 8 per cent of all ...

People exposed to particulate matter (PM) emitted mainly from diesel used in vehicles may be at greater risk of developing heart attack, heart failure and death, researchers warned.   The findings showed that exposure to PM 2.5 from diesel can lead to systemic inflammation, vasoconstriction — narrowing of blood vessels, and raised blood pressure, all of which can cause harmful ...

Proposals to reduce the number of children being diagnosed with autism are being considered by NHS commissioners in south-west London. The idea of restricting an autism diagnosis to only the most severe cases was discussed earlier this month. The local alliance of five clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) says nothing has been decided yet. But the National Autistic Society says it ...

Regulator NHS Improvement had wanted to publish data on the scale of hospital deficits but was advised against it by the government. NHS Improvement said it was “disappointing” the results could not be published until after the election. The Department of Health and the Conservative Party did not comment. In a statement, NHS Improvement said a date for the publication ...

Health ministers of the G20 leading economies, meeting for the first time on Saturday, agreed to work together to tackle issues such as a growing resistance to antibiotics and to start implementing national action plans by the end of 2018. Germany, which holds the G20 presidency this year, said it was an “important breakthrough” that all nations had agreed to address ...

Experts have advised not to take more than five grams of salt a day to avoid high blood pressure and heart diseases, which are major factors of deaths worldwide. Average intake of salt in Bangladesh is 10-12 grams, said Professor Sohel Reza Choudhury of National Heart Foundation Hospital & Research Institute. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends intake of five ...