There’s one reason: It causes acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS.
What makes coronavirus so dangerous? Why does it kill so many more people than other viruses like the flu?
If you get COVID-19 and you can avoid ARDS, chances are you’ll survive. But patients who get ARDS often don’t make it.
One study found that 45% of COVID-19 patients who develop ARDS die.… Read More
When you go in for a checkup, one of the first things they do is take your blood pressure. If your numbers are over 130/80, chances are you’ll be prescribed a hypertension drug.
But if you are older, taking the medication could send you to an early grave.
That may sound alarmist. But it’s exactly what scientists found in a major new study of 415,980 people.… Read More
We recently told you about a strange early symptom of COVID-19. Patients were reporting that they had lost their sense of smell.
Since we brought you that article, loss of sense of smell has become one of the widely accepted symptoms that doctors use to diagnose coronavirus.
Now, COVID-19 patients are reporting another bizarre, possible early warning sign: foot sores. Doctors in Spain, Italy, and France have noted patients with purple, chicken pox-like lesions on their toes.… Read More
Suddenly masks are everywhere.
Americans are taking seriously the CDC’s revised guidelines to wear masks in public at all times. The problem is that many of us find them uncomfortable. So we tug on them. We pull them down so our noses are exposed. Or we pull them off completely to speak.
That’s exactly what you shouldn’t do.
“Wearing a mask takes some getting used to,” says anesthesiologist Dr.… Read More
The coronavirus crisis has left us with two food options: We can cook at home or we can order prepared takeout/delivery food.
But is the second option safe? What if the restaurant cook has the virus? Could it be passed on to us?
Professor Don Schaffner specializes in microbial risk assessment at Rutgers University. He ordered Thai takeout recently. And he intends to continue to do it throughout the pandemic. … Read More
It’s easy to be depressed about our coronavirus-infested world.
Many of us have lost our jobs. We’ve seen our investments tank. We wake up each morning fearing that this will be the day that we or someone we care about will get sick.
It’s natural to be sad. But new research shows there’s something you can do about it.
The study was published in the journal Health Psychology.… Read More