Word: flu
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...flu-stress theory is still just a theory. There is only epidemiological evidence to support it; a clinical trial measuring the effects of flu-induced maternal stress would, of course, be unethical. And the link could involve any number of unknown variables: in the new study co-authored by Finch, it's not even clear which of the survey respondents' mothers actually caught the flu, because that information was not available...
...certain times. "Why is it that only those born in 1919 showed the spike [in heart disease]?" asks study author Douglas Almond, a professor of economics at Columbia University and a pioneer in applying the fetal-origins theory to economics. "People who were born just before and after the flu should be affected as well." (Read "How to Deal with Swine Flu: Heeding the Mistakes...
Whatever the exact biological pathway, for doctors like Harrison, the findings have practical relevance: they reinforce the importance of getting a flu shot, especially for pregnant women, many of whom say they are reluctant to receive the new 2009 H1N1 vaccine. "I am already 37 weeks into my pregnancy and haven't fallen sick and have been healthy all along, and I don't see the point of introducing a foreign body into my body," says first-time mother Laurie Koch-Smith, 41, in Westchester County, New York, who says she thinks the risk of H1N1 infection has been overhyped...
...even if pregnant moms avoid catching the H1N1 flu, the vaccine has other benefits, says Harrison. "The baby of a woman who got the influenza vaccine [during pregnancy] will be born with antibodies to influenza," she says, adding that immunity - albeit temporary - would greatly reduce the chances of the infant coming down with the flu during the first few months of life...
...pictures of the swine flu outbreak in Mexico...