Behind the Headlines

Heart/lungs

People 'needlessly avoid sex after heart attacks'

11 May 2012
elderly couple laughing Thousands of heart attack survivors are too worried to have sex because they fear it will trigger another attack, the Daily Mail has reported today.
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Air pollution 'kills 13,000 per year' says study

24 Apr 2012
traffic jam on motorway “Air pollution from exhaust fumes kills more than twice as many people as road accidents,” The Daily Telegraph has reported. The paper said that around 1,850 people die in traffic accidents annually, but that each year over 5,000 people will die as a result of heart attacks and lung cancer caused by vehicle exhaust fumes.
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New drug 'stops common cold asthma deaths'

20 Apr 2012
boy taking inhaler UK scientists have created a “Drug that slashes the risk of colds killing asthmatics”, the Daily Express dramatically reported today.
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Delayed asthma attack clue

17 Aug 2011
asthma inhaler BBC News has reported that scientists have “stumbled on a potential new treatment for delayed asthma attacks”. Delayed attacks, also known as late asthmatic response (LAR), can occur several hours after...
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'Bear bile' chemical studied for irregular hearts

03 Aug 2011
Stethoscope and blood pressure band “Bear bile could help prevent arrhythmia in heart attack sufferers,” reported the Daily Mail. This headline is based on a laboratory study investigating the effects of bile acid on the electrical signals of...
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Do pylons cause asthma in babies?

02 Aug 2011
electricity pylons “Pregnant women who use hairdryers, microwaves, vacuum cleaners or who live near pylons could be putting their babies at risk of asthma,” reported the Daily Mail. “Exposing unborn children to potentially harmful...
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Heart patients 'should keep taking aspirin'

21 Jul 2011
packet of tablets “Heart patients who stop taking prescribed aspirin are two thirds more likely to suffer another attack,” the Daily Express has reported. Taking low-dose aspirin each day is a...
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Do diesel fumes raise heart risk?

15 Jul 2011
traffic jam on motorway The Daily Mail reported today that ‘diesel fumes increase the risk of heart attacks’. The news story is of a small trial in 16 healthy young men. The men carried out exercise in a purpose-built chamber while...
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Asthma 'linked to premature babies'

13 Jul 2011
asthma inhaler “Women with poorly-managed asthma have a higher chance of giving birth early or having a small baby”, reported BBC News.
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Unclear results for salt reduction study

06 Jul 2011
Salt Shaker The Daily Express has today claimed that “salt is safe to eat”, and that, after years of lecturing, the “health fascists” have been proved wrong. This news is based on a systematic review that combined data from seven earlier...
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