Ebola Survivors Suffer Ongoing Health Problems After Recovery
A study of Ebola survivors co-led by Professor Cavan Reilly confirms that individuals who recovered from the deadly infection tend to suffer from an increased number of ongoing health problems.
Reilly is the associate director of the Coordinating Centers for Biometric Research (CCBR) at SPH, which oversaw the design, conduct, and analysis of the study run in collaboration with the Liberian government and the National Institutes of Health.
The study team examined 966 Ebola survivors along with 2,350 close contacts and sexual partners. The contacts and partners were examined in order to help the researchers determine the normal state of health of people in the area. The researchers then compared the health of the survivors to that of the contacts group.
The study found that:
- Compared to the group of contacts, Ebola survivors had increased urinary frequency, headaches, fatigue, and neurological and musculoskeletal problems;
- Memory loss was reported in 30 percent of survivors and in less than six percent of their contacts;
- Survivors also had twice as much joint and muscle pain as their contacts;
- 25 percent of survivors have uveitis, an inflammation of the eye that can lead to blindness. However, the study also found uveitis in 12 percent of the contacts group, which suggests Ebola is not necessarily the cause of the condition;
- Genetic material from the Ebola virus can be found intermittently in the semen of male survivors for more than three years.
“The findings suggest there’s a great need to provide follow-up care for Ebola survivors to help them deal with lingering health problems,” says Reilly.
Reilly and the study team are continuing to follow the health of the Ebola survivors at least through 2020.
Improving Body Satisfaction Through Yoga
The vast majority of young adults who practice yoga believe it has improved how they feel about their bodies, according to a study by Professor Dianne Neumark-Sztainer. These new findings help address the problem of high prevalence of body dissatisfaction among young adults, which often leads to severe health consequences. “The results of this study give great insight into the small tweaks instructors and studios can employ to improve the positive impact of yoga on people with poor body image,” says Neumark-Sztainer.
Legalizing Marijuana Not Risk Free
In a growing national trend, several U.S. states have legalized marijuana sales. But, according to research from Associate Professor Darin Erickson, it’s not all “high times” in the first two states to do so, Colorado and Washington. In those states, law enforcement agencies report common problems with underage marijuana use (under age 21) and driving under the influence of marijuana in their communities.
Infections Increase Odds of Heart Attack and Stroke
“The key to explaining the association between acute infections and the short-term increased risk of strokes and heart attacks is inflammation.” — Associate Professor Kamakshi Lakshminarayan
“Infection prevention is key — so vaccination for influenza and pneumonia is important.” — PhD student Logan Cowan
Opioid-Affected Births in Rural Hospitals
Pregnant women with opioid dependency may have particular challenges in receiving the care they need when they live in rural areas. “Some of these rural moms, especially those with clinical complications, give birth in urban, teaching hospitals, often far from home. Yet, our study findings show that more than 60 percent of rural moms with opioid use disorder give birth locally. These rural hospitals may have more limited capacity to care for them and their babies.” — Associate Professor Katy Kozhimannil
‘Everywhere Chemicals’ Pose Danger During Pregnancy
“This is more evidence that exposure to phthalates — even as early as pregnancy — can have an affect on the developing brains of children. This could have significant childhood and lifelong implications for the babies that are exposed.” — Associate Professor Ruby Nguyen, whose research discovered a link between phthalate levels of pregnant mothers and language development delays in their children.
Employer-Sponsored Insurance Levels Stable After ACA Medicaid Expansion
The fear proved unfounded that new individual health insurance options and expansion of Medicaid eligibility provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014 would prompt employers to quit offering health benefits.
“Policymakers were concerned that employers might drop health benefits to cut costs because their workers now had an option to buy individual coverage, or, if they were a very low income worker, qualify for Medicaid,” says study lead author and Wegmiller Professor of Healthcare Administration Jean Abraham. “Our research shows this wasn’t the case.”
Preventing Violent Encounters Between Police and Young Black Men
In 2016, black men between the ages of 18 and 44 were more than three times as likely as white men of the same age group to be killed by a police officer. Community members are increasingly calling for policies and programs specifically designed to reduce violent encounters between local police and young black men to prevent deaths.
Recently, a study from Professor Rhonda Jones-Webb, co-authored by Associate Professor Sonya Brady and predoctoral fellow Collin Calvert, assessed the awareness of such efforts among a diverse group of stakeholders in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN.
They found there was little awareness of programs or policies specifically designed to prevent violence between police and young black men. Jones-Webb underscores important next steps: “…community engagement and involving key stakeholders, such as those who participated in our study, will be critical in identifying community-driven solutions to prevent future violent encounters between police and young black men.”
Life-Threatening Loneliness
Social isolation and loneliness are risks to health and mortality as serious as obesity or smoking. Some researchers have cautioned that rural residents could be most vulnerable, but a new study led by Assistant Professor Carrie Henning-Smith and co-authored by Associate Professor Katy Kozhimannil and Professor Ira Moscovice shows that people in rural areas actually reported more social relationships (both family and friends) than urban residents.
