As the temperatures rise, people of all ages seek relief from the summer heat in the water. Although many people are aware of water safety rules and the dangers of drowning, few know about a far less common—but deadly—condition called dry drowning or secondary drowning. Dry drowning can develop hours to days after you have inhaled just a few gasps of water and, without treatment, can lead to respiratory problems, brain injury, and death.

Symptoms of dry drowning include coughing, vomiting, fever, difficulty breathing, and changes in mood. Anyone who experiences near drowning should seek immediate medical attention. Here is more information about water safety from the American Red Cross.

Sourced from: ABC 10

People with low vitamin A levels who are living with someone infected with tuberculosis (TB) are 10 times more likely to develop the disease than those with high levels of the vitamin. That’s according to Harvard Medical School researchers who conducted a study in Lima, Peru, , results of which were published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The study involved 6,000 household members of people diagnosed with TB. While it didn’t find a cause-and-effect relationship between vitamin D deficiency and TB, it suggests that vitamin A supplements could play an big role in reducing the spread of the disease, which is a leading cause of death worldwide.

Sourced from: ScienceDaily

A landmark study from the UNC School of Medicine suggests blood glucose testing may not improve blood sugar control or quality of life in people with type 2 diabetes who are not receiving insulin. Finger-stick blood glucose testing is a standard part of treatment for people with type 1 diabetes and those with type 2 diabetes who are being treated with insulin. Currently, 75 percent of these patients in the United States perform regular blood glucose testing at home, even though this testing is somewhat controversial.

The findings—from a study called the MONITOR Trial, which examined glucose monitoring for one year—were recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine. For the study, 450 people with type 2 diabetes were assigned to one of three groups. One group did not monitor blood sugar, one group monitored glucose levels once per day, and one group used enhanced blood glucose testing once per day. Enhanced monitoring involves receiving online instructions or encouragement after testing.

According to researchers, there were no significant differences in blood glucose control, health-related quality of life, episodes of hypoglycemia, or hospital visits across the three groups. In addition, there was no difference in the number of people with type 2 diabetes who required insulin treatment to control blood sugar levels during the study period.

Sourced from: UNC Health Care