Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Updated pediatric blood pressure guidelines catch more kids at risk for heart disease

Pediatric blood pressure guideline changes issued in 2017 increase the number of children diagnosed with high blood pressure, a new study finds. That means more kids will be identified as having a higher risk of developing heart disease in adulthood, researchers point out. U.S. records 71 new measles cases in week as outbreak spreads

The United States recorded 71 new measles cases last week, a 13 percent increase as the country faces its second-worst outbreak of the disease in almost two decades, federal health officials said on Monday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had recorded 626 cases of the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease in 22 states as of April 19, the highest rate of infection in five years. Merck's Keytruda wins FDA approval as combination therapy for kidney cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Merck & Co Inc's cancer therapy, Keytruda, as part of a combination therapy for previously untreated patients with the most common type of kidney cancer, the company said on Monday. The drug was approved in combination with Pfizer Inc's Inlyta to treat advanced renal cell carcinoma. Soft bedding top cause of suffocation death for sleeping babies in U.S.

Most sleep-related suffocation deaths among babies less than one year old happen because infants' airways got blocked by things like pillows, blankets, couch cushions or adult mattresses, a U.S. study suggests. Unintentional suffocation is the leading cause of injury and death among infants under age one in the U.S., researchers note in Pediatrics. For the study, researchers examined national registry data 1,812 cases of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) between 2011 and 2014. Transgender U.S. adults have higher risk of poor health

Transgender adults may be more likely to have unhealthy habits and medical issues that negatively impact their quality of life than people whose gender identity matches what it says on their birth certificates, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined survey data from 3,075 transgender adults as well as 719,567 adults who are cisgender, meaning their gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth. Voice analysis software may help diagnose PTSD in veterans

Voice analysis software can help detect post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans based on their speech, a study suggests. Doctors have long understood that people with psychiatric disorders may speak differently than individuals who do not have mental health problems, researchers note in Depression and Anxiety. While some previous research points to the potential for distinct speech patterns among people with PTSD, it's been unclear whether depression that often accompanies PTSD might explain the unique voice characteristics. Medicare hospital fund reserves likely to be exhausted in 2026: U.S. report

Medicare's hospital insurance fund will be depleted in 2026, as previously forecast, and Social Security program costs are likely to exceed total income in 2020 for the first time since 1982, according to a government report released on Monday. The report from the board of trustees for Social Security and Medicare also projected that Social Security funds could be depleted by 2035, leading to potential reductions in expected payouts to retirees and other beneficiaries. Swine fever will hurt Brazil soy exports, lift China meat sales: minister

Brazilian soy exports to China will definitely decline this year as African swine fever in the world's No. 2 economy cuts demand for the animal feed, but potential growth in meat exports would offset this, Brazil's agriculture minister said on Monday. Speaking in a huddle with journalists, Tereza Cristina Dias said a Chinese outbreak of African swine fever, which kills pigs but poses no danger to humans, threatens yet offers opportunities for Brazil's agricultural exports.