Risks May Outweigh Benefits for Blood Pressure Drug Combo

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Many older people struggling with high blood pressure are being inappropriately and unnecessarily prescribed a combination blood pressure medications, a team of Canadian researchers warns.

Health Tip: Everyone Should Wear a Bike Helmet

(HealthDay News) -- There should be no debate or argument in your home when it comes to wearing a bicycle helmet, experts say.

Health Tip: Take an Antibiotic Properly

(HealthDay News) -- It's important to take an antibiotic exactly as prescribed and to finish the entire prescription, experts say. To help prevent harmful bacteria from becoming resistant to your antibiotic, don't stop taking the medication just because you feel better.

Whole Grain Cereal May Help Control Blood Pressure

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Eating breakfast cereal -- especially whole grain cereal -- may reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure, a new study suggests.

Depression May Boost Arthritis Pain

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Depression can worsen the pain of knee arthritis, a new study finds.

Screening Seems to Catch Dangerous Heart Condition in Kids

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- A low-cost screening test detected potentially deadly heart conditions in 10 out of 400 seemingly healthy children and teens in a pilot study.

Allergy Drug May Speed Up Kids' Ability to Tolerate Milk

MONDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- Kids who are allergic to milk may be able to quickly develop tolerance by coupling the allergy medication Xolair with a gradual increase in their exposure to milk, known as sensitization, a new study suggests.

Fiber May Lessen Lifetime Risk for Heart Problems

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that middle-age and younger adults who eat high amounts of fiber are less likely to suffer from heart disease over their lives.

Poor Diet Linked to Early Signs of Heart Risks in Obese Kids

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity often saddles teenagers with a wide variety of conditions that boost the risk of heart disease, such as inflammation, insulin resistance and signs of trouble in the metabolic system, a small new study suggests.

Study: Reluctance to Speak Up Encourages Medical Errors

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Nurses often don't speak up about incompetent colleagues or when they see fellow health-care workers making mistakes that could harm patients, new research finds.

Gene Mutations Offer Clues to Common Complication of Pregnancy

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers who have spotted specific genetic mutations associated with preeclampsia in women with certain autoimmune diseases say their findings may eventually lead to new tests and treatments.

NFL Upsets Could Trigger Domestic Violence

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Reports of domestic violence rise an average of 10 percent in areas where local National Football League teams lose games they were expected to win, a new study says.

Leukemia Patients Taking Gleevec Achieve 'Normal' Death Rate

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- The death rate of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia who took Gleevec and were in remission two years after treatment was similar to the death rate in the general population, a new study shows.

Tamoxifen May Offer Long-Term Heart, Cancer Protection

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Taking the breast cancer drug tamoxifen for the recommended five years protects women from breast cancer recurrence better than a two-year course of the drug and it also shields some women from cardiovascular disease, new research finds.

Health Highlights: March 22, 2011

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Trauma Patients Seem More Likely to Survive on Weekends

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Trauma injury patients who arrive at the hospital on the weekend or a weeknight are no more likely to die than those who arrive on a weekday, a new study has found.

Study Questions Rise in Use of Certain Cholesterol Drugs

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Use of a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs called fibrates is on the rise in the United States despite research that suggests they may not do much to improve health, researchers say.

Steroid May Help Cut Pneumonia Risk After Brain Trauma

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- The serious and sometimes deadly risk that hospitalized traumatic brain injury patients will develop pneumonia can be reduced by pre-treatment with the steroid hydrocortisone, new French research suggests.

Study: Infrequent Sex Can Raise Risk of Heart Attack, Death

TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- People who engage in physical activity only once in a while -- and that includes sex -- have a higher risk of suffering a heart attack or sudden cardiac death, at least in the one or two hours right after they've exerted themselves, experts say.

Clinical Trials Update: March 22, 2011

(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com: