An experimental blood test could one day help identify people most likely to develop severe lung problems like COPD. The test reviews a panel of 32 proteins in blood that best predict people most likely to suffer a rapid decline in lung function, according to a study published recently in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Adults with higher test scores have: An 84% increased risk of COPD, 81% increased chance of dying from a respiratory disease like COPD or pneumonia, 17% increased risk of requiring hospital care for respiratory problems, and 10% increased risk of respiratory symptoms that need treatment, like a cough, mucus or shortness of breath. “Loss of lung function on a year-over-year basis is associated with poor respiratory health outcomes, but we do not have a good way to easily figure out if a patient is on a steep trajectory of lung function decline,” said researcher Ravi Kalhan, MD, MS, a professor of pulmonary medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “If we had an easy-to-implement clinical tool, like a blood test, that captured someone’s lung function trajectory at a single time point, it would enable earlier interventions which might, in the long run, improve lung health,” Kalhan added.

Health officials are warning Americans about a rare insect-borne virus that has infected several travelers. As of Aug. 16, there have been 21 cases of Oropouche virus disease, sometimes called “sloth fever,” detected among U.S. travelers returning from Cuba, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC said it wants clinicians and public health offices to be aware of the virus and to test for suspected cases, and for travelers to protect themselves from insect bites. Common symptoms include fever, headache, chills, muscle aches and joint pain, typically lasting about two to seven days and then disappearing. Patients may experience other symptoms including nausea, vomiting, rash, sensitivity to light, dizziness and pain behind the eyes. “This virus is an interesting one in that about a week later, 50% or more of people will have a recurrence of the symptoms,” Michael Angarone, DO, an infectious diseases specialist at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, told ABC News. “So, the symptoms will recur and, again, be present for around five days to seven days and then go away. So, I think that’s a very interesting aspect of this virus.”

Stress is something we all deal with. And when you have coronary artery disease, stress management is a key part of taking care of yourself. For all animals — including humans — stress is a basic instinct. It’s the body’s fight or flight response for fending off danger. It presses the “pause” button on our bodily functions and puts all our energy toward the threat at hand. And it’s not always bad. In fact, it might even save your life. “Acute stress is something that we want,” says Alyssa Vela, PhD, a clinical health psychologist in Chicago. “If you didn’t have that reaction in the body, you might just walk out onto Michigan Avenue and not pay attention to any of the cars or buses driving past.” The trouble happens when our stress response is activated around the clock, says Kim Feingold, PhD, Vela’s colleague at Northwestern’s Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, where their small team helps people adjust after a heart disease diagnosis. That includes managing stress. “Activating our stress response is appropriate and healthy when there’s an impending threat,” Feingold says. “But when we get cut off in traffic, or we’re on hold for a long time with an insurance agent, or we’re getting spam calls at an inconvenient time, or we’re having an argument, our body is not in jeopardy the same way that it was thousands of years ago, when our stress response was created. Yet we continue to activate our stress response in these situations.”

Cardiologists are sharing the weird symptoms that patients often brush off—but which could actually signal a serious heart problem. These include a sinking feeling in your chest, whooshing in the ear, pain or fatigue in the legs while walking, changes in your feet or legs, jaw or neck pain with exertion, indigestion and nausea, carpal tunnel discomfort paired with shortness of breath, sudden stabbing chest pain and trouble with daily activities. Valvular disease is a growing focus area in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, says Charles Davidson, an interventional cardiologist who’s vice chair of clinical affairs in the department of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. While coronary disease occurs when the arteries that supply the heart become blocked, valvular disease indicates that the heart’s valves aren’t working well. Unlike a sudden cardiac event—say, a heart attack—valvular disease develops slowly, over five to 10 years. Many patients don’t experience symptoms until later in the course of disease, if at all, Davidson says.