A guideline for U.S. doctors to ignore race in assessing lung health will likely have profound effects beyond the intended improvements in medical care, such as increasing disability payments and disease diagnoses for Black patients while boosting their job disqualifications, a study found on Sunday.
Item 1 of 2 An X-ray of a COVID-19 patient's lungs is looked over by Dr. Joseph Varon , the chief medical officer at United Memorial Medical Center , during the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Houston, Texas, U.S., July 10, 2020. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare/File PhotoAn X-ray of a COVID-19 patient's lungs is looked over by Dr. Joseph Varon , the chief medical officer at United Memorial Medical Center , during the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Houston, Texas, U.S., July 10, 2020.
Annual disability payments for Black military veterans will likely rise by more than $1 billion and fall by $500 million for white veterans, the researchers estimated. Experts now believe smaller lung capacities in some nonwhite populations may be due to environmental exposures to pollution, poor nutrition, and other risk factors.
The results of the new equations could be complex. If they reveal more severe lung impairment, surgeons might be less likely to recommend potentially curative surgeries, but this may prevent surgical complications in patients who are at higher risk than previously recognized, the researchers found. The new equations will reclassify medical impairment ratings for 8.16 million people; eligibility for jobs, such as firefighter, requiring a certain level of lung function for 2.28 million; grading of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases for 2.05 million; and military disability compensation eligibility for 413,000, the researchers estimated.
MTPIX GEN GENHLT HEA HECA PUBHEA SCI AMERS US NAMER PACKAGE:US-TOP-NEWS
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Review: With ‘Black Sunday,’ TimeLine Theatre departs its longtime home with a Depression-era storyThis ambitious script needs characters that the audience can feel empathy for, and more human scenes that have time to breathe.
Read more »
Study of 100K Black women launches to figure out why more Black women are getting cancerThe study will collect the data of 100,000 Black women ages 25 to 55 over a period of 30 years.
Read more »
Study of 100K Black women launches to figure out why more Black women are getting cancerVOICES for Black Women aims to study 100,000 Black women for several decades.
Read more »
Young, Black and Republican: House conservative aims to win Black voters over with cognac and cigarsRep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, is hosting a series of events titled, 'Congress, Cognac, and Cigars' in cities in swing states as part of an outreach effort to Black male voters.
Read more »
Tudor Hits a Homerun With the Tudor Black Bay and Black Bay 58 GMTTudor hits the homeruns with the Tudor Black Bay and Black Bay 58 GMT timepieces unveiled at Watches & Wonders Geneva.
Read more »
Black Twitter Hulu doc captures the jokes, memes and revolutionary moments that embody Black cultureDirector Prentice Penny and writer Jason Parham discuss their new Hulu doc.
Read more »