HEALTH NOTES: Hay fever is twice as fierce for urbanites, study suggests

You don’t need to be surrounded by grass to struggle with hay fever as city-dwellers suffer from worse symptoms, a study suggests.

Scientists from the University of Manchester analysed 35,000 reports of symptoms over five years by 700 people.

Participants logged how often they experienced a runny nose, sore eyes and wheeziness on an app, along with where they lived.

The researchers found that all three of these symptoms were twice as severe in urban areas than in rural ones.

Increasing pollution may be to blame, study author Professor Sheena Cruickshank says.

Cannabis usage a teen ‘time-bomb’

Rising cannabis use among British teenagers is a ‘ticking time-bomb’ for mental health services, one of the UK’s most senior psychiatrists has warned.

One in five 16- to 19-year-olds regularly use the Class B drug, according to the ONS.

Dr Shubulade Smith, the incoming president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, tells the BMJ: ‘If you start smoking cannabis regularly, your risk of developing a psychotic illness is five times higher by the time you’re 25.

‘The Government should see this as a potential ticking time-bomb.’

Studies have linked frequent use to psychosis and schizophrenia. Dr Smith has called for a public campaign to inform young people on the harms of cannabis. She says: ‘We have lots of education about alcohol, so we know what it does. But that’s not the same for cannabis.’

One in five 16- to 19-year-olds regularly use the Class B drug, according to the ONS (stock photo)

Two thirds of people in the UK have avoided the dentist in the last year due to financial concerns.

Older adults were most likely to be impacted, with 81 per cent of over 65s saying they had swerved dental check-ups due to the high costs.

A survey of 2,000 Britons also shows an 83 per cent rise in child tooth extractions in the last year, which dentists say is related to a lack of check-ups.

Meanwhile, the survey, by medical solicitors Patient Claim Line, found that half of respondents avoided opticians and a third didn’t buy prescription medication.

A spokesman from the legal firm advised those with financial concerns to visit the NHS website for advice and support with covering medical costs.

The Covid-19 pandemic slowed the development of new diabetes and cancer drugs for eight out of ten of the world’s biggest drug companies.

The focus on creating tests and jabs for the virus caused the delay, according to a poll of 100 pharmaceutical chiefs by medical firm LogiPharma.

Only one in five say they are still on track to launch every drug pipelined for this year. Senior executives at the firms say safety trials of new drugs ground to a halt to help beat the virus.

A 2021 analysis found that Covid-19 had disrupted 1,200 clinical trials of medical treatments worldwide.