Health Highlights: Jan. 17, 2023

Surgery brings added risks to people with COPD. The respiratory condition itself may not cause poor post-surgical outcomes, but most COPD patients are frail and have other chronic conditions that raise health concerns, researchers note. Read more

Getting COVID in pregnancy greatly raises a woman's odd for death. These patients are also far more likely to need intensive care or develop pneumonia, a new study found. Read more

Each year, people start fires that cost 20,000 American lives. Human-lit fires account for more than 67% of small particles in air pollution called PM2.5 in U.S. air, and 80% of the premature deaths are related to smoke particles like these, researchers estimate. Read more