(HealthDay News) -- Cutting back on sodium can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack.

(HealthDay News) -- Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a bacterial infection that is highly contagious and can be extremely dangerous for babies.

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Same-sex couples who live together report having worse health than heterosexual married couples, a new study finds.

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- In 2010, teen births occurred at higher rates in rural counties than in suburban counties and major urban areas of the United States, new research finds.

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- If your heart doesn't beat correctly, you can get an electronic pacemaker and live happily ever after -- or at least until it wears out and you need another one.

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- A small new study has identified a distinct and unique pattern in the way brains of children with autism process information.

TUESDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- A British study finds that children and teens who were vaccinated during the 2009 swine flu outbreak are at increased risk for narcolepsy, a disorder that causes people to fall asleep during the day.

TUESDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Self-help books and websites can benefit people with severe depression and should be included as part of the first line of treatment, a new study suggests.

TUESDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Combining the vitamin niacin with a cholesterol-lowering statin drug appears to raise side effects in heart patients, a new study indicates.

TUESDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Most first-time mothers wait more than six weeks after childbirth before having sex again, a new study finds.

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