What people can’t read can kill them

A new study in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that elderly people who can’t navigate health information are at greater risk of cardiovascular death than those who are able to comprehend prescription bottles, doctor appointment slips, and hospital forms.

“People are dying because they’re not understanding health information,” said Dr. David Baker, the study’s lead author. “There are a number of factors, but inadequate literacy is probably acting like a lens, focusing all the other factors in.”