19 December, 2012

Stop being stressed? It’s very likely to give you a heart attack!

Stress is bad for your heart, very bad! Findings from a new meta-analysis of six separate studies found that acute stress definitely ups a person’s heart attack risk! Participants, asked about their perceived stress (how stressed do you feel or how often are you stressed), scored either high or low. Researchers then followed them for an average of 14 years to compare the number of heart attacks and CHD deaths between the two groups.

CHD is a narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. It is caused by a build-up of plaque in the arteries, which can lead to their hardening, or atherosclerosis. It is the leading cause of death in the US for men and women, killing more than 385,000 people every year, the American Journal of Cardiology reported.

‘While it is generally accepted that stress is related to heart disease, this is the first meta-analytic review of the association of perceived stress and CHD,’ said senior study author Donald Edmondson, assistant professor of behavioural medicine at Columbia University Medical Centre (CUMC). ‘This is the most precise estimate of that relationship, and it gives credence to the widely held belief that general stress is related to heart health. In comparison with traditional cardiovascular risk factors, high stress provides a moderate increase in the risk of CHD, equivalent to puffing five more cigarettes per day,’ added Edmondson, according to a CUMC statement.

‘These findings are significant because they are applicable to nearly everyone,’ said study co-author Safiya Richardson, who collaborated with Edmondson on the paper while attending the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

19.12.2012

‘Demand exceeds availability in bone marrow transplants’

Out of the nearly 30,000 patients suffering from thalassemia, leukemia and multiple myeloma annually only 700 are able to get transplants. There is a severe crunch in bone marrow transplants in India, a doctor said on Tuesday.

‘Out of 30 to 40,000 who need a bone marrow transplantation in the country, only 700 are done. Many suffering from congenital, genetic and acquired disorders like thalassemia, leukemia and multiple myeloma rely on blood transfusion, which is a temporary solution,’ said Dharma Choudhary, director, bone marrow transplant (BMT), BLK Hospital.

In BMT procedure, the diseased or damaged bone marrow (a soft, spongy blood forming tissue present in the cavities of bones) is replaced with healthy bone marrow with the replacement marrow mostly from blood relations like siblings and parents.

Doctors also stressed that more awareness on the bone marrow transplant is needed. ‘The BLK Hospital alone has performed 104 bone marrow transplants in past two years. We are the only private hospital who has performed more BMT than any other private hospitals. Only eight hospitals in Delhi are equipped to perform such surgeries,’ said Praneet Kumar, CEO, Radiant Life Care Private Limited.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

19.12.2012

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work

Aristotle