26 August, 2019

Insomnia associated with increased risk of heart disease and stroke: Study

People suffering from insomnia may have a higher risk of coronary artery ailment, heart failure, and stroke, suggests a study. The study was published in the journal Circulation. Previous observational studies have found an association between insomnia, which affects up to 30 per cent of the general population, and an increased risk of developing heart disease and stroke. However, the observational studies were unable to determine whether insomnia is a cause, or if it is just associated with them, explained Susanna Larsson, lead author of the study.

In this first-of-its-kind study on insomnia, Larsson and a colleague applied Mendelian randomisation, a technique that uses genetic variants known to be connected with a potential risk factor such as insomnia, to reduce bias in the results. The 1.3 million participants with or without heart disease and stroke were drawn from four major public studies and groups. Researchers found genetic variants for insomnia were associated with significantly higher odds of coronary artery disease, heart failure, and ischemic stroke, particularly large artery stroke, but not atrial fibrillation.

“It is important to identify the underlying reason for insomnia and treat it,” Larsson said. “Sleep is a behaviour that can be changed by new habits and stress management.” A limitation of this study is that the results represent a genetic variant link to insomnia rather than insomnia itself. According to Larsson, it was not possible to determine whether or not individuals with cardiovascular disease had insomnia.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

26.08.2019

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra

Jimmy Johnson

19 August, 2019

New pain-sensing organ discovered in skin

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered this new sensory organ in the skin that is sensitive to hazardous environmental irritation. It is comprised of glia cells with multiple long protrusions and which collectively go to make up a mesh-like organ within the skin.

According to the study published in the journal  Science this organ is sensitive to painful mechanical damage such as pricks and pressure.

The study described what the new pain-sensitive organ looks like, how it is organised together with pain-sensitive nerves in the skin and how activation of the organ results in electrical impulses in the nervous system that result in reflex reactions and experience of pain. Pain causes suffering and results in substantial costs for society. Almost one person in every five experiences constant pain and there is a considerable need to find new painkilling drugs.

However, sensitivity to pain is also required for survival and it has a protective function. It prompts reflex reactions that prevent damage to tissue, such as pulling your hand away when you feel a jab from a sharp object or when you burn yourself.

The cells that make up the organ are highly sensitive to mechanical stimuli, which explain how they can participate in the detection of painful pinpricks and pressure. In experiments, the researchers also blocked the organ and saw a resultant decreased ability to feel mechanical pain.

“Our study shows that sensitivity to pain does not occur only in the skin’s nerve fibers, but also in this recently-discovered pain-sensitive organ,” said Patrik Ernfors, professor at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics and chief investigator for the study.

Source:www.thehealthsite.com

19.08.2019

When you know better, you do better

Maya Angelou

13 August, 2019

Cholesterol medication can lead to diabetes: Study

The patients who were prescribed cholesterol-lowering statins had at least double the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, suggests a study. The study published in the ‘Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews’ analysed health records and other data from patients to provide a real-world picture of how efforts to reduce heart disease may be contributing to another major medical concern, said Victoria Zigmont, who led the study.

Statins are a class of drugs that can lower cholesterol and blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Researchers found that statin users had more than double the risk of diabetes diagnosis compared to those who didn’t take the drugs. Those who took the cholesterol-lowering drugs for more than two years had more than three times the risk of diabetes. “The fact that increased duration of statin use was associated with an increased risk of diabetes — something we call a dose-dependent relationship — makes us think that this is likely a causal relationship,” Zigmont said.

“That said, statins are very effective in preventing heart attacks and strokes. I would never recommend that people stop taking the statin they’ve been prescribed based on this study, but it should open up further discussions about diabetes prevention and patient and provider awareness of the issue.” Researchers also found that statin users were 6.5 per cent more likely to have a troublingly high HbA1c value, a routine blood test for diabetes that estimates average blood sugar over several months.

The study included 4,683 men and women who did not have diabetes, were candidates for statins based on heart disease risk and had not yet taken the drugs at the start of the study. About 16 per cent of the group — 755 patients — were eventually prescribed statins during the study period, which ran from 2011 until 2014. Participants’ average age was 46. Randall Harris, a study co-author and professor of medicine, said that the results suggested that individuals taking statins should be followed closely to detect changes in glucose metabolism and should receive special guidance on diet and exercise for prevention.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

13.08.2019

Once you need less, you will have more

5 August, 2019

Blood pressure problems, kidney diseases more prevalent in low income areas: Study

People enrolled in a large clinical hypertension management trial were half as likely to control their blood pressure if they received care at clinics and primary care practices in low-income areas, suggests a study. The study was published in JAHA: Journal of the American Heart Association. Participants in a low-income area had a 25 per cent higher chance of dying from any cause and a 25 per cent higher likelihood of hospitalisation and death related to heart failure over the course of the study period, than those receiving care in higher-income areas.

In addition, participants at low-income sites also had an 86 per cent higher likelihood of developing end-stage kidney disease and were 30 per cent less likely to receive a procedure performed to open the blood vessels to the heart for patients experiencing chest pain or heart attack.

The findings are based on data obtained from the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT) which compared the effectiveness of three blood pressure lowering drugs. The study used 140/90 mm Hg as the threshold for high blood pressure, while the American Heart Association recognizes high blood pressure as 130/80 mm Hg. Researchers know that living in low-income areas is associated with higher rates of high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke. The new study explored whether cardiovascular outcomes vary by socioeconomic factors in a randomised clinical trial in which participants are treated equally.

“While medications are the mainstay of hypertension control, there are other factors that we need to pay attention to that are impacting blood pressure control, and the ultimate outcomes we care about – heart disease, stroke, hospitalisation and longevity,” said Erica Spatz, the study’s senior author. Participants in the low-income areas were more likely to be female, black, Hispanic, have fewer years of education. Participants in low-income areas also surprisingly had fewer cardiovascular risk factors such as history of heart attack or stroke, Type 2 diabetes and cigarette smoking.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com     05.08.2019

Our best life is the life in which we became the best version of ourselves

Ryan Lui