Stroke

Irregular heartbeat is riskier for women

An irregular heartbeat, also known as atrial fibrillation, appears to be a stronger risk factor for heart disease and death in women than in men, according to research published in The BMJ.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with a higher risk of stroke and death generally, with an estimated 33.5 million people affected globally in 2010, and an age-adjusted mortality rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people.

The prevalence is increasing in both developed and developing countries.

Evidence is now emerging that women and men experience risk factors, such as diabetes and smoking, differently for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

This could have significant implications for estimating the AF burden, targeting treatment to manage it and for future research into gender differences.

An international team of researchers set out to estimate the association between AF and CVD and death in women and men and to compare the genders.

In a meta-analysis of 30 studies published between January 1966 and March 2015, they analyzed data for over 4 million participants.

12% higher risk of mortality for women with AF
All the studies had a minimum of 50 participants with AF and 50 without, which reported sex-specific associations between AF and all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, stroke, cardiac events – including cardiac death and non-fatal myocardial infarction – and heart failure.

They took into consideration the differences in study design and quality in order to minimize bias.

AF was linked to a 12% higher relative risk of all-cause mortality in women and a much stronger risk of stroke, cardiovascular mortality, cardiac events and heart failure. The reason for the gender differences is not known.

With respect to clinical care, the results support the development of a specific risk score for AF in women and more aggressive treatment of risk factors in women, as recently recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA).

In relation to public health policy, the researchers say estimation of the global and regional burden of AF should be independent of sex, while “allocation of public health resources for prevention and treatment of AF should also consider the differential effects of AF by sex.”

Finally, they say future research should aim to determine the underlying causes of the observed sex differences.

Source: BBC news

Broken sleep raises risk of stroke

As people age, they experience new sleep patterns. Insomnia creeps in and falling asleep takes longer. Sleep fragmentation, when sleep is interrupted by repeated awakenings or arousals, can also be a problem.

Changes that occur in circadian rhythms, the body clock that coordinates timing of bodily functions, including sleep, can cause older people to become sleepier in the early evening and to wake earlier in the morning.

Sleep problems can stem from an underlying medical or psychiatric condition, but they are also a risk factor for further health issues, including cardiovascular disease.

Poor sleep quality has been linked with more severe arteriolosclerosis in older people’s brains and of higher levels of oxygen-starved brain tissue, or infarcts. These factors increase the risk of stroke and cognitive impairment.

In the current study, researchers wanted to see if there was an association between sleep fragmentation and detailed microscopic measures of blood vessel damage and infarcts in autopsied brain tissue from the same individuals.

Reduced supply of oxygen to the brain
The team, led by Dr. Andrew Lim, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Toronto, Canada, examined autopsied brains of 315 people, of whom 70% were women; the average age was 90 years.

Participants had undergone at least 1 full week of around-the-clock monitoring for rest or activity, from which sleep quality and circadian rhythms were quantified. Sleep fragmentation caused sleep to be disrupted on average almost seven times each hour.

In all, 29% of the patients had suffered a stroke, while 61% had signs of moderate to severe damage to their blood vessels in the brain.

Greater sleep fragmentation was associated with a 27% higher chance of having severe arteriolosclerosis. For every additional two arousals per hour of sleep, there was a 30% higher chance of having visible signs of oxygen deprivation in the brain.

Other cardiovascular risk factors, such as body mass index (BMI), smoking history, diabetes, hypertension and other medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, pain, depression or heart failure were all adjusted for.

Source: Medical News Today

Women at greater stroke risk from resistant hyper-tension

Resistant hypertension increases the risk of stroke by 35 per cent in women and 20 per cent in elderly patients, according to new research.

The findings presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Barcelona by Dr Kuo-Yang Wang from Taiwan suggest that gender and age should be added to the risk stratification of resistant hypertension to enable more appropriate treatment decisions.

“Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Patients with hypertension that do not respond to conventional drug treatments, called resistant hypertension, are at even higher risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,” Wang said.

“Little is known about the prognosis of resistant hypertension in the Asian population. Our study compared the risk of all-cause mortality, acute coronary syndrome, and stroke between patients with resistant hypertension and non-resistant hypertension.

“We aimed to discover the impact of resistant hypertension on Taiwanese patients, and to ascertain whether patient characteristics influence the association between resistant hypertension and adverse outcomes,” said Wang.

Patients with hypertension aged 45 years and older were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database. Medical records of 111,986 patients from 2000 to 2011 were reviewed for this study.

Women at greater stroke risk from resistant hyper-tension

Some 16,402 (14.6 per cent) patients had resistant hypertension. The risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE; a composite of all-cause mortality, acute coronary syndrome, and stroke) in patients with resistant hypertension and non-resistant hypertension was analysed.

The researchers found that 11,856 patients experienced MACE in the average 7.1 year follow up period. Patients with resistant hypertension had a 17 per cent increased risk of MACE compared to those with non-resistant hypertension.

When the researchers analysed the risk of different types of cardiovascular events separately they found that compared to patients with non-resistant hypertension, patients with resistant hypertension had a 17 per cent increased risk of stroke and a 34 per cent increased risk of ischaemic stroke but no increased risk of all-cause mortality or acute coronary syndrome.

“Our study shows that patients with resistant hypertension have higher risks for cardiovascular events than those with non-resistant hypertension. The elevated risks mainly contribute to increasing stroke events, especially ischaemic stroke,” Wang said.

Subgroup analysis showed that resistant hypertension increased the risks of stroke in females by 35 per cent and in elderly patients by 20 per cent. However, no significant influence was noted in young or male patients

Source: Business line

Consuming fruits regularly almost halves heart disease risk

A new study has suggested that eating fruits on a daily basis minimizes the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) up to 40 percent. The study presented at ESC Congress observed that that the more fruit people ate, the more their risk of CVD declined.

Consuming fruits regularly almost halves heart disease risk

Dr Du said that CVD, including ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke, was the leading cause of death worldwide and improving diet and lifestyle was critical for CVD risk reduction in the general population but the large majority of this evidence had come from western countries and hardly any from China.

She added that China had a different pattern of CVD, with stroke as the main cause compared to western countries where IHD is more prevalent. Previous studies had combined ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke probably due to the limited number of stroke cases in their datasets and given their different physiology and risk factors, they had conducted the first large prospective study on the association of fruit with subtypes of stroke in Chinese adults from both rural and urban areas.

The researchers found out that compared to people who never ate fruit, those who ate fruit daily cut their CVD risks by 25-40percent and there was a dose response relationship between the frequency of fruit consumption and the risk of CVD.

The researchers concluded that their results demonstrated that the benefit of eating fruit in the healthy general population and in patients with CVD and hypertension and fruit consumption was an effective way to cut CVD risk and should not only be regarded as might be useful

Sitting in an office chair for long periods

How much can sitting affect our body? Too much time spended in the sitting position is killing you. Sitting all day at work, and later on the couch or infront of computer at home have been proven to have negative  impact on human health.

Sitting in an office chair for long periods

Diabetes and heart disease.
Stressful working conditions are increasing the risk of stroke at women fir 88%, and employees who are middle-aged or older and sit most of the working time have twice the risk of diabetes, according to research from the British University of Leicester.

In order to improve the circulation of the blood and sugar balance, every hour stand and walk for five minutes or do some practice in office.

Hip pain.
This pain often affects women who work sitting, especially those who are genetically prone to getting osteoporosis.

Adjust your chair for your legs and back so thay can form an angle of 90 degrees. Allso practicing yoga can help with problems with hips.

Sitting in an office chair for long periods2

Weight Gain.
More than 60% of the employees in the office regularly snack unhealthy foods such as chips or chocolate, and experts say that the work associated with sitting and unhealthy diet are the main causes of obesity in countries around the world.Eat less fast food and unhealthy snacks, replace them with healthier options, such as dried fruit or nuts.

Dry eyes.
Looking at the computer screen causes pressure on the eye muscles. It causes dryness and deteriorating eyesight.

To prevent this, apply the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet in distance and hold the gaze 20 seconds. It will be enough for the eyes to rest.

Source: secretly healthy

FDA Approves New DVT Treatment

The FDA has approved the use of the anti-clotting drug apixaban (Eliquis) to treat deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

Apixaban is also now approved to lower the risk of DVT and PE returning in people who’ve already had one.

The FDA posted a copy of an Aug. 19 letter to drugmaker Bristol-Myers, announcing its decision. Apixaban was already approved for use in lowering the risks of stroke and blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem and to prevent DVT and PE in people who’ve had hip- or knee-replacement surgery.

FDA Approves New DVT Treatment

Last month the European Commission granted a similar extension of apixaban in countries where drug policies are covered by the European Medicines Agency.

Other blood thinners, including rivaroxaban (Xarelto)and dabigatran (Pradaxa), are also FDA-approved for the treatment of DVT and PE and the prevention of DVT or PE’s return.

Source: web md

‘Stem cells show promise in stroke recovery’

Infusing stem cells into the brain may help boost recovery after a stroke, according to a pilot study by Imperial College London. Scientists believe the cells encourage new blood vessels to grow in damaged areas of the brain.

Stem cells show promise in stroke recovery

They found most patients were able to walk and look after themselves independently by the end of the trial, despite having suffered severe strokes. Larger studies are needed to evaluate whether this could be used more widely. In this early trial – designed primarily to look at the safety of this approach – researchers harvested stem cells from the bone marrow of five people who had recently had a stroke.

‘Independent living’
They isolated particular types of stem cells – known as CD34+. These have the ability to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. They were infused directly into damaged sections of the brain, via the major artery that supplies this area. Scientists monitored the patients for six months, charting their ability to carry out everyday activities independently.

Four of the five patients had suffered particularly severe strokes – resulting in the loss of speech and marked paralysis down one side of the body. This type of stroke usually has a high fatality and disability rate. But researchers found three of the four patients were able to walk and look after themselves independently at the end of the six-month period. And with some help, all five were mobile and could take part in everyday tasks.

‘Natural protection’
Though other stem cell treatment has shown promise as stroke therapy before, this is the first UK study to investigate using this type of approach in the first week after a stroke.

Scientists hope getting to patients early will improve chances of success. Dr Soma Banerjee, who led the study, told the BBC: “This is encouraging and exciting early research. “Now we need to look at a larger group of patients and hope eventually to develop a treatment based on this approach.”

But Dr Tim Chico, from the University of Sheffield, who was not involved in the study, said: “It is important to understand this is only the very earliest step towards a possible new treatment for stroke and does not prove the stem cell treatment improved these patients’ recovery. “A much larger trial will be needed to compare stem cell treatment with no stem cell treatment.

“Anyone who has seen the suffering a stroke can cause will be encouraged that doctors and scientists are continually exploring new ways to treat this devastating disease.”

The study is published in Stem Cell Translational Medicine.

source: bbc news

Bone marrow stem cells show promise in stroke treatment, UCI team finds

bone-marrow-stem-cells-stroke-public

Stem cells culled from bone marrow may prove beneficial in stroke recovery, scientists at UC Irvine’s Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center have learned.

In an analysis of published research, neurologist Dr. Steven Cramer and biomedical engineer Weian Zhao identified 46 studies that examined the use of mesenchymal stromal cells – a type of multipotent adult stem cells mostly processed from bone marrow – in animal models of stroke. They found MSCs to be significantly better than control therapy in 44 of the studies.

Importantly, the effects of these cells on functional recovery were robust regardless of the dosage, the time the MSCs were administered relative to stroke onset or the method of administration. (The cells helped even if given a month after the event and whether introduced directly into the brain or injected via a blood vessel.)

“Stroke remains a major cause of disability, and we are encouraged that the preclinical evidence shows [MSCs’] efficacy with ischemic stroke,” said Cramer, a professor of neurology and leading stroke expert. “MSCs are of particular interest because they come from bone marrow, which is readily available, and are relatively easy to culture. In addition, they already have demonstrated value when used to treat other human diseases.”

He noted that MSCs do not differentiate into neural cells. Normally, they transform into a variety of cell types, such as bone, cartilage and fat cells. “But they do their magic as an inducible pharmacy on wheels and as good immune system modulators, not as cells that directly replace lost brain parts,” he said.

In an earlier report focused on MSC mechanisms of action, Cramer and Zhao reviewed the means by which MSCs promote brain repair after stroke. The cells are attracted to injury sites and, in response to signals released by these damaged areas, begin releasing a wide range of molecules. In this way, MSCs orchestrate numerous activities: blood vessel creation to enhance circulation, protection of cells starting to die, growth of brain cells, etc. At the same time, when MSCs are able to reach the bloodstream, they settle in parts of the body that control the immune system and foster an environment more conducive to brain repair.

“We conclude that MSCs have consistently improved multiple outcome measures, with very large effect sizes, in a high number of animal studies and, therefore, that these findings should be the foundation of further studies on the use of MSCs in the treatment of ischemic stroke in humans,” said Cramer, who is also clinical director of the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center.

The analysis appears in the April 8 issue of Neurology

Source: UCI rvine

Acupuncture improves brain functions in stroke sufferers

scalp-stroke

The activation/deactivation in several brain regions in patients with ischemic stroke may improve with both acupuncture at Waiguan (SJ5) and sham acupuncture.

However, there are some difference in Brodmann areas 4, 6, 8, Brodmann areas 7, 39, 40, Brodmann areas 18, 19, 22 and Brodmann areas 13, 24, 32, 28.

Most studies addressing the specificity of meridians and acupuncture points have focused mainly on the different neural effects of acupuncture at different points in healthy individuals.

Dr. Ji Qi and co-workers from School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University in China examined the effects of acupuncture on brain function in a pathological context, and compared the effects between Waiguan and sham points in 16 patients with ischemic stroke.

Compared with sham acupuncture, acupuncture at Waiguan in stroke patients inhibited Brodmann area 5 on the healthy side.

These findings indicated that the altered specificity of sensation-associated cortex (Brodmann area 5) is possibly associated with a central mechanism of acupuncture at Waiguan for stroke patients.

The study has been published in the journal Neural Regeneration Research.

Source: med india

Salt-reduction campaign led to decrease stroke, heart disease deaths

A nationwide campaign to reduce salt intake among people in the United Kingdom resulted in a drastic reduction in heart disease and stroke deaths among the population.

In 2003, the government in the U.K. launched a widespread effort to encourage companies to gradually reduce sodium levels in processed foods. Now, a new study in the British Medical Journal is showing the impact of this public health initiative.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 31,500 people participating in the Health Survey for England between 2003 to 2011. During the study period, levels of salt intake among the population decreased by about 15 percent. Over the same period, deaths from stroke decreased by 42 percent and deaths from coronary heart disease dropped by 40 percent.

Rates of smoking and overall cholesterol levels in the population declined over the same period, while produce intake and body mass index both increased. The researchers, from Queen Mary University of London, noted that the single largest factor contributing to the decline in deaths was decreased blood pressure among the population.

Some physicians noted that the U.K. has been far more proactive and successful at enforcing the reduction of sodium in foods, compared to the U.S.

“In the U.K., the political action group ‘Action on Salt’ worked with the government and the food industry to slowly wean the British populace off salt, with excellent results. Yet, our food industry has fought a similar action tooth and nail,” Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at UC San Francisco
Source: Fox news