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The U.S. stroke death rate has dropped 30% in the last 11 years, and a new report takes a look at the reasons. Because of the decline in deaths, stroke has slipped from third to fourth place among U.S. causes of death. Several causes appear to have had a role in this decline, a co-author of the report said. George Howard, Dr.P.H., is quoted in a December 3 article from HealthDay News. He said the most important reason may be improvements in control of high blood pressure. Another reason may be the reduction in smoking rates, he said. Cholesterol levels have declined as a result of better medicines. Treatments for stroke patients also have improved, Howard said. Howard teaches in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is a professor of biostatistics.

A vaccine used to prevent tuberculosis might also help people at high risk of developing multiple sclerosis, a new study suggests. Multiple sclerosis (MS) occurs when the immune system attacks the sheath that surrounds the body’s nerve cells. Some people first are diagnosed with “clinically isolated syndrome.” Symptoms include numbing and problems with vision, hearing and balance. About half of those with this syndrome will develop MS within 2 years. The new study included 73 people with this syndrome. They were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group received injections of a vaccine against tuberculosis that contained live but weakened bacteria. The other group received placebo (fake) injections. In the next 6 months, brain scans showed an average of 8 lesions (possible signs of MS) in those who got the placebo and 3 lesions in those who got the vaccine.