Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

Doctors are rethinking their recommendations about a supplement used to help slow dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). They’re advising people to keep taking the pill even when they reach the late stage of the disease. Previously, the supplement—a cocktail of antioxidant nutrients known as the AREDS2 formula—was believed to slow disease progression only in the beginning and intermediate stages of dry AMD. New evidence suggests the supplement might also slow vision loss in late-stage dry AMD.

High levels of Lp(a)—a fatty particle similar to LDL cholesterol—may double or triple a person’s risk of a heart attack. About one in five adults may have elevated levels, which also raises the risk of stroke and aortic stenosis. Unlike LDL, which rises with age and is influenced by diet and exercise, Lp(a) remains largely constant over a person’s lifetime, so a one-time test suffices for screening. Lp(a) testing is becoming more common now that five promising new Lp(a) therapies are in development.

After a heart attack or stent placement, people typically take a combination of aspirin and another antiplatelet drug. After one year, the new standard practice is to stop the aspirin, in contrast to the previous practice of stopping the other drug.

Social media sources may share misleading information about canola, soybean, and other seed oils. But these oils, which consist mostly of unsaturated fat, can be a good source of heart-healthy fat when combined with whole, fresh foods rather than in processed foods like crunchy, salty, or sweet snack foods. Consuming unsaturated fat in place of saturated fat (found mainly in animal-based foods) is linked to a lower risk of heart attack and death from heart disease.

Fatigue is a relative term, meaning each of us evaluate our current energy level based upon how we feel most of the time. For example, people who are very energetic and go nonstop from early morning to late at night might say they have fatigue if they felt like most of us do every day.

Despite that variation, most people do have a sense when their level of fatigue feels like something more than just being tired. If that's case, even if it lasted only seven to 10 days, it's time to call your doctor's office. Signs that your fatigue might be related to an underlying illness or infection include low grade fever, night sweats, shortness of breath or loss of appetite. Other triggers for calling your doctor might be waking up exhausted despite a good night's sleep, not feeling motivated to begin the day, or struggling to do activities that are usually easy for you. 

Hyperthyroidism means that there is abnormally high amounts of thyroid in the blood stream. Hyperthyroidism can happen when the thyroid gland either makes or secretes excess thyroid hormone or when people take a higher dose of thyroid pills than they need. Although some observational studies suggest hyperthyroidism may increase the risk of infection, hyperthyroidism should not make a person immunocompromised.

Broken heart syndrome (officially known as takotsubo syndrome) causes symptoms similar to a heart attack. While intense emotional stress can trigger the condition, physical stressors such as surgery or severe illness are more common causes. Most cases occur in women, but proportion of cases recognized in men has risen in recent decades. Most people fully recover within weeks to months. But those who also have other serious health conditions may face a higher risk of dying within two months after being diagnosed with takotsubo syndrome.

Up to 40% of American adults have reported difficulty swallowing pills. Older adults are more susceptible to this problem, known as dysphagia, because they take more medications. Dysphagia may provoke people to abandon their medication regimen. Problems swallowing pills are typically traceable either to the medication or the person taking it. Drugs can cause dry mouth, affect taste, irritate the esophagus, or cause sedative effects. Conditions that affect swallowing include cancer, stroke, neurological diseases, and hiatal hernia.