Category: news-perspectives

An online tool can help people lower their blood pressure, researchers report. The program, called Heart360, is a free online tracking tool created by the American Heart Association. In the study, 298 people with high blood pressure were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group used Heart360. They uploaded data to the tool from their home blood pressure monitors. This information was sent to pharmacists, who were trained to monitor and adjust people’s medicines. The second group received usual care from their doctors. They also received pamphlets on managing high blood pressure, diet and exercise. After 6 months, 54% of the Heart360 group had lowered blood pressure to their target levels. About 35% of people in the usual-care group reached their goals. The differences were even wider for people with diabetes or kidney problems.

Some medicines can reduce symptoms in 60% of people with restless legs syndrome, a review of prior research finds. People with restless legs syndrome feel a need to move their legs, partly to relieve discomfort in the legs. The new study combined results of 29 prior studies. They looked at results of drug treatment in people with moderate or severe restless legs syndrome. People took various drugs. Two groups of drugs produced the best results. Medicines in one group are known as dopamine agonists. They include carbidopa/levodopa (Sinemet), pramipexole (Mirapex) and ropinirole (Requip). The other group of drugs includes gabapentin (Neurontin and generics), pregabalin (Lyrica) and carbamazepine (Tegretol and generics). Both types of drugs improved symptoms by at least half in about 61% of patients. About 40% of those who got placebo (fake) pills reported similar relief.

Nearly one-third of children with ADHD may also have it as adults, a study suggests. The study focused on 5,718 children. All were born in the area of Rochester, Minn., between 1976 and 1982. Researchers had access to medical records of 367 who were diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as children. Of that group, 232 agreed to be part of a follow-up study in their late 20s. About 29% still had symptoms of ADHD. More than half — 57% — also had another mental health issue. That compares with 35% of adults from the larger study who never had ADHD. Adults who had childhood ADHD also were twice as likely as others to have thought about or attempted suicide. The most common mental health issue in the ADHD group was alcohol abuse. The next two were antisocial personality disorder and other substance abuse.

The death of a brother or sister, especially from a heart attack, may increase your own risk of heart-attack death, a study finds. The study focused on 1.6 million Swedes, ages 40 to 69. Among women, those who lost a sibling were 25% more likely to die of a heart attack in the next several years than women whose siblings were living. For men, the increased risk was 15%. If the sibling died of a heart attack, women’s own risk of heart-attack death jumped 62%. This risk doubled among men who lost a sibling to a heart attack. The increased risk began 4 to 6 years after a sibling’s death for women and in 2 to 6 years after for men. Researchers don’t know why heart attack risk might be higher after a sibling’s death. The study does not show that one caused the other. Of course, siblings share many genes.

Five mental health disorders may be more alike than they seem — at a genetic level. That’s the conclusion of a study published February 28. Researchers from 19 countries took part. Together, they analyzed the genomes — the total genetic code — of more than 61,000 people. Some of them had autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression or schizophrenia. Others did not have any of these conditions. Variations in 4 areas of the genetic code were linked to all 5 disorders. Researchers cited 2 specific genes as a special concern. These genes regulate the flow of calcium in brain cells. This is a key part of how neurons signal each other. Researchers suggested that changes in genes could be one way that people become more vulnerable to these disorders. Usually, more than one change would have to occur for someone to develop a condition, they said.

Flu shots offered only 9% protection for people over 65 against the most severe strain of flu circulating this season, the U.S. government says. That strain was the most common this season as well as the one that caused the worst illness. Overall, the vaccine provided about 27% protection against 3 strains of influenza for adults over 65, the new report said. Protection was about 56% for all age groups. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the statistics February 21. Flu generally hits older adults harder, and flu shots don’t work as well for them. Overall, the effectiveness of this season’s vaccine was not much below average, experts told the Associated Press (AP). Because flu changes quickly, there’s a lot of guesswork in creating the vaccine. So 30% to 40% effectiveness is considered good for seniors, AP said. About 60% to 70% is acceptable for all groups.

Some patients may need fewer tests to keep track of a bulging artery, a new study suggests. The study focused on abdominal aortic aneurysm. This is a bulge in the aorta inside the belly area. If it ruptures (bursts), 8 out of 10 people die. Doctors order ultrasounds to keep track of when it’s big enough to make surgery worthwhile. But there’s no agreement on how often to do them. British researchers combined numbers from 18 previous studies. They came up with an ultrasound schedule that they estimated would result in only a 1% chance of rupture before the next test. They suggested tests every 2 years for aneurysms of 3.0 to 3.9 centimeters in diameter. This would increase to every year for 4.0 to 4.9 centimeters and every 6 months for 5.0 to 5.4 centimeters. That’s not much different from current U.S. practice. But British doctors do the scans much more often.

Children’s doctors have new guidelines to help them diagnose and treat children’s ear infections. The American Academy of Pediatrics issued the guidelines February 25. One goal is to reduce the use of antibiotics, which often are not needed. The guidelines were last updated in 2004. The new ones include the results of research done since then. They describe a more precise way to diagnose an ear infection. And for the first time they say it’s OK sometimes to wait before giving antibiotics to children ages 6 to 23 months. Immediate antibiotics are still recommended for children with severe infections or high fever. They also should be given when kids don’t get better within 48 to 72 hours, the guidelines say. Doctors are urged to give medicine for pain, especially during the waiting period.

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of U.S. women, and more of them realize it today than 15 years ago, a survey shows. About 56% of those surveyed last year knew about this risk. That’s nearly double the 30% rate in 1997. Awareness rose from 15% to 36% among black women and from 20% to 34% among Hispanics. Though that’s a sharp increase, rates still lagged those among white women. Young women had the lowest awareness of heart disease risk among all age groups, about 44%. The American Heart Association sponsored the survey, which included 2,400 women. This month marks the 10th anniversary of the group’s “Go Red for Women!” campaign. Public health campaigns have helped to boost awareness. Yet nearly half of U.S. women still don’t know that heart disease is their top risk of death. More efforts are needed, particularly among minority women, the study’s author told HealthDay News.

A new study may provide the best evidence yet that a Mediterranean-style diet reduces people’s risk of heart attack and stroke. Unlike previous studies, the new one randomly assigned 7,500 people to specific diets. They followed the diets for 5 years. In that time, people on Mediterranean diets had a 30% lower combined rate of heart attack, stroke and deaths from related causes. Considered separately, only the stroke rate reduction was large enough to be clearly not the result of chance. Everyone in the study had a high risk of developing heart disease or stroke. Nearly all were overweight or obese. Most had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. About half had diabetes. Two groups were randomly assigned to a Mediterranean diet. This included lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, tomato sauce, fish and legumes.