Health ShortsNovember 2003Would You Recognize a Stroke?
When a stroke hits, it's important to know the signs and get help immediately. Nevertheless, a recent telephone survey of 61,019 adults found that only 17 percent could correctly identify the symptoms and said they would call 911 for someone displaying the signs. Symptoms include: sudden weakness or numbness, slurred speech, disorientation and difficulty understanding.
[SOURCE: Alison Cook, "Few Know Signs of Stroke, or How to Get Help," Reuters Health, October 30, 2003 from American Journal of Preventive Medicine, November, 2003] Preventing Gallstones
Studies show a number of diet and lifestyle choices that either increase or decrease the risk of developing gallstones. Protective factors: < UL > - Moderate alcohol intake reduces the risk of gallstones by 25 percent in both men and women.
- Some studies have found that coffee consumption lowers risk.
- A vegetarian diet is associated with fewer stones.
- Regular exercise and a high-fiber diet also reduce the risk.
- Factors associated with an increased risk:
- One study found that hormone replacement therapy tripled the risk for postmenopausal women.
Rapid weight loss or fasting increases the risk of stone formation.
o [SOURCE: M. Acalovschi, "Cholesterol Gallstone: From Epidemiology to Prevention," Postgraduate Medical Journal, April, 2001] Weight Loss or Gain Ups Risk
Obesity is a known risk factor for the development of gallstones. Ironically, the kind of rapid weight loss achieved with bariatric surgery (in which the stomach is stapled or banded) can also cause stones to form. Doctors recommend moderate weight loss over an extended period for those who are severely overweight. When bariatric surgery produces rapid weight loss, patients can be prescribed medication that inhibits stone formation.
[SOURCE: Malcolm Bateson, "Gallbladder Disease," British Medical Journal, June 26, 1999] Running Away from Gallstones
Moderate exercise is known to decrease the risk of gallstones. A recent study of 25,000 adults in the United Kingdom found that more intense exercise has an even greater effect. Those who did an hour or more of exercise daily reduced their risk of gallstones by as much as 60 percent.
[SOURCE: "The Gall of It All," Runner's World, September, 2003] Java Trumps Stones
Drinking at least four cups of coffee daily lowers a woman's risk of developing gallbladder disease by almost one quarter, according to data from 80,898 women in the Nurses' Health Study.
[SOURCE: "Coffee and Cholecystectomy," Family Practice News, January 15, 2003] Avoiding After-Effects of Surgery
Complications involving the brain and central nervous system are among the most troubling after-effects of heart bypass surgery. The most serious of these, affecting 3 to 6 percent of patients, include stroke, transient ischemic attacks (or min-strokes) and coma. Less severe impairments of memory, attention, concentration and thinking occur in 20 to 80 percent. For some patients, major deficits may last as long as five years after surgery. Studies show that those most likely to suffer lingering problems are patients showing symptoms soon after the surgery. Many doctors believe that beating heart or off-pump surgery can bring about a reduction in neurological after-effects. Research to date, however, has been inconclusive on this matter.
[SOURCE: Vipin Zamvar, et al, "Assessment of Neurocognitive Impairment after Off-Pump and On-Pump Techniques for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: Prospective Randomised Controlled Trial," British Medical Journal, November 30, 2002] Overweight Patients Benefit
Overweight persons are at high risk of complications following coronary artery bypass graft surgery, but the incidence of these complications was reduced by half among patients having beating heart or off-pump surgery, according to one recent study. Gianni Angelini, M.D. of the University of Bristol (England) and his colleagues studied 4,321 patients undergoing CABG from 1996 to 2001. They found that among overweight patients, those having the beating heart procedure had shortened intensive care and hospital stays and a reduced risk of stroke and the need for blood transfusions.
[SOURCE: "'Off-Pump' Surgery Reduces Complications in Overweight Patients," Heart Disease Weekly," October 20, 2002] Grandparenting May Be Hazardous
About 15 percent of American women have been or are responsible for the care of a grandchild for an extended period-six months or more. While the experience may be rewarding, it is also stressful. Data from more than 54,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study found that those who cared for their grandchildren at least nine hours a week were 55 percent more likely than other subjects to have a heart attack. Those who worked outside the home in addition to their child care duties did not have an increased risk.
[SOURCE: Sunmin Lee, American Journal of Public Health, November, 2003, reported by Reuters Health, October 30, 2003] Pain a Common Theme at age 70
A Swedish study of 241 men and women, age 70, found that pain was a common theme in their lives. About 79 percent of the women and 53 percent of the men had experienced pain within the past two weeks-most commonly in the lower back, upper back, shoulders, arms, hands or knees. Pain was associated with symptoms of depression in all subjects but the association was strongest among males.
[SOURCE: Ingrid Bergh, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, October, 2003, reported by Reuters Health, October 30, 2003] Adult Tonsillectomy Usually Effective
Many adults remember having their tonsils removed; from the 1930s through the 1960s, childhood tonsillectomy was common. Doctors today favor a more conservative approach, believing that for most children tonsillectomy may offer more risks than benefits. On the other hand, adults who still have their tonsils and suffer from frequent sore throats may well benefit from having their tonsils removed. A study of 83 adults undergoing tonsillectomy found that their quality of life improved significantly over the next 38 months. They had fewer days lost from work, fewer physician visits and a decrease in the number of weeks they had to take antibiotics. The annual cost savings was estimated at $1,275 per patient.
[SOURCE: Sharon Worcester, "Adult Tonsillectomy," Internal Medicine News," January 1, 2003] What's Behind Your Sore Throat?
If you've got a sore throat, it's more than likely a symptom of a cold, which is caused by a virus and cannot be treated with antibiotic medication. Treatment involves rest, plenty of fluids, warm salt water gargles and pain medications. Other viral causes of a sore throat include the flu, mononucleosis, measles, chicken pox, whooping cough and croup. One of the most serious of these, mono, causes swollen glands and extreme fatigue that can last six weeks or longer. The most common bacterial cause of a sore throat is strep throat. While a throat culture will confirm strep, it may not detect other possible bacterial causes such as diphtheria or infections from oral sexual contacts. All require treatment with antibiotics. A sore throat can also be associated with - an allergy to pollens, molds, dust or animal dander;
- irritation caused by dry air, tobacco smoke, pollutants or chemicals in the air;
- voice strain from yelling at a sports event or public speaking; or regurgitation of stomach acids during sleep.
[SOURCE: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, "Sore Throats: What Causes a Sore Throat?", 2002] OCD Affects Children Too
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)-a neuropsychiatric illness that involves compulsive washing, counting, ordering, checking, touching or list making-is usually identified with adults, but the disorder can affect children as well, with symptoms appearing as early as age three. It's estimated that at least a third of Americans with the illness are under age 15. A child who constantly prays, repeats words over and over or constantly buttons and unbuttons his shirt before deciding he can wear it may have obsessive compulsive disorder. As with adults, they know these rituals are senseless but are helpless to stop themselves. Early identification and treatment are important.
[SOURCE: "Obsessions and Compulsions in Children," Harvard Mental Health Letter, July, 2002] OCD versus Phobias
Even though they may both fear or seek to avoid certain situations or objects, individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) differ in a number of ways from those with phobias. Persons with phobias are fixated on coming into contact with the situation or object they fear; those with OCD are more concerned with the elaborate, time-consuming rituals they perform to ensure safety. Those with phobias experience terror at the thought of coming into contact with the feared object; those with OCD experience feelings of embarrassment and disgust related to their behavior.
[SOURCE: Sharon Valente, "Perspective in Psychiatric Care," October-December, 2002] | 
