Prevention zeroes in on families of heart disease sufferers
Filed under: Family history, Prevention
Earlier this year, my great-aunt passed away suddenly from an unknown heart condition. Her doctor recommended that all of her siblings, children, and nieces and nephews be screened for heart problems as well, flagging them at a higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Thankfully, no problems were uncovered, but they are now aware of the higher risk associated with having heart disease in our family.Scottish researchers believe that if family members of those with known heart disease were singled out as high-risk and their risk factors gotten under control, up to 40% of early deaths from cardiac events could be prevented. Even so, this type of flagging system is rarely used, even though it is common procedure among families with genetic cancers.
So if someone in your family has had some form of heart disease or heart attack, be sure that you know your risks. Talk to your doctor and tackle any problems that increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and protect your heart for the long haul.
Gladys Knight supports type 2 diabetes research and prevention in memory of mother
Filed under: Type 2, Adult Onset
My soul is inspired whenever I discover a celebrity advocate for diabetics. The famous R&B performer, Gladys Knight, has been singing the praises of type 2 diabetes prevention for years.
Her mother, Elizabeth Knight, passed away 10 years ago from type 2 complications. In her honor and all those living with type 2 diabetes, Gladys Knight and family established the Elizabeth Knight Fund through the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to support peer-reviewed diabetes research and awareness programs in communities nationwide. Ms. Knight also collaborated with the ADA on a cookbook of diabetic recipes, At Home With Gladys Knight, initially released in 2001.
The Knight family believes education is critical to living a long and healthy life with type 2. Their mother's legacy lives on in the hearts of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetics alike, thanks to the good works of the Elizabeth Knight Fund.
[RESEARCH] Case-control study of self reported genitourinary infections and risk of gastroschisis: findings from the national birth defects prevention study, 1997-2003
Objective To assess the association between genitourinary infections in the month before conception to the end of the first trimesterand gastroschisis.
Design Case-control study with self reported infections from a computer assisted telephone interview.
Setting National birth defects prevention study, a multisite, population based study including 10 surveillance systems for birth defects in the United States.
Participants Mothers of 505 offspring with gastroschisis and 4924 healthy liveborn infants as controls.
Main outcome measure Adjusted odds ratios for gastroschisis with 95% confidence intervals.
Results About 16% (n=81) of case mothers and 9% (n=425) of control mothers reported a genitourinary infection in the relevant time period; 4% (n=21) and 2% (n=98) reported a sexually transmitted infection and 13% (n=67) and 7% (n=338) reported a urinary tract infection, respectively. Case mothers aged <25 years reported higher rates of urinary tract infection alone and in combination with a sexually transmitted infection compared with control mothers. In women who reported both types of infection, there was a greater risk of gastroschisis in offspring (adjusted odds ratio 4.0, 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 11.6).
Conclusion There is a significant association between self reported urinary tract infection plus sexually transmitted infection just before conception and in early pregnancy and gastroschisis.
Early prevention of Type 1 diabetes human trials
Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Drugs, Research
ImmunoMod has received an FDA Orphan Drug Grant award to pursue human trials focused on preventing the onset of Type 1 Diabetes by protecting beta cell function in early-stage diabetic youth.
When diabetes is first diagnosed, a short window of time known as "the honeymoon stage" exists to preserve the body's ability to create insulin. During this critical stage an individual has the best chance to protect the beta cells and stop the onset of the disease. Studies have shown that regeneration of damaged cells can occur if beta cells can be preserved. The problem to date has been the inability to prolong the preservation of these beta cells.
While some treatments have decelerated beta cell destruction, their effects have been temporary, caused toxic effects and required continuous treatment. ImmunoMod appears to effectively and safely protect beta cells for prolonged periods of time. The goal is to retard or reverse the destruction of these cells during the honeymoon phase, when cells first begin to lose function, which typically lasts about six months. I wonder if it's possible to reintroduce the honeymoon stage for Type 1 diabetics who have already been diabetic for decades?
20 very good reasons to get active
Filed under: Prevention, Exercise
If you're not already getting regular activity, I just have one question: What's stopping you? There are so many reasons to exercise, and the truth is, you don't need to sweat your life away in a crowded gym -- take up an activity that you enjoy, like swimming, walking, rowing, etc. The only catch is you have get your heart rate up. Still not convinced? Read this article called 20 Proven Health Benefits of Exercise. To name a few? Exercise prevents things as minor as a cold and things as major as heart attacks. Also? It can improve your sex life. Read the full article for more inspiration.
If you're already active, what got you moving?
What you need to know about coronary heart disease
Filed under: Prevention, Research, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health
How much do you know about coronary heart disease? I'll admit that I don't know much -- afterall, I'm young and healthy and far from heart problems ... at least I hope I am. But everyone should be informed about their health. We don't need medical degrees but we should know what risks we face and what arising symptoms could mean.Dr. Naidu of Heart Matters recently posted this info on coronary heart disease, including the risk factors and prevention methods. By living a healthy lifestyle, not smoking, being active and managing my stress, I'm doing pretty well at preventing coronary heart disease, and it's good to know what I'm doing right. Don't you think?
Heart health and family history
Filed under: Family history, Prevention
When we first applied for life insurance, my marathon running husband was shocked to find out that his premium would be twice as high as mine. The reason, according to our agent, was his strong family history of early heart disease. Though we knew that genetics play a role, we thought that a healthy lifestyle would balance things out. Not so, at least in the eyes of life insurance companies.A healthy lifestyle does have a significant impact on your heart health, but if you've been wondering just how much of a role family history plays in your personal risk of cardiovascular disease, check out this article from WebMD. It covers the basics of family history and may help initiate a conversation about prevention with your doctor.
Blood pressure: 20 ways to do something about it
Filed under: Prevention, Men Heart Health
Who knows why so many people, men particularly, ignore their high blood pressure and don't make any moves to lower it -- only 1/3 of all patients with a diagnosis of hypertension have it under any kind of control at all. It's one of those illnesses that you can't necessarily feel doing damage, so it's easier to ignore. But whether you feel it happening or not, it is slowly killing you: among other things having high blood pressure increases your risk of heart attack by 4 times.Msn has compiled this list of 20 different things you can do to help lower your blood pressure. Although the article is written for men specifically, many of the tips are good for all of us, man or woman. Some things, like inactivity and stress, affect us all!
Blood triglycerides may be better heart attack predictor
Filed under: Prevention, Research
If you've had your cholesterol checked (and if you haven't, you should!), then you're probably familiar with the 12-hour fast that comes with it. Though typically not a big deal -- many patients just go in the morning before breakfast -- some people find it inconvenient. New studies, however, have shown that testing for a certain type of blood fat, triglycerides, after a person has had a meal may be a better way to assess their risk factors for heart attack and heart disease. By fasting, certain information is excluded from that test and researchers say that same information is crucial when assessing a person's risk. Your doctor may still require the fasting test, but may also want to check your triglycerides 2-4 hours after you've eaten a meal. DIY blood typing kit
Filed under: Prevention
Have you had a chance to check out our latest new blog? DIY Life highlights the best of do-it-yourself on the web, and there's some really interesting stuff over there. For example, this DIY blood typing kit is kind of neat. For less than $10, you can send away for an at-home testing kit that contains everything you need to find out your blood type. When you're finished, you can laminate the card to carry in your wallet.Knowing your blood type is typically not a top priority, but in an emergency it can be critical. Matching blood types is crucial during transfusions and certain blood types can only receive a specific type of blood. Though it's simple enough for your doctor to test your blood type, if you haven't had it done or if you don't have any blood work scheduled, this little test might be helpful.