Showing posts with label drug. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drug. Show all posts
Friday, September 10, 2010
Frequent Stroke Risk Higher for Some Hispanics
Friday, September 10, 2010 | 
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Study finds,Mexican-Americans with atrial fibrillation twice as likely to suffer a second stroke compared to whites.
Mexican-American stroke survivors with a heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation are more than twice as likely to suffer a second stroke compared to white patients, a new study finds.
It also found that even though these strokes are more likely to be severe among Mexican-Americans, they don't have a greater risk of death after a second stroke.
In people with atrial fibrillation, the heart's upper chambers (atria) beat irregularly and don't pump blood effectively. This can cause blood to pool within the atria, which can lead to the formation of blood clots that can break off and travel to the brain, causing a stroke.
This study included 88 Mexican-Americans and 148 white stroke survivors with atrial fibrillation. Compared to the white patients, the Mexican-American stroke survivors were younger, less likely to have completed 12 years of education, more likely to have diabetes, and less likely to have a primary care physician.
Over a median follow-up of 427.5 days, 19 Mexican-Americans and 14 whites had at least one recurrent stroke. All but one of those cases involved an ischemic stroke, which is caused by blocked blood flow to the brain. One Mexican-American patient suffered a hemorrhagic stroke, which is bleeding in the brain.
"Based on some of our prior research, we were not necessarily surprised by the higher recurrence rate in Mexican-Americans with atrial fibrillation, but the greater severity of recurrent strokes in Mexican-Americans was surprising," co-author Dr. Darin B. Zahuranec, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Research Center in Ann Arbor, said in an American Heart Association news release.
One reason for the difference in stroke rates could be that Mexican-Americans may not have managed the blood-thinning drug warfarin -- often used to prevent stroke -- in the most optimal way, Zahuranec said. He and his colleagues did not evaluate outpatient use of warfarin, which might have contributed to the increased risk of stroke in Mexican-Americans.
Frequent Stroke Risk Higher for Some Hispanics
Study finds,Mexican-Americans with atrial fibrillation twice as likely to suffer a second stroke compared to whites.
Mexican-American stroke survivors with a heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation are more than twice as likely to suffer a second stroke compared to white patients, a new study finds.
It also found that even though these strokes are more likely to be severe among Mexican-Americans, they don't have a greater risk of death after a second stroke.
In people with atrial fibrillation, the heart's upper chambers (atria) beat irregularly and don't pump blood effectively. This can cause blood to pool within the atria, which can lead to the formation of blood clots that can break off and travel to the brain, causing a stroke.
This study included 88 Mexican-Americans and 148 white stroke survivors with atrial fibrillation. Compared to the white patients, the Mexican-American stroke survivors were younger, less likely to have completed 12 years of education, more likely to have diabetes, and less likely to have a primary care physician.
Over a median follow-up of 427.5 days, 19 Mexican-Americans and 14 whites had at least one recurrent stroke. All but one of those cases involved an ischemic stroke, which is caused by blocked blood flow to the brain. One Mexican-American patient suffered a hemorrhagic stroke, which is bleeding in the brain.
"Based on some of our prior research, we were not necessarily surprised by the higher recurrence rate in Mexican-Americans with atrial fibrillation, but the greater severity of recurrent strokes in Mexican-Americans was surprising," co-author Dr. Darin B. Zahuranec, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Research Center in Ann Arbor, said in an American Heart Association news release.
One reason for the difference in stroke rates could be that Mexican-Americans may not have managed the blood-thinning drug warfarin -- often used to prevent stroke -- in the most optimal way, Zahuranec said. He and his colleagues did not evaluate outpatient use of warfarin, which might have contributed to the increased risk of stroke in Mexican-Americans.
Friday, September 3, 2010
The New Study Identifies Risks for Painkiller Addiction
Greater odds if you're younger than 65, have a history of drug violence and depression, and use psychiatric meds. The mystery of why some people are more likely to become obsessed to opioid painkillers has been partially unraveled by the Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania.
Its researchers found that the group most helpless to addiction has four main risk factors in common: age a history of depression, prior drug abuse, and using psychiatric medications. Painkiller dependence rates among patients with these factors are as high as 26 percent.
For the study, they interviewed and analyzed DNA from 705 patients with back pain who were arranged opioid painkillers -- a class that includes such narcotics as morphine and codeine -- for more than 90 days.
The researchers also studied a gene on chromosome 15 that has been connected with alcohol, cocaine and nicotine addiction. The data recommended that DNA mutations on a gene gather on chromosome 15 may also be associated with opioid addiction. "These results suggest that patients with pre-existing risk factors are more likely to become addicted to painkillers, providing the basis for further clinical evaluation," Joseph Boscarino, an epidemiologist and senior researcher at Geisinger's Center for Health Research, said in a health system news release.
"By assessing patients in chronic pain for these risk factors before prescribing painkillers, doctors will be better able to treat their patients' pain without the probable for future drug addiction," he added. Boscarino and colleagues also said these same risk factors may enlarge the risk of drug addiction in patients without a history of chronic pain.
The New Study Identifies Risks for Painkiller Addiction
Greater odds if you're younger than 65, have a history of drug violence and depression, and use psychiatric meds. The mystery of why some people are more likely to become obsessed to opioid painkillers has been partially unraveled by the Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania.
Its researchers found that the group most helpless to addiction has four main risk factors in common: age a history of depression, prior drug abuse, and using psychiatric medications. Painkiller dependence rates among patients with these factors are as high as 26 percent.
For the study, they interviewed and analyzed DNA from 705 patients with back pain who were arranged opioid painkillers -- a class that includes such narcotics as morphine and codeine -- for more than 90 days.
The researchers also studied a gene on chromosome 15 that has been connected with alcohol, cocaine and nicotine addiction. The data recommended that DNA mutations on a gene gather on chromosome 15 may also be associated with opioid addiction. "These results suggest that patients with pre-existing risk factors are more likely to become addicted to painkillers, providing the basis for further clinical evaluation," Joseph Boscarino, an epidemiologist and senior researcher at Geisinger's Center for Health Research, said in a health system news release.
"By assessing patients in chronic pain for these risk factors before prescribing painkillers, doctors will be better able to treat their patients' pain without the probable for future drug addiction," he added. Boscarino and colleagues also said these same risk factors may enlarge the risk of drug addiction in patients without a history of chronic pain.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Cholesterol Testing Not Enough for Some
Test for Protein Called ApoB Better Measure of Heart Attack, Stroke Risk
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD
March 27, 2008 -- People at high risk for heart attacks and strokes may need even more aggressive cholesterol control than is currently recommended, experts now say.
In a joint statement released Thursday by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the experts concluded that measuring LDL, or bad, cholesterol may no longer be the best measure of heart health in these patients.
The panel found that once LDL cholesterol is lowered to recommended levels in high-risk patients, testing for the protein ApoB may more accurately identify those still at risk for cardiovascular events.
If ApoB levels are high, patients may need more aggressive lifestyle interventions or larger doses of lipid-lowering statin drugs, even if LDL cholesterol levels are within normal range, the panel concluded.
"LDL measurement is still very important," ADA Vice President of Clinical Affairs Sue Kirkman, MD, tells WebMD. "But for high-risk people who are on statin therapy it may not be enough to get LDL down below 100 or even 70."
LDL and ApoB
Achieving an LDL of below 100 milligrams/deciliter is now widely recommended for patients with two or more risk factors for heart disease and for those with diabetes but no other major heart disease risk factors.
Guidelines call for a target LDL at or below 70 for patients with established heart disease or diabetes with additional risk factors for heart disease.
These risk factors include high blood pressure, tobacco use, and family history of heart disease.
While aggressive cholesterol treatment has contributed to reductions in heart attacks and strokes, these events are still common among high-risk patients who reach the target goals, Kirkman says. This could occur if other cholesterol particles that contribute to risk are still elevated.
ApoB is a molecule that is present in all the cholesterol particles that significantly contribute to the development of atherosclerosis (also known as plaque or hardening of the arteries). The hope is that measuring ApoB will help patients and their doctors better gauge actual risk because ApoB will be a more accurate measure of the total number of all artery-clogging particles (not just LDL). There is growing evidence that ApoB levels are a better indicator of heart risk than total cholesterol or LDL.
For this reason, the joint panel recommends a target ApoB level of less than 90 for high-risk patients without established heart disease and less than 80 for the highest-risk patients with heart disease or with diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors.
Statins and Lifestyle
The report could lead to more aggressive treatment of high-risk patients with lipid-lowering statins, but the panel concluded that more research is needed to confirm the benefits of this approach.
The group also called for public health initiatives aimed at promoting lifestyle changes that reduce cardiovascular risk.
Kirkman says patients and their doctors often focus on drug treatments, forgetting that lifestyle changes can also have a big impact on risk.
"It is important to remember that lifestyle is a big part of this," Kirkman says. "Getting patients to improve their diets, stop smoking, and exercise are all critical. It isn't all about drugs."
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD
March 27, 2008 -- People at high risk for heart attacks and strokes may need even more aggressive cholesterol control than is currently recommended, experts now say.
In a joint statement released Thursday by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the experts concluded that measuring LDL, or bad, cholesterol may no longer be the best measure of heart health in these patients.
The panel found that once LDL cholesterol is lowered to recommended levels in high-risk patients, testing for the protein ApoB may more accurately identify those still at risk for cardiovascular events.
If ApoB levels are high, patients may need more aggressive lifestyle interventions or larger doses of lipid-lowering statin drugs, even if LDL cholesterol levels are within normal range, the panel concluded.
"LDL measurement is still very important," ADA Vice President of Clinical Affairs Sue Kirkman, MD, tells WebMD. "But for high-risk people who are on statin therapy it may not be enough to get LDL down below 100 or even 70."
LDL and ApoB
Achieving an LDL of below 100 milligrams/deciliter is now widely recommended for patients with two or more risk factors for heart disease and for those with diabetes but no other major heart disease risk factors.
Guidelines call for a target LDL at or below 70 for patients with established heart disease or diabetes with additional risk factors for heart disease.
These risk factors include high blood pressure, tobacco use, and family history of heart disease.
While aggressive cholesterol treatment has contributed to reductions in heart attacks and strokes, these events are still common among high-risk patients who reach the target goals, Kirkman says. This could occur if other cholesterol particles that contribute to risk are still elevated.
ApoB is a molecule that is present in all the cholesterol particles that significantly contribute to the development of atherosclerosis (also known as plaque or hardening of the arteries). The hope is that measuring ApoB will help patients and their doctors better gauge actual risk because ApoB will be a more accurate measure of the total number of all artery-clogging particles (not just LDL). There is growing evidence that ApoB levels are a better indicator of heart risk than total cholesterol or LDL.
For this reason, the joint panel recommends a target ApoB level of less than 90 for high-risk patients without established heart disease and less than 80 for the highest-risk patients with heart disease or with diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors.
Statins and Lifestyle
The report could lead to more aggressive treatment of high-risk patients with lipid-lowering statins, but the panel concluded that more research is needed to confirm the benefits of this approach.
The group also called for public health initiatives aimed at promoting lifestyle changes that reduce cardiovascular risk.
Kirkman says patients and their doctors often focus on drug treatments, forgetting that lifestyle changes can also have a big impact on risk.
"It is important to remember that lifestyle is a big part of this," Kirkman says. "Getting patients to improve their diets, stop smoking, and exercise are all critical. It isn't all about drugs."
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Caffeine - I Bet You Didn't Know This! Health and Nutrition!
By Nick A. James
What exactly is caffeine? It is a colorless, somewhat bitter substance that is found in coffee, tea, chocolate and cola. It is also in many over- the-counter medicines and in many diet/weight loss supplements. It is a stimulant and it is considered a psychoactive drug. It is the most widely consumed drug in this country. Drugmakers are required by law to list the amount of caffeine in their product, however, food and beverage companies do not have to. The caffeine that is taken out of coffee beans to produce decaffeinated coffee is then sold to drug companies and soft drink manufacturers.
It can be a welcome waker-upper in the morning taken in that morning cup of coffee. It also helps give some a boost to stay awake late in the day. However, the boost isn't necessarily instant as it takes about an hour for the effects of caffeine to make it's way through the bloodstream and into the system. It has benefits and it has side effects. It helps keep us alert. It stimulates the central nervous system. Some say it improves physical and mental performance. It has diuretic activity. Some studies list is as a mood elevator, and a pain reliever. Because of the increased alertness levels of those who consume caffeine, there has been improved performance in activities such as test-taking, driving, flying and problem solving.
There are side effects of caffeine though. Those are insomnia, nervousness, increased tension and anxiety-panic attacks, just from drinking the amount of 300 mg. The amount that causes these side effects vary from individual to individual, however, children seem to have a lower tolerance of it because of their lower body weight. The Food and Drug Administration advises pregnant women to avoid it altogether. The FDA does list it as a "safe food additive", even though pregnant women should avoid it. For those that take it regularly every day, going without it a day can cause withdrawal symptoms such as, headaches, irritability, a lack of energy and of course, sleepiness. These withdrawal symptoms are short lived though.
The following is a chart and the amount of caffeine in products you use and consume daily.
6 ounce cup of coffee - 64mg to 150mg
5 ounce cup of tea- 40mg
12 ounce can of cola- 40mg
hot cocoa - 1 cup 4mg
6 ounce chocolate bar 25mg
2 Excedrin tablets 130mg
Besides weight loss products and stay awake products and energy drinks, caffeine is being tested for pesticide use and it has been laced in women's panty hose for it's constrictive effects that are supposed to shrink thighs. Love it or hate it, caffeine is and always has been a big part of American culture and probably is here to stay.
About the author:
Nick A. James offers informative tips and information on nutrition, health and working from home. Get the Exclusive Free Report! -6 Steps to Simplify Your Life, Improve Your Health & Give You Dynamic Energy! His many years of Internet Marketing expertise puts him in unique position to help others starting a home business . For free newsletter, health blog , and cutting edge info contact him at: http://www.health-goji-juice.com
Circulated by Article Emporium
What exactly is caffeine? It is a colorless, somewhat bitter substance that is found in coffee, tea, chocolate and cola. It is also in many over- the-counter medicines and in many diet/weight loss supplements. It is a stimulant and it is considered a psychoactive drug. It is the most widely consumed drug in this country. Drugmakers are required by law to list the amount of caffeine in their product, however, food and beverage companies do not have to. The caffeine that is taken out of coffee beans to produce decaffeinated coffee is then sold to drug companies and soft drink manufacturers.
It can be a welcome waker-upper in the morning taken in that morning cup of coffee. It also helps give some a boost to stay awake late in the day. However, the boost isn't necessarily instant as it takes about an hour for the effects of caffeine to make it's way through the bloodstream and into the system. It has benefits and it has side effects. It helps keep us alert. It stimulates the central nervous system. Some say it improves physical and mental performance. It has diuretic activity. Some studies list is as a mood elevator, and a pain reliever. Because of the increased alertness levels of those who consume caffeine, there has been improved performance in activities such as test-taking, driving, flying and problem solving.
There are side effects of caffeine though. Those are insomnia, nervousness, increased tension and anxiety-panic attacks, just from drinking the amount of 300 mg. The amount that causes these side effects vary from individual to individual, however, children seem to have a lower tolerance of it because of their lower body weight. The Food and Drug Administration advises pregnant women to avoid it altogether. The FDA does list it as a "safe food additive", even though pregnant women should avoid it. For those that take it regularly every day, going without it a day can cause withdrawal symptoms such as, headaches, irritability, a lack of energy and of course, sleepiness. These withdrawal symptoms are short lived though.
The following is a chart and the amount of caffeine in products you use and consume daily.
6 ounce cup of coffee - 64mg to 150mg
5 ounce cup of tea- 40mg
12 ounce can of cola- 40mg
hot cocoa - 1 cup 4mg
6 ounce chocolate bar 25mg
2 Excedrin tablets 130mg
Besides weight loss products and stay awake products and energy drinks, caffeine is being tested for pesticide use and it has been laced in women's panty hose for it's constrictive effects that are supposed to shrink thighs. Love it or hate it, caffeine is and always has been a big part of American culture and probably is here to stay.
About the author:
Nick A. James offers informative tips and information on nutrition, health and working from home. Get the Exclusive Free Report! -6 Steps to Simplify Your Life, Improve Your Health & Give You Dynamic Energy! His many years of Internet Marketing expertise puts him in unique position to help others starting a home business . For free newsletter, health blog , and cutting edge info contact him at: http://www.health-goji-juice.com
Circulated by Article Emporium
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