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Friday, February 26, 2021
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Migraines Are Linked to Heart Disease

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Migraines are linked to heart disease, according to a new study. Women who are prone to migraines face a greater risk of developing a cardiovascular disease. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, showed that women who suffer from migraines faced a higher risk of having a heart attack, angina, chest pain, as well as undergo cardiovascular procedures, than women who did not suffer from migraines.

"Migraines Are Linked to Heart Disease"

Migraine is the primary headache illness that affects about one-fifth of the US population.

Migraine is the primary headache illness that affects about one-fifth of both female and male population of the US. The female population is three to four times more prone to develop migraines than men. Because of the significant number of individuals who suffer from this disorder, any link between these two diseases would have a major effect on public health.

The finding was the work of a team of US and German scientists, who analyzed data from approximately 115,000 women aged 25-42, who were enrolled in an ongoing study on nurses’ health. About 17,500 nurses were diagnosed with migraine when initially examined. An additional number of roughly 6,300 women newly reported the diagnosis during follow-ups.

After a 20-year time frame, women who had migraines were found to have a 50 percent increased risk of developing heart-related diseases. Researchers revealed that 678 women suffered a heart attack, while 651 women had a stroke; 223 died from cardiovascular problems. Up to 203 women had angina or had to get a heart-related procedure.

The results support the findings of previous studies which have also linked migraine with an increased risk of heart disease. Researchers say that this adds further evidence that migraines should be considered an important risk factor, at least in women.

Although there are other risk factors, such as smoking, hypertension, or high cholesterol, that influence the risk to a greater degree than migraines, the findings are cause for concern. Almost 25 percent of American women are known to suffer from migraines.

It is believed that migraines are linked to heart disease because they share similar underlying mechanisms. No clear answer can yet be provided. Researchers do acknowledge that the mere correlation does not imply causation. This means that more research is in order to determine if migraines can be considered a cause for heart diseases.

IMAGE SOURCE: penabiru.com

Low Life Expectancy for Patients with Autism

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"Low Life Expectancy for Patients with Autism "

A Swedish study pointed out that patients suffering from autism have a lower life expectancy than others.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – A new milestone study on autism spectrum disorder unveiled several disheartening and shocking facts about those who suffer from the disease. According to this new study, which has performed by a team of Swedish scientists, patients who are autistic have a lower life expectancy, suicide and epilepsy being the two most common death causes.

The study in question was carried out by the Karolinska Institute, from Sweden. Doctor Tatja Hirvikoski, the lead author of the study, said that these new findings are shocking and disheartening for those who suffer from this malady.

Moreover, the doctor and her team made a point to convey a warning to Autistica, a charity from the United Kingdom, dedicated to helping people suffering from autism spectrum disorder. Dubbed one of the largest autism NGOs in the world, Autistica was more than appalled to hear the results of this new inquiry.

The Swedish study pointed out that people suffering from autism spectrum disorder live 16 years less than people who do not suffer from this disease. Furthermore, as the new study indicates, patients with autism frequently have more than one associated conditions.

According to the recent survey, more than once percent of UK’s population is suffering from autism. This means that approximately 700.000 people from the UK are in dire need of care since the disease impedes one’s ability to communicate or share thoughts with others.

Moreover, the study has also pointed out that the life expectancy of those who suffer from autism is very small. Doctor Hirvikoski reported that the average age of death for those suffering from autism is 39 years old and that people who suffer from this condition tend to die 16 to 30 years earlier than most people.

It would seem that the two leading causes of death among autistic patients are epilepsy and suicide. Presently, the science community is quite oblivious when it comes to establishing a direct connection between epilepsy and autism.

To this extent, Autistica, the charity, plans on raising approximately 10 million pounds over the next five years in order to conduct in-depth research on epilepsy and autism.

Quoting the same study, it would seem that less than 15 percent of autistic patients, who don’t suffer from mental disabilities, find employment. The same study pointed out that more than 25 percent of patients are either unable or unwilling to share even a single word.

Moreover, it would seem that neither the patients suffering from the milder forms of autism are not spared. The Swedish study pointed out that patients who did not have any mental disabilities die 12 years earlier than other, heart disease and suicide being quoted as prime factors.

Jon Spiers, the head of Autistica declared in a press interview that the matters uncovered by the Swedish study are shocking, to say the least and that more research is needed in order to see how we can help people suffering from this condition.

Photo credits:flickr

Keep Your Heart Healthy With These Foods

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"Keep Your Heart Healthy With These Foods"

Keep in mind that you can help your ticker with a healthy and balanced diet.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Heart-related conditions are one of the major causes of death in women in the United States. But doctors are trying to raise awareness on the subject and educate the citizens on the benefits of a healthy diet. You don’t have to eat grass and seeds in order to have a healthy ticker, but you can keep your heart healthy with these foods.

So clean your fridge and cupboards and get ready to get healthy, because we are about to show some foods that won’t only give you an edge against diseases, but will also keep you fit.

Before we show you the list, we should take a few moment to talk about how this list was created in the first place. We all know for a fact that cardiovascular disease is at the top of the list when it comes to risks. Unhealthy food packed with the bad kind of fat and a sedentary lifestyle are two major factors involved in various heart diseases.

Now, regarding cardiovascular disease, most of them can be attributed to an unbalanced meal, packed with high-cholesterol foods. The excess cholesterol from meals ends up building up on the walls of your arteries. This can lead to all sorts of complications, from embolisms, heart and brain strokes to sudden cardiac arrest.

So it’s no wonder that we should tread carefully when it comes selecting our meals. With this in mind, we are now going to discuss the most popular foods that can improve your heart’s health.

Note that this list was put together by analysts from HealthGrove. The analysts identified 25 different foods that are good for your heart and scored them according to the Heart Health Index. In order calculate each food’s score, the analysts divided each meal into two categories: those who contain good nutrients such as selenium, B3, magnesium and calcium and those who contain the so-called bad-nutrients like fat, cholesterol and saturated fat.

After grading each meal according to this index, the analysts divided the good against the bad score and the result is the foods overall Heart Health Index.

Now, according to this list, it would seem that tofu received the highest score. With 80 calories per serving and 2.2 grams of carbs, this is exactly what to need in order to wash down a hefty Sunday dinner.

Moreover, there are other foods which received a good mark. Sunflower seeds, for instance, are a good source of selenium and B3, followed by Agar seaweeds, brown rice and quinoa.

More on the meaty side, the yellowfin tuna received a good mark, follow by blue mussels, Atlantic cod, Pacific Halibut and Sockeye Salmon.

Keep your heart healthy with these foods, fresh air and plenty of physical exercises.

Photo credits:www.pixabay.com

Bradycardia Patients Are Not At Risk for Heart Disease

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"heart with a heartbeat line drawn on it"

Bradycardia is a heart condition when the heartbeat is lower than 60 beats per minute.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Latest study shows that bradycardia patients are not at risk for heart disease. According to Doctor Ajay Dharod, the lead researcher in the study, people whose heart beats slower than normal (bradycardia) are not at risk to develop heart disease later on in their life.

In order to measure your heartbeat, you can place the index and the middle finger of your right hand onto the veins on your left (usually those at the wrist level). After finding the pulse, you can proceed to count the beats for an interval of 10 seconds. At the end, you multiply your result with 6 and you get the heartbeat rate. The procedure can also be applied at the carotid artery level if you feel that the pulse is easier to find there.

Dr. Dharod, who is an internal medicine instructor at the Baptist Medical Center from Wake Forest declared that patients that suffered from an asymptomatic form of bradycardia (that had a heart rate in between 40 and 50 beats per minute) presented no additional risks of developing a cardiovascular disease than any other patient with a normal heart beat (between 60 and 100 beats per minute).

The cited study was conducted on a sample of 6,733 patients. It started in 2000 and ended in 2002. The participants chosen to be monitored were followed closely by the team of physicians for almost a decade.

Another interesting find of doctor Dharod’s team was the fact that they did not found an increased mortality risk in patients that did not take the medication meant to improve their heart rate. The levels of mortality were the same in patients with a slow heartbeat, an increased heartbeat (usually over 80 beats per minute) that took the prescribed medication and those who didn’t.

But there are risks for people who suffer from bradycardia. Doctor Dharod says that asymptomatic bradycardia is dangerous for those who haven’t been diagnosed because there are a couple of treatments that have a lower heartbeat as a side effect. And even though bradycardia patients are not at risk for heart disease, this kind of effects can put a patient at a great risk.

The symptoms for bradycardia are usually shortness of breath, chest pain, fainting, nausea and light-headedness. Asymptomatic bradycardia, as the name suggests it, doesn’t present itself with symptoms and so patients could live with it for years. The best way to rule it out is to have regular routine check-ups. Even though bradycardia patients are not at risk for heart disease, it is always better to rule out any danger.

Image source: www.pixabay.com

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