The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health |
| Posted: 20 Jul 2011 04:16 AM PDT THERE'S yet another reason for women to stay fit, eat healthy, abstain from smoking and maintain their weight at a healthy level: those who do so may be less likely to die from sudden cardiac death, a United States study revealed. Each of the different factors – a Mediterranean-style diet, a healthy weight, not smoking and exercise – were linked to a smaller chance of sudden cardiac death, which is related to a malfunctioning of the electrical rhythm of the heart, the study in the Journal Of The American Medical Association revealed. Added together, the factors were tied to a 92% reduced risk. "The more you adhere to this healthy lifestyle, the better you are in terms of your risk of sudden cardiac death," said Stephanie Chiuve from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, the lead author of the study. Sudden cardiac death is responsible for half of all cardiac deaths, with about 250,000 to 310,000 cases occurring annually in the United States, the authors write. Chiuve and her colleagues looked at results from the Nurses' Health Study, in which more than 81,000 women periodically answered surveys about their health and lifestyle over 26 years. During the span of the study, 321 women suffered sudden cardiac death at an average age of 72. Women who ate a diet closest to the Mediterranean diet, which has a high proportion of vegetables, fruits, nuts, omega-3 fats, and fish, along with moderate amounts of alcohol and small amounts of red meat, had the lowest risk of sudden cardiac death – 40% less than those whose diets least resembled the Mediterranean diet. Normal-weight women were 56% less likely to suffer sudden cardiac death compared to obese women, while at least 30 minutes a day of exercise reduced the risk by 28%. Women who had never smoked were 75% less likely to suffer sudden cardiac death than women who smoked at least 25 cigarettes per day. The study, funded by the US National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, did not look at how long women stuck to each of the healthier lifestyle factors, nor was it able to prove that healthy living is actually responsible for the drop in sudden cardiac death risk. But the researchers did conclude that 81% of cases of sudden cardiac death were due to unhealthy lifestyles. Chiuve said the results were important for understanding who is at risk from sudden cardiac death. Most people are flagged as being at high risk because of other health problems, such as a past heart attack. "But with sudden cardiac death, the majority (of cases) occur in the general population. Lifestyle is not something that's generally focused on in sudden cardiac death research," she said. And a side-benefit of lifestyle-based efforts to prevent sudden cardiac death, a rare condition, are the positive impact it can have on more common health problems, such as diabetes, stroke and coronary disease, she added. – Reuters Health Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Posted: 20 Jul 2011 03:35 AM PDT A person with peripheral neuropathy may lose his sense of touch, and more. I HAVE been suffering from peripheral neuropathy since February this year. I cannot work as it has affected my balance due to muscle weakness and constant tingling at the tips of my fingers. I cannot feel cold or hot or pain. What is peripheral neuropathy? Peripheral neuropathy denotes damage to your peripheral nervous system. Your nervous system is divided into the central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord) and peripheral nervous system (all the nerves that run from the spinal cord to every other part of your body). Your peripheral nerves send information from your brain via the spinal cord to enact a muscle action. They also send sensory information back to your brain as to whether a certain part of your body is experiencing pain, hot or cold, touch or pressure. If your peripheral nerves should be damaged in any way, these messages or information lines will be disrupted. Every peripheral nerve has a highly specialised function in a specific part of your body. So your symptoms will depend on which nerve/nerves are affected. Can only one nerve be damaged or is it always a group of nerves? Only one nerve can indeed be damaged. This is called mononeuropathy. But it is not as common as multiple nerves being affected, meaning polyneuropathy. In most polyneuropathies, the nerve fibres that are farthest away from your brain and spinal cord usually are affected first, spreading upwards. Your feet are affected first, then your ankles, progressing slowly up your legs; then your fingers, hands, arms, ascending to your trunk. This damage is also usually symmetrical, meaning both sides of your body are affected simultaneously. Sometimes, two or more isolated nerves in separate areas of your body are affected. This is called mononeuritis multiplex. Some neuropathies happen very quickly. This is called acute neuropathy. Others happen slowly and insidiously – chronic neuropathy. What types of peripheral neuropathy are there? The main ones depend on what type of nerves are affected – motor, sensory or autonomic. The motor nerves are the ones that control the movements of your muscles under your brain's conscious control – like walking, speaking, eating, talking and writing. The sensory nerves transmit sensation, as described earlier. The autonomic nerves regulate unconscious body functions, such as sweating, the raising of the hairs on your arms, breathing, heartbeat and food digestion. So terms like motor neuropathy, sensory neuropathy and autonomic neuropathy can be used. How will I know if I have peripheral neuropathy? It depends on which types of nerves are affected. If a motor nerve is affected, then you may have muscle weakness, cramps or fasciculations (muscle twitching that is visible). Then the muscle degenerates and there is loss of tone and changes in the skin, hair and nails. If a sensory nerve is affected, you may suffer inability to feel touch and vibrations, which leads to numbness, especially in your hands and feet. It's almost as if you are wearing gloves and stockings. Your reflexes may be lost, as well as sense of positioning, so that you can't walk properly or button your shirt. There is such a thing as neuropathic pain, which can keep you up at night. A damaged sensory nerve can also lead to the inability to estimate temperature or feel pain, so that you can walk on a pin on the floor, have it stab you, and not even notice it. If an autonomic nerve is affected, you may be unable to sweat properly or suffer loss of control over your blood pressure and urination, leading to lightheadedness and incontinence. You may have constipation or problems eating or swallowing. What causes peripheral neuropathy? The most common cause is injury to the nerve, such as from car accidents or sports trauma. Broken bones can compress the nerves. But diseases that affect the entire body are becoming more frequent. Nerve fibres are easily affected by the high sugar levels in blood, as in the case of diabetes mellitus and other metabolic disorders. About 60% to 70% of people who have diabetes have some sort of peripheral neuropathy, ranging from the mild to the severe. Kidney and liver diseases that result in high toxic wastes circulating in the body can also cause peripheral neuropathy. As do hormone disorders such as hypothyroidism and overproduction of growth hormone. Alcoholism causes thiamine deficiency, which leads to neuropathy. Connective tissue diseases can compress nerves, as can tumours, benign or malignant. Heavy metals such as arsenic and lead can lead to neuropathy, as do certain drugs for cancer, epilepsy and antibiotics. Viruses and bacteria can affect nerves, in particular the herpes zoster virus and HIV. ■ Dr YLM graduated as a medical doctor, and has been writing for many years on various subjects such as medicine, health advice, computers and entertainment. The information contained in this column is for general educational purposes only. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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