United States: A cocktail of three risk factors brings about not only a heightened danger of stroke but also improves the chances that the particular stroke is paralyzing, according to new research. 

What does it mean to ‘fail big,’ and what are these three big dangers? According to the research conducted by the group of researchers, it was revealed on November 13th in Neurology magazine that regular smoking, high pressure, and Afib increase the severity of a stroke, as reported by HealthDay. 

Lifestyle Changes Could Prevent Severe Strokes 

“Stroke can lead to disability or even death, yet there are a number of risk factors that people can modify with a change in lifestyle or medication,” said investigator Catriona Reddin, a geriatrics researcher at the University of Galway in Ireland. 

“The risk factors we highlighted in our results, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, and smoking, should be managed to prevent severe, disabling stroke,” Reddin said in a journal news release. 

Researchers worked with nearly 27,000 people from 32 countries, with an average age of about 62 years. Half of this group have gone through a stroke, including about 4,800 with a severe stroke and 8,600 with a mild to moderate stroke, as reported by HealthDay. 

Air pollution, high temperatures, & metabolic risk factors are driving global increases in stroke, with latest figures estimating 12 million cases & over 7 million deaths from stroke each year.

On #WorldStrokeDay, find out more in @TheLancetNeuro: https://t.co/AjHClbnBOk pic.twitter.com/APxHmvqvd6

— The Lancet (@TheLancet) October 29, 2024

Researchers concluded that:  

Patients with hypertension had a higher likelihood of experiencing a stroke of severe intensity than patients with normal levels of blood pressure. 

Smokers had a higher chance of occurring with severe stroke, than nonsmokers. 

Global Implications for Stroke Prevention 

“Those are important findings, particularly because it’s the most important modifiable risk factor for stroke around the world,”Reddin said. “In particular, this is important in lower and middle income countries, where high blood pressure rates have been increasing very quickly and there are increasing rates of strokes at younger ages.” 

United States: An emerging body of research has begun to illuminate a nuanced link between sleep patterns and the risk of dementia, particularly among those in midlife who experience insufficient sleep. This connection, though long speculated, is becoming clearer with new insights into specific sleep disorders and their potential cognitive consequences.

A recent study has honed in on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a common yet disruptive sleep disorder characterized by frequent pauses in breathing that often trigger loud snoring. The findings indicate a notable correlation between OSA and an elevated risk of dementia in women, adding a fresh perspective to the broader narrative surrounding sleep health and cognitive resilience, according to reports by huffingtonpost.co.uk.

Understanding the Study

The investigation, conducted by researchers from Michigan Medicine, delved into the extensive health data of over 18,500 individuals aged 50 and above, sourced from the Health and Retirement Study—a comprehensive survey chronicling the health trajectories of older adults in the United States. Importantly, none of the participants exhibited signs of dementia at the study’s outset, providing a robust foundation for examining cognitive decline over the course of the ten-year research period.

While the incidence of OSA appeared higher among men, the study revealed a starkly heightened dementia risk for women with OSA. By age 80, women with OSA faced a 4.7% likelihood of developing dementia, in contrast to a 2.5 percent risk in men with the same condition compared to those unaffected by OSA. Notably, this gender-specific vulnerability to dementia persisted across various age brackets, underscoring the need to explore the underpinnings of this disparity, as per huffingtonpost.co.uk.

The Role of Menopause and Hormonal Changes

Speaking to News Medical Life Sciences, Dr Galit Levi Dunietz, an associate professor in Michigan University’s Department of Neurology and Division of Sleep Medicine, and co-author of the study, offered insights into the possible role of menopause. “The decline in estrogen as women approach menopause may exert profound effects on the brain. This hormonal shift is often accompanied by fluctuations in memory, mood, and sleep patterns, all of which may contribute to a heightened susceptibility to cognitive impairment,” explained Dr Dunietz.

The underdiagnosis of OSA in postmenopausal women further compounds this issue. As Dr Dunietz emphasized, further epidemiological studies are essential to understand how untreated sleep disorders might accelerate cognitive decline in women, as reported by huffingtonpost.co.uk.

Does Sleep Apnea Guarantee Dementia?

Crucially, this study does not suggest that sleep apnea definitively leads to dementia. The researchers were careful to clarify that they observed only an association, not causation, with the dementia risk among OSA patients never exceeding 5 percent.

Dr Ronald D Chervin, a co-author of the study and the Director of the Division of Sleep Medicine at the University of Michigan Health, noted, “To establish causality would require a longitudinal, randomized trial that rigorously compares cognitive outcomes between treated and untreated OSA patients.”

Nevertheless, in light of these findings, Dr Chervin urged both clinicians and patients to weigh the potential cognitive implications of untreated sleep apnea when considering diagnostic and therapeutic options.

United States: As winter’s chill encroaches and daylight retreats, those vulnerable to seasonal depression feel its shadow looming over their minds and bodies.

“It’s a consuming sense of trepidation, an amalgamation of panic, fear, and anxiety,” shares Germaine Pataki, 63, hailing from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Pataki is among the millions diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. To navigate its challenges, she employs an arsenal of coping techniques, including yoga, frequent walks, and antidepressant medication. Additionally, she’s part of an online support group on Facebook dedicated to individuals with SAD, according to vinnews.com.

“I channel my energy into helping others navigate it,” Pataki explained. “It grants me a sense of purpose.”

For individuals with SAD, depressive episodes commonly commence with autumn’s arrival and recede as spring approaches. The reversion to standard time, set to occur this weekend, often acts as a catalyst for SAD symptoms. Beyond the primary form, experts recognize a less severe variant called subsyndromal SAD, as well as a lesser-known summer form of seasonal depression.

In 1984, Dr Norman Rosenthal, a researcher at the National Institutes of Health, first illuminated and coined SAD. “I believe the acronym endured because it’s memorable,” he noted, as per vinnews.com.

The Underlying Causes of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Scientific inquiry is increasingly revealing the way certain specialized cells in our eyes convert blue-spectrum light into neural signals that influence mood and wakefulness.

Sunlight, abundant in blue light, stimulates these cells, triggering our brain’s alertness centers, fostering a sense of vitality and sometimes even upliftment.

Kathryn Roecklein, a researcher from the University of Pittsburgh, has studied blue light sensitivity in individuals with and without SAD. Her findings indicate that people with SAD display reduced sensitivity to blue light, especially during the winter. This could shed light on the onset of wintertime depression.

“In winter, diminished light exposure combined with reduced sensitivity may push levels too low for optimal functioning, leading to depressive symptoms,” Roecklein explains.

Miriam Cherry, 50, from Larchmont, New York, spends her summers mentally equipping herself for the dark winter months. “It’s as predictable as the seasons,” she says. “The sun dips early, by 4:45, and suddenly my mood plummets.”

Can Light Therapy Alleviate SAD Symptoms?

According to Dr. Paul Desan of Yale University’s Winter Depression Research Clinic, many SAD patients experience significant improvement with light therapy.

“Light should be the primary intervention,” Desan suggested. “Exposing patients to bright light for about half an hour each morning has yielded substantial improvements. Often, medication isn’t necessary,” as per vinnews.com.

The therapy utilizes light sources approximately 20 times brighter than typical indoor lighting.

Research advocates a brightness level of around 10,000 lux, with 30 minutes of exposure each morning. This can benefit not only individuals with SAD but also those experiencing milder seasonal lethargy.

Specialty light boxes range from $70 to $400, though some products labeled for SAD may lack sufficient brightness, Desan warns.

Yale provides a list of tested light products, and the nonprofit Center for Environmental Therapeutics offers a consumer guide for selecting an effective device.

If diagnosed with SAD, patients may want to consult their insurers about coverage for light therapy devices, Desan suggests.

Exploring Talk Therapy and Medication

Antidepressants often serve as a frontline treatment for SAD, complementing light therapy. Medical professionals also recommend maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and spending time outdoors, even on cloudy days.

One potential drawback of light therapy is its transient benefit, which may fade when use ceases. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), however, has shown more lasting effects, notes University of Vermont researcher Kelly Rohan.

CBT involves collaborating with a therapist to identify and reshape unconstructive thought patterns.

“A common belief among SAD sufferers is ‘I despise winter,’” Rohan explained. “Reframing this to ‘I prefer summer over winter’ presents a factual, neutral perspective that lessens the negative impact on mood,” according to vinnews.com.

Therapists can guide individuals toward small, pleasurable activities, gently encouraging them out of hibernation mode. Rohan suggests even simple plans like meeting a friend for coffee as steps toward reinvigorating one’s routine.

Additional Coping Strategies for SAD

With half the year to prepare, those affected by SAD often devise personal methods for weathering the depressive season, though scientific backing may vary.

Elizabeth Wescott, 69, from Folsom, California, advocates for contrast showers, a method borrowed from sports medicine involving alternating hot and cold water. She also employs a lightbox and takes an antidepressant.

“I’m always on the lookout for new strategies,” Wescott said.

Cherry, based in New York, has cultivated a garden patch dedicated to early bloomers: snowdrops, winter aconite, and hellebores, which begin flowering as early as February.

“To me, these blossoms signify that winter’s hold is temporary,” Cherry reflected. “Spring will come, and things will brighten once again.”