Vaccination Rates Lag in Europe as Measles Cases Rise, WHO Says
Overall, 94% of children received their first measles vaccine last year in the WHO's European region, below the 96% immunization benchmark in 2019. It was the same as 2023, though the rate for second doses slipped a percentage point to 91%, according to the study by the WHO and UNICEF published Tuesday. The picture was similar for the DTP vaccine that includes whooping cough.
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CNN
9 minutes ago
- CNN
You can actually die of a broken heart after bereavement, study shows
FacebookTweetLink You can actually die of a broken heart after the death of a loved one, especially if the grief is overwhelming, new research shows. Bereaved relatives who experienced 'high levels' of grief symptoms were more likely to die in the 10 years following their bereavement than those who experienced 'low levels' of grief, a study published Friday in the journal Frontiers in Public Health found. In the study, coauthor Mette Kjærgaard Nielsen, a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark, and her colleagues investigated the long-term health outcomes of bereaved relatives in Denmark over the course of 10 years, dividing the 1,735 participants into groups who experienced 'low levels' and 'high levels' of grief symptoms. During the study period, 26.5% of the relatives who showed high levels of grief died, compared with 7.3% of those who were less powerfully affected. These 'high levels' of grief are defined as someone experiencing more than half of nine grief symptoms researchers have identified. These include feeling emotionally numb or that life is meaningless; experiencing difficulty accepting the loss; and experiencing confusion over their own identity. Participants were asked to fill in questionnaires when they first enrolled in the study, as well as six months and three years after their bereavement, allowing researchers to collect their symptoms. At the same time, researchers observed how often the study participants interacted with the health care system, finding that relatives with high grief symptoms also used more antidepressant medication, mental health services and primary care services. 'Those with a high grief trajectory seem to be a vulnerable group of relatives already before the death, with need for special attention,' Nielsen told CNN via email. '(They) may need additional support. They may experience distress and have difficulties coping with the situation,' she said, pointing to previous studies that have highlighted low socioeconomic status, poor self-reported health, and higher symptoms of depression and anxiety as all contributing to overwhelming grief. Even accounting for these risk factors, the researchers have 'done a good job' isolating the specific effect of grief, Sian Harding, a cardiologist and professor emeritus of cardiac pharmacology at Imperial College London who wasn't involved in the research, told CNN. One of the 'key things' about the paper is its longitudinal perspective, she said, since 'we know very well that there's an acute effect of any kind of bereavement on heart health.' 'It was not a particular surprise to me that this particular form of stress, while prolonged, has a damaging effect on the body. It can come out particularly as heart disease, but other things as well,' Harding added. While this study didn't investigate the bereaved relatives' causes of death, it aligns with wider research showing the effect a traumatic loss can have on a person's physical health. One cardiac condition known as broken heart syndrome — also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy — is a well-established acute phenomenon, triggered by intensely stressful situations, like losing a loved one. Prolonged stress caused by bereavement can also cause raised blood pressure, raised cortisol, an increased risk of diabetes, and poor mental health, Harding said. She also noted previous research into broken heart syndrome that found that some people die on the anniversary of their bereavement. Findings from the latest study suggest that healthcare workers 'may be able to discover distressed relatives early in the patient's illness trajectory and offer follow up,' Nielsen said. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
CNN
26 minutes ago
- CNN
You can actually die of a broken heart after bereavement, study shows
You can actually die of a broken heart after the death of a loved one, especially if the grief is overwhelming, new research shows. Bereaved relatives who experienced 'high levels' of grief symptoms were more likely to die in the 10 years following their bereavement than those who experienced 'low levels' of grief, a study published Friday in the journal Frontiers in Public Health found. In the study, coauthor Mette Kjærgaard Nielsen, a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark, and her colleagues investigated the long-term health outcomes of bereaved relatives in Denmark over the course of 10 years, dividing the 1,735 participants into groups who experienced 'low levels' and 'high levels' of grief symptoms. During the study period, 26.5% of the relatives who showed high levels of grief died, compared with 7.3% of those who were less powerfully affected. These 'high levels' of grief are defined as someone experiencing more than half of nine grief symptoms researchers have identified. These include feeling emotionally numb or that life is meaningless; experiencing difficulty accepting the loss; and experiencing confusion over their own identity. Participants were asked to fill in questionnaires when they first enrolled in the study, as well as six months and three years after their bereavement, allowing researchers to collect their symptoms. At the same time, researchers observed how often the study participants interacted with the health care system, finding that relatives with high grief symptoms also used more antidepressant medication, mental health services and primary care services. 'Those with a high grief trajectory seem to be a vulnerable group of relatives already before the death, with need for special attention,' Nielsen told CNN via email. '(They) may need additional support. They may experience distress and have difficulties coping with the situation,' she said, pointing to previous studies that have highlighted low socioeconomic status, poor self-reported health, and higher symptoms of depression and anxiety as all contributing to overwhelming grief. Even accounting for these risk factors, the researchers have 'done a good job' isolating the specific effect of grief, Sian Harding, a cardiologist and professor emeritus of cardiac pharmacology at Imperial College London who wasn't involved in the research, told CNN. One of the 'key things' about the paper is its longitudinal perspective, she said, since 'we know very well that there's an acute effect of any kind of bereavement on heart health.' 'It was not a particular surprise to me that this particular form of stress, while prolonged, has a damaging effect on the body. It can come out particularly as heart disease, but other things as well,' Harding added. While this study didn't investigate the bereaved relatives' causes of death, it aligns with wider research showing the effect a traumatic loss can have on a person's physical health. One cardiac condition known as broken heart syndrome — also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy — is a well-established acute phenomenon, triggered by intensely stressful situations, like losing a loved one. Prolonged stress caused by bereavement can also cause raised blood pressure, raised cortisol, an increased risk of diabetes, and poor mental health, Harding said. She also noted previous research into broken heart syndrome that found that some people die on the anniversary of their bereavement. Findings from the latest study suggest that healthcare workers 'may be able to discover distressed relatives early in the patient's illness trajectory and offer follow up,' Nielsen said. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
Medscape
2 hours ago
- Medscape
EMA Committee Backs Tryngolza for Rare Lipid Disorder
The European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended granting marketing authorization in the European Union to Tryngolza (olezarsen; Ionis Ireland Limited) for treating adults with familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS). The drug, to be available as an 80-mg solution for injection in prefilled pens, will be used as an adjunct to dietary modifications in adult patients with genetically confirmed FCS. FCS is a rare inherited disorder caused by loss-of-function variants in LPL or related genes, leading to absent or severely reduced lipoprotein lipase activity. This results in extreme hypertriglyceridemia (often > 880 mg/dL or 10 mmol/L) due to accumulation of chylomicrons and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). FCS affects about 13 people per million in Europe and causes recurrent acute pancreatitis (in about 85% of patients), severe abdominal pain, and chronic complications. Standard lipid-lowering therapies are typically ineffective, and strict fat-restricted diets are difficult to maintain, making disease management challenging. Tryngolza, a lipid-modifying agent, is an antisense oligonucleotide-GalNAc₃ carbohydrate ligand conjugate that targets apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III) mRNA in hepatocytes. The GalNAc₃ moiety facilitates selective uptake by liver cells and, once internalized, the antisense oligonucleotide blocks apoC-III protein synthesis. This enhances lipolysis and hepatic clearance of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, including VLDL and chylomicrons, ultimately lowering plasma triglyceride levels. Significant Benefits in Clinical Trials The CHMP decision relied on positive findings from the phase 3 Balance trial involving 66 patients with genetically confirmed FCS and severe hypertriglyceridemia, including 71% with a history of acute pancreatitis. Participants were randomly assigned to receive Tryngolza 80 mg, 50 mg, or placebo subcutaneous injections every 4 weeks for 49 weeks. Tryngolza 80 mg significantly reduced triglyceride levels by 43.5 percentage points at 6 months compared with placebo, while the 50-mg dose showed a nonsignificant reduction. Both doses markedly decreased apoC-III concentrations, with the 80-mg group achieving a 73.7-percentage point drop and the 50-mg group a 65.5-percentage point decline vs placebo. Acute pancreatitis events decreased significantly, with 11 episodes occurring among placebo recipients compared with just one in each Tryngolza group over 53 weeks, indicating an 88% risk reduction. The most common side effects of Tryngolza include injection-site erythema, headache, arthralgia, and vomiting.
