Latest news with #Stroke
Fox News
2 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Brain Health
Brain health involves the optimal functioning of the brain across various domains, including cognitive function, motor skills, sensory function, and emotional health. There are many different types of brain diseases. Dementia is characterized by a decline in overall thinking abilities, affecting problem-solving skills, memory, language, and other factors that make daily life more challenging. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. Depression is a mental health disorder that negatively impacts how you feel, think, and act. A stroke occurs when the blood vessels carrying oxygenated blood and nutrients to the brain are blocked by a clot or rupture. Many other types of brain diseases can significantly affect overall brain health. Top factors contributing to decreased brain health include high blood pressure, kidney disease, elevated glucose and cholesterol levels, alcohol use, poor diet, lack of physical activity, smoking, poor social engagement, and high stress. Ways to boost brain health and slow mental aging include exercising regularly, getting regular mental stimulation, eating a balanced diet, optimizing gut health, managing stress levels, staying socially engaged, limiting alcohol consumption, considering brain-boosting supplements and balancing hormone levels.
Medscape
3 days ago
- General
- Medscape
CMSC 2025
Guidelines on Rapid BP Reduction in Stroke Challenged A new study challenges guideline recommendations to rapidly reduce BP in acute ischemic stroke patients to allow for swift thrombolysis. Medscape Medical News , May 22, 2024 Guidelines on Rapid BP Reduction in Stroke Challenged Shift Needed in Research, Treatment, for Aging MS Population Biologic age is more important than chronological age, and both are more important than disease duration for framing the care of aging patients with multiple sclerosis. Medscape Medical News , Jun 14, 2024 Shift Needed in Research, Treatment, for Aging MS Population Anti-CD20 HGG Linked to Serious Infection Risk in MS Hypogammaglobulinemia is a known risk linked to B-cell–depleting therapies, but a real-world study has specified the risk and risk factors in multiple sclerosis. Medscape Medical News, Jun 07, 2024
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'I could sing before I could speak after my stroke'
Stephen Farlow's earliest memories centre around music. The 45-year-old, from Coleraine in County Londonderry, can remember playing on a piano as a child before he could talk. When Stephen suffered a haemorrhagic stroke (bleed into the brain) in 2016, his family were told it was unlikely he would survive. He went on to recover but soon found he could sing easily before he was able to speak again. Research shows that some people can sing even if they cannot talk because we use different sides of our brains for speech and music. More than a third of stroke survivors are able to sing better than speak soon after their stroke, according to new research from the Stroke Association. Before his stroke, Stephen was working as a gigging musician and in a music shop. Stephen's love for singing showed signs in the early stages of his recovery after he returned home following four months in hospital. "Music is my life, it means everything to me", he told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme. "After I had my stroke, I could only say a couple of words and they were 'keyboard' and 'guitar' but I was using them in the wrong context. "I lost faith after my stroke. I found it difficult to comprehend. It was terrible. "I love country music, singers like Dominic Kirwan and Daniel O'Donnell. "I found I could sing better than I could speak and I felt then maybe, that yes, I could perform again." With encouragement from family and friends, Stephen slowly started to return to music by relearning how to play the keyboard with his left hand after losing the power in his right side. His wife Pauline said music gave Stephen a focus in his recovery that also helped with his mental health. "We got a singing teacher to help Stephen and very quickly he picked it up again. "It helped his mental health straight away. "Our local church and social club let him use their hall to practice. "He just felt on top of the world again", she said. Pauline said they had been told at one stage that Stephen would be bed-bound and require constant care following his stroke. "Music was all Stephen had on his mind, that was so powerful, that gave him the determination to be the person he is today," she said. "It gave him the motivation to get out of bed, practice his speech. "Music gave him the strength to help me return to the Stephen he was before the stroke." In Northern Ireland, more than 4,000 people survive a stroke every year. The Stroke Association's survey found that more than half of stroke survivors said that singing, listening to music or playing an instrument had a positive impact on their recovery. Alasdair O'Hara, the NI director for the Stroke Association, said singing can a be a "powerful tool" in recovery. "According to our research, a significant number of stroke survivors can sing or hum before they can speak," he said. "Music supports people's emotional well-being as it gets people back into what they love. "This is an area we really work to support through the Stroke Association's voluntary groups." A stroke occurs when blood stops flowing to a part of your brain. The first signs include: face weakness – it might be hard to smile, and one side of your face may droop arm weakness – you may not be able to fully lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in one arm speech problems – you may slur your words or sound confused Other symptoms might be: sudden weakness or numbness on one side of your body (including in your leg) sudden loss of vision or blurred vision in one or both eyes sudden difficulty speaking or thinking of words sudden memory loss or confusion sudden severe headache sudden dizziness, unsteadiness or a sudden fall, especially with any of the other signs Source: 'Don't delay' making stroke 999 call - NHS Aspirin 'safe' for brain-bleed strokes
Hans India
26-04-2025
- Health
- Hans India
‘Check BP – Stop Stroke' launched
Guntur: MT Krishna Babu, Special Chief Secretary of Health, Medical & Family Welfare, has inaugurated 'Check BP - Stop Stroke' campaign in the premises of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Guntur on Friday. Krishna Babu said that through this programme, people can become more aware of risk factors like high blood pressure and, by controlling it, prevent several major health issues like brain stroke, heart attack, kidney failure before they occur. ISA president Dr Vijaya gave power point presentation on hyper-tension and stroke. She explained that 80% of strokes are preventable while the most important risk factor is hyper-tension. Dr Arvind Sharma, ISA secretory, said that free BP screening will be done in several places in Guntur including GGH, Bar Association, SBI, Drug wholesale, SHO, Mallineni Engineering College. Later, MT Krishna Babu flagged off mobile BP bus. Guntur district DMHO Dr Vijaya Lakshmi, Indian Red Cross society Treasurer AP State Branch P Rama Chandra Raju, Rotary Club president G Subba Rao, neurologists of Guntur and others participated in the programme.
Associated Press
17-04-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Nontraditional risk factors shed light on unexplained strokes in adults younger than 50
Research Highlights: Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET, Thursday, April 17, 2025 ( NewMediaWire ) - April 17, 2025 - DALLAS — Adults younger than 50 years of age had more than double the risk of having a stroke from migraine or other nontraditional stroke risk factors rather than traditional risks such as high blood pressure, according to research published today in Stroke, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association. Previous research indicates the rate of ischemic (clot-caused) stroke among adults 18-49 years old is increasing and propelled by a corresponding rise in cryptogenic strokes (strokes of unknown cause) in adults without traditional risk factors, including high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. 'Up to half of all ischemic strokes in younger adults are of unknown causes, and they are more common in women. For effective prevention, careful and routine assessment of both traditional and nontraditional risk factors in younger people is critical,' said lead study author Jukka Putaala, M.D., Ph.D., head of the stroke unit at the Neurocenter, Helsinki University Hospital in Helsinki, Finland. 'We should also carefully screen people after they have a stroke to prevent future strokes.' Researchers analyzed data for more than 1,000 adults aged 18-49 in Europe, with a median age of 41 years. Half of the participants had experienced a cryptogenic ischemic stroke, while half had no history of stroke. The study examined the associations of 12 traditional risk factors, 10 nontraditional risk factors and five risk factors specific to women (such as gestational diabetes or pregnancy complications). Researchers also closely reviewed participants with a heart defect called patent foramen ovale (PFO), a hole between the heart's upper chambers. A PFO is usually harmless yet is known to increase the odds of stroke. The study aimed to determine which risk factors contribute the most to unexplained strokes. The analysis found: Researchers also analyzed the study population's attributable risk (determining how a disease would be impacted if a certain risk factor were eliminated). To calculate population-attributable risk, researchers analyzed each risk factor and their contribution to the increased risk separately and found: 'We were surprised by the role of non-traditional risk factors, especially migraine headaches, which seems to be one of the leading risk factors in the development of strokes in younger adults,' Putaala said. 'Our results should inform the health professional community to develop a more tailored approach to risk factor assessment and management. We should be asking young women if they have a history of migraine headaches and about other nontraditional risk factors.' American Heart Association chair of the Clinical Cardiology (CLCD)/Stroke Women's Health Science Committee, Tracy E. Madsen, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA, said, 'This study is helpful because the authors present data by sex and age group. We know that stroke risk changes based on sex and age. For instance, recent data shows that younger women may have a higher risk of stroke than younger men. However, during middle age, men usually have a higher risk. Recognizing specific risks that affect women and those not commonly seen, such as migraine with aura and pregnancy complications as significant contributors to stroke risk in younger women, could change our approach to screening for these risks and educating our patients throughout their lives.' Madsen, who was not involved in the study, is also an associate professor, vice chair of research in emergency medicine and director of the EpiCenter at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. The study's limitations include being an observational study, meaning that it was a review and analysis of existing health data on patients enrolled in another trial or database; therefore, this study's findings cannot prove cause and effect. The study also relied on patient-reported risk factors, which may impact accuracy. In addition, 95% of participants were self-reported to be white adults of European descent, which limits the applicability of the findings to other populations. Study details, background and design: Co-authors, disclosures and funding sources are listed in the manuscript. Studies published in the American Heart Association's scientific journals are peer-reviewed. The statements and conclusions in each manuscript are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association's policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives more than 85% of its revenue from sources other than corporations. These sources include contributions from individuals, foundations and estates, as well as investment earnings and revenue from the sale of our educational materials. Corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations to the Association. The Association has strict policies to prevent any donations from influencing its science content. Overall financial information is available here. Additional Resources: ### About the American Stroke Association The American Stroke Association is devoted to saving people from stroke — the No. 2 cause of death in the world and a leading cause of serious disability. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat stroke. The Dallas-based association officially launched in 1998 as a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-888-4STROKE or visit Follow us on Facebook, X. For Media Inquiries and AHA/ASA Expert Perspective: 214-706-1173 Karen Astle: [email protected] For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721) and
