Posts Tagged ‘stroke’

New research appearing in next month’s Annals of Family Medicine suggests that vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the disparity seen between whites and blacks in regards to rates of heart attacks and strokes. After looking at data from over 15,000 Americans the researchers found that vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher death rates among all subjects. However, blacks had a 38% higher risk of death than whites – this did not change even when taking into account socioeconomic status. The researchers also found that the risk of death decreased as vitamin D levels increased. It should be noted that this is only an observational study, not a controlled trial. But, given these findings further studies are warranted especially if vitamin replacement, which is relatively easy to do, could reduce the risk of death.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a chronic inflammatory state that is associated with heart disease and cancer. Since vitamin D is produced in the skin in a process involving sunlight, dark-skinned individuals may produce less of it because their skin pigment blocks the UV light needed for vitamin D synthesis. [via Medical News Today]

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A new blood thinner not yet available in the U.S. is showing promise in its efficacy and safety. A study published in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine demonstrates that the drug, dabigatran etexilate, performed just as well as warfarin (also known as coumadin) in helping patients with potentially dangerous clots in their veins avoid a subsequent clot or death over the next six months. In previous studies dabigatran was shown to be effective in preventing blood clots in patients with acute coronary syndrome (an umbrella term for symptoms that may indicate a heart attack), and was superior to warfarin in preventing strokes among patients with atrial fibrillation, a type of heart arrhythmia. However, what sets dabigatran apart from warfarin is it’s easy of use. Since it doesn’t interact with food and has minimal interactions with other drugs it is very easy to manage how well one’s blood is being thinned out, unlike with warfarin where patients often visit an anticoagulation clinic once a week. Dabigatran is currently available in Canada and Europe. [via HealthDay]

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BMW and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research are involved in a new project titled “SmartSenior – Intelligent services for senior citizens.” The goal of the project is the development of intelligent technology which recognizes and assists senior citizens in emergency road situations.  BMW is working on a safety system called Emergency Stop Assistant that will sense medical dangers, such as those associated with heart attacks, stroke and diabetes. Once an emergency is detect (through sensors that monitor vital signs disbursed throughout the car) the system will switch to an autonomous driving mode to safely stop the vehicle out of harm’s way.

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Boston University researchers report that children of centenarians live longer than their counterparts, and with less risk of heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. In a study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers found that offspring of centenarians had 78% lower risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack), an 83% lower risk of stroke, and an 86% lower risk of developing diabetes.

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