News Briefs: Taking Pulse to Reduce Stroke Risk; Older Women & Asthma
Taking your pulse can reduce your stroke risk
A new study found that the simple act of taking your pulse can help identify a quivering or irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation (AF), which can lead to a stroke, especially for people age 65 and older and those who have already suffered a stroke. Atrial fibrillation occurs when the heart’s upper chamber beats out of sync. This causes a fluttering pulse in the peripheral arteries far away from the heart, especially in the wrist. Symptoms of AF, such as thumping, quivering, or pounding heartbeats, either go unnoticed or appear in such short intervals they are difficult to monitor. The study in the journal Neurology included more than 250 patients who had survived an ischemic stroke (blocked blood flow to the brain). The group was taught how to do a measurement of the peripheral pulse (MPP), as were relatives or caregivers if they were present. A MPP measures your pulse by applying two fingers to the radial artery about one inch below the wrist and tracking the pulse rate with a stopwatch for one minute. Normal pulse rates are between 60 and 100 beats per minute. The researchers found the MPP groups identified the irregular pulse rhythm of AF with 93 to 94 percent accuracy, and added this could be a first-step screening tool to identify an irregular heartbeat and a sign of a possible stroke.
Older women with asthma face other health challenges
Women over the age of 65 who suffer from asthma face other health risks related to their condition, according to a report in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Factors that affect the health of older women with asthma include menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), adverse reaction to inhalers, and depression. While menopause does not increase one’s risk of asthma, it tends to increase the number of attacks in women with pre-existing asthma, and some studies have shown that postmenopausal women receiving HRT had an increased risk of asthma. The report also cited that older women who treat their asthma with inhalers have significantly lower bone mineral density and are at an enhanced risk for osteoporosis. Other side effect of inhalers, such as glaucoma, cataracts, and adrenal suppression, are also more common. Finally, 15 to 35 percent of older women battle depression, says the report, and severe asthma can increase its severity. “Women older than 65 with asthma should work with an allergist, along with their doctor, to help identify these possible issues and offer solutions if needed,” says lead researcher Alan Baptist, MD, MPH, director of the University of Michigan Asthma Program.
The less older adults sleep, the faster their brains age, suggests new study
Sleeping fewer than seven hours a night can make your brain age faster, says a study from Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore. Researchers analyzed data on 66 adults age 55 and older. Every two years, participants underwent MRI brain scans to measure brain volume and neuropsychological assessments testing cognitive function. Additionally, their sleep duration was recorded through a questionnaire. The experts found those who slept fewer hours showed evidence of faster brain ventricle enlargement, which is a sign of cognitive decline and increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The results echo previous research, which found seven hours of sound sleep is associated with higher cognitive test scores among more than 150,000 adults.
Low-doses of fish oil may reduce seizures in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy
A new UCLA-led NIH/NCCAM-funded study suggests low doses of omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish oil may reduce the number of epileptic seizures for those who are resistant to drug treatment. About 300,000 people age 65 and older have epilepsy, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. The study included 24 patients who had severe epilepsy that could not be controlled by drugs. Each patient received three 10-week treatments. They were given a low-dose fish oil regimen that consisted of three capsules per day (equivalent to 1,080 mg of fish oil) plus three capsules of a corn-oil placebo. They were then given a high-dose fish oil regimen of six capsules (2,160 mg) per day, and a placebo regime. In patients who took the low dosage, the average number of seizures decreased by 33.6 percent compared with the placebo group, from an average of just more than 18 seizures per month to around 12 per month. The higher dose produced no significant decrease in seizure frequency.
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