Search Results for: smoking

Heart attack and mortality risk higher with household air pollution. You may not associate your home with pollutants, but they may very well be present there, coming from lighting, cooking, or heating with fuels. The study found that burning cleaner fuels such as natural gas was associated with a lower mortality risk. Lead researcher Sumeet ...click here to read more

As we age, the risk of bladder troubles increases, especially for women. The fear of bladder leaks is a real thing, and it can take a toll on a person’s quality of life. Because overactive bladder and urinary incontinence are becoming increasingly common, more research is dedicated to addressing bladder troubles. The latest advance in ...click here to read more

November is Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month, so we present our articles that discuss pulmonary hypertension and related topics, too, including lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, heart attack, exercise, and high blood pressure. Pulmonary hypertension is a type of high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. In patients with pulmonary hypertension, the heart has to work ...click here to read more

Think of a balloon filled with water to such an extent that it is firm, tense and almost at breaking point. Now what happens if you add a little more water? The water exerts more pressure on the balloon wall, it bursts at its weakest point, and all the water gushes out. It’s the same ...click here to read more

How healthy is your blood pressure? And exactly what causes high blood pressure, anyway? It rises with each and every heartbeat and then falls as your heart relaxes between beats. It can change from minute to minute with exercise, stress, sleep, even your posture. The important thing is you want to keep it in the ...click here to read more

Ever turn on a water faucet only to find the water is lingering in the sink and not going down the drain? You have a clogged drain from buildup, and maybe other items which can make their way down a drain (but shouldn’t!). Well, picture this image with your arteries: Your heart is the faucet ...click here to read more

Ischemic stroke risk is linked to traumatic brain injury (TBI), independent of other factors. Lead study author James F. Burke explained, “Both stroke and traumatic brain injury are common, costly, and leading causes of severe disability in adults, and approximately 20 percent of strokes occur in adults under age 65. A large proportion of stroke ...click here to read more

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the intermediate stage between cognitive impairment associated with normal aging and dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Problems with memory, thinking, language, and judgment that occur in MCI are greater than those experienced in normal aging. In MCI, family and friends may notice cognitive changes and you, as well, may recognize that ...click here to read more

Dementia risk may increase with general anesthesia exposure in elderly patients. The risk of developing dementia is 35 percent higher in those seniors who were exposed to general anesthesia. Other studies have found that post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) can progress into dementia several years later. The study found that some anesthetics could promote inflammation of ...click here to read more

A new study has found that people living in poorer areas have a higher risk of stroke, compared to those in wealthier neighborhoods. The study included nearly 25,000 Americans with no prior history of stroke. During the follow-up of over seven years, 929 of the participants had a stroke. The researchers found that men and ...click here to read more

Hypertension, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes are linked to a greater risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in men. An atherosclerotic syndrome characterized by blockage of the arteries, especially in the extremities, peripheral artery disease affects eight to 10 million people in the U.S. It is associated with reduced function and a higher risk ...click here to read more

Prehypertension refers to blood pressure in a higher than normal range, but not high enough to be classified as hypertension. These slightly elevated numbers indicate a higher risk of hypertension. Both prehypertension and hypertension increase a person’s risk for cardiovascular events. Prehypertension is defined as blood pressure readings of 120 to 139 over 80 to ...click here to read more

Lowering hypertension – high blood pressure – can be achieved by activating opioids with regular electroacupuncture treatment. In the study conducted on rats, the researchers found that the lower blood pressure effect of electroacupuncture lasted up to three days post-treatment. This was a result of the release of enkephalins, one of the three major opioid ...click here to read more

A large study aimed to examine the role pf HDL cholesterol in the risk of developing heart disease. The study involved nearly 623,000 Canadian adults. Those with the lowest HDL cholesterol levels were found to have the highest risk of death by heart disease or stroke, along with higher cancer mortality and other causes. On ...click here to read more