Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

As worldwide obesity rates continue to soar, new research shows that growing numbers of people are developing a potentially blinding type of weight-linked headache that was once considered rare. Though the study was conducted in Wales, one U.S. expert said the same surge in these headaches is likely happening in this country and elsewhere, but he cautioned that just because someone is obese and has headaches doesn’t mean he or she have this rare headache, known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). “Obese individuals are at greater risk for more frequent migraine, too,” noted Dr. Brian Grosberg, director of the Hartford HealthCare Headache Center in Connecticut. In the study, IIH rates increased sixfold in Wales between 2003 and 2017 — from 12 per 100,000 people to 76 per 100,000 people. During the same 15-year span, obesity rates in Wales rose from 29% of the population to 40%. “The considerable increase in IIH incidence” has several causes, but is likely “predominately due to rising obesity rates,” said study author William Owen Pickrell, a consultant neurologist at Swansea University. “The worldwide prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016, and therefore, these results also have global relevance.” His findings were published in the Jan. 20 issue of Neurology. IIH is a type of headache that occurs when the fluid around your brain and spinal cord builds up… read on > read on >

Previous coronavirus infections might prime the immune system to fight the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a new study suggests. There are numerous types of coronaviruses, including many harmless ones that cause mild upper respiratory infections similar to the common cold. Besides SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — other deadly coronaviruses include MERS-CoV, which caused a 2012 outbreak in Saudi Arabia of Middle East respiratory syndrome, and SARS-CoV-1, the first pandemic coronavirus that caused the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. The authors of the new study investigated how coronaviruses affect the human immune system and also took a closer look at the workings of the antibody response. “Our results suggest that the COVID-19 virus may awaken an antibody response that existed in humans prior to our current pandemic, meaning that we might already have some degree of pre-existing immunity to this virus,” said study senior author John Altin. He’s an assistant professor in the infectious disease branch at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, in Flagstaff, Ariz. The findings could help scientists develop new diagnostic techniques and treatments, assess the effectiveness of convalescent plasma, and design new vaccines or monoclonal antibody therapies that can protect against mutations that may occur in the COVID-19 virus, according to the researchers. The study was published Jan. 19 in the journal Cell Reports Medicine. “Our findings… read on > read on >

The arthritis drug tocilizumab doesn’t help hospital patients with severe COVID-19, according to a new study that contradicts earlier research suggesting that it might aid recovery. In fact, patients receiving tocilizumab had a higher risk of death, so the trial was halted early. Tocilizumab blocks a part of the immune system (interleukin 6) that can become overactive in some COVID-19 patients, and it was thought that the drug might help reduce inflammatory responses in patients. That theory was tested in this study, which included 129 adult COVID-19 patients, average age 57, at nine hospitals in Brazil. They had abnormal levels of at least two inflammation-related compounds in their blood and were receiving supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation. The patients were randomly selected to receive either tocilizumab plus standard care (65) or standard care alone (64). After 15 days, 18 (28%) of the patients in the tocilizumab group and 13 (20%) of those in the standard care group were on mechanical ventilation or had died. Eleven (17%) of the patients in the tocilizumab group died, compared with 2 (3%) in the standard care group. Due to the much higher death rate in the tocilizumab group, the trial was stopped early. In both groups of patients, deaths were due to COVID-19-related acute respiratory failure or multiple organ dysfunction. The findings were published Jan. 20 in the BMJ… read on > read on >

Menopause is known to bring a variety of unpleasant symptoms ranging from hot flashes to insomnia. Yet, for those who have a condition known as premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), it is much worse, researchers report. The new study examined the impact of POI, in which ovarian function stops and leads to menopause before the age of 40. The researchers investigated menopause symptoms in women with POI and compared them with the severity and prevalence of similar symptoms in women who experienced natural menopause. The study included nearly 300 women. The investigators found that women with POI experience a high prevalence of menopause symptoms, especially psychological and sexual symptoms. This included mood swings, hot flashes, insomnia, fatigue and sexual dysfunction, such as vaginal dryness, painful intercourse and decreased libido. These symptoms are often more severe than those experienced by women who undergo natural menopause. “This study of Chinese women showed that those with POI had more prevalent menopause-related symptoms than women with menopause at the average age,” Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for the North American Menopause Society, said in a society news release. “It is important to note that, regardless of the prevalence or severity of symptoms, women with POI should receive hormone therapy at least until the average age of menopause unless there are contraindications to its use, in order to mitigate potential long-term… read on >