A common drug used to prevent migraines might have an additional benefit — protecting women against stroke. Women taking the beta blocker propranolol to ward off migraines have a lower risk of strokes caused by blood clots, according to new research to be presented Thursday at a meeting of the American Stroke Association. The risk of stroke was as much as 52% lower in female migraine sufferers taking propranolol, which is available as a generic drug, researchers said. The drug did not have the same protective effect for men, however. “Migraine is an often-ignored risk factor for cardiovascular issues. Until recently, preventive treatments for people who have migraines were not available,” said lead researcher Mulubrhan Mogos, an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, Tenn.  About 20% of people suffer from migraines, researchers said in background notes. Migraine headaches occur three times more often in women than men, and they are associated with an increased risk of stroke. Beta blockers are commonly prescribed to help ward off migraine, and also are used to treat high blood pressure. For their study, researchers reviewed more than 3 million electronic health records from two large databases. They identified people with migraine who had a stroke, and then checked who was taking propranolol for migraine. “We initially looked at overall stroke and then ischemic (clot-caused) stroke…  read on >  read on >

Weight-loss surgery can protect the liver health of patients with obesity and fatty liver disease, a new study reports. Patients had a 72% lower risk of developing serious complications of liver disease after undergoing weight-loss surgery, researchers reported in Jan. 27 in the journal Nature Medicine. They also had an 80% lower risk of their liver disease reaching an advanced, life-threatening stage, researchers found. These results show that the sort of weight loss associated with bariatric surgery can make a major difference in people with fatty liver disease, also called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), researchers said. “Currently, lifestyle intervention (diet and exercise) is the only therapeutic recommendation for compensated MASH-related cirrhosis,” senior investigator Dr. Steven Nissen, chief academic officer of the Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute, said in a news release. “However, lifestyle changes alone rarely provide the weight loss and metabolic changes needed to reduce the risk of liver complications in this patient population,” he added. Obesity and diabetes are the leading cause of MASH, which is the most common form of chronic liver disease in the U.S., researchers said in background notes. The livers of people who are obese start accumulating fat, triggering a cascade of events ultimately leading to liver scarring, researchers said. An estimated 3 million people in the U.S. have liver scarring related to fatty liver disease. For…  read on >  read on >

Adderall shortages have prompted doctors to switch kids with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to other forms of stimulant medication. Adderall prescription fills for children and teens plunged after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a shortage of the drug in October 2022, researchers reported in a new study published today in the journal Pediatrics. But at the same time, prescriptions for other types of stimulant drugs used in ADHD treatment increased, according to study results. “Our findings suggest that the Adderall shortage did not cause many children to stop stimulant therapy altogether, but it did force some to switch to alternative stimulants,” lead investigator Sijia He, a researcher at the Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center in the University of Michigan, said in a news release. It’s too soon to tell whether these alternative stimulants wound up being a good or bad thing for children with ADHD, He noted. “This would be potentially concerning if the switches may have resulted in worsened ADHD control,” He said. “We need more research to evaluate whether any switches led to adverse outcomes.” More than 11% of children will be diagnosed with ADHD at some point during their lives, and prescription stimulants are considered a first-line treatment when drugs are required, researchers said in background notes. Stimulants are the most widely used ADHD medication, according…  read on >  read on >

In the throes of winter’s yearly round of respiratory virus outbreaks, it pays to remember what Grandma told you. Wash your hands often, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you sneeze or cough and stay away from folks who may be infected. And, of course, wearing a mask won’t hurt. Respiratory viruses that cause the common cold, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19 and flu peak at this time of year. Vaccines can help head off RSV, COVID and flu, but there’s no vaccine to protect against the common cold. While Grandma’s advice on prevention is still sound, experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine dismiss some old-school misconceptions about these diseases.  For example, colds are not caused by exposure to cold weather or getting wet in winter. Having COVID once does not provide lifetime immunity. The flu vaccine won’t give you flu. And the RSV virus only affects young kids.  Most important, Johns Hopkins doctors advise, if you do get sick, see your doctor for a diagnosis and, if appropriate, treatment for your particular illness. Getting plenty of rest, keeping warm, increasing fluid intake and using over-the-counter medications for congestion, sinus woes and aches and pains can help.  Here’s what else Johns Hopkins doctors want you to know: Common cold: It’s caused by one of more than 200 viruses and spread through coughing, sneezing…  read on >  read on >

Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, otherwise known as ADHD, may face a shorter life expectancy than their peers. On average, men with ADHD died seven years earlier than men without it, while women with ADHD died nine years earlier than their counterparts, according to a study of more than 30,000 people published Thursday in The British Journal of Psychiatry.  “It’s a big number, and it is worrying,” Joshua Stott, lead study author and professor of aging and clinical psychology at University College London, told The New York Times.  The study didn’t identify specific causes of death, but found that people with ADHD were more likely to smoke, abuse alcohol and have other health issues like depression, self-harm or personality disorders. ADHD is often associated with impulsive behaviors and difficulty managing time or health, which can lead to riskier choices, Stott explained. These challenges can lead to higher rates of accidents and chronic health conditions, The Times reported. Previous research supports these findings. A 2022 meta-analysis found that people with ADHD were nearly three times more likely to die from unnatural causes, such as accidents or suicides.  What’s more, a 2019 study linked ADHD to reduced life expectancy due to smoking, alcohol use, poor sleep and lower income. Russell Barkley, lead author of that study, said the data made it clear that ADHD should not…  read on >  read on >

Rural areas are facing an increasing shortage of eye surgeons who can treat conditions like cataracts, glaucoma and detached retinas, a new study says. More than 17% of patients who need an ophthalmic surgeon live in rural America, but fewer than 6% of eye surgeons now work in a rural area, researchers recently reported in JAMA Ophthalmology. “Rural patients still disproportionately outnumber rural surgeons,” even though the U.S. rural population is slowly declining, the research team led by Dr. Fasika Woreta, director of the Johns Hopkins Eye Trauma Center in Baltimore, concluded. This means rural residents with eye problems often face a long drive to get the care they need. For example, “our results suggest that 18.2% of patients undergoing cornea transplants are rurally located,” researchers wrote. “Previous research indicated that only 3.5% of transplants occur in a rural area, suggesting that many rural patients do not receive care locally.” For the study, researchers analyzed claims data for Medicare to track people needing eye surgery and where they wound up receiving care. The U.S. rural population declined by about 2% between 2012 and 2022, researchers said. But the number of eye surgeons practicing in a rural area also declined during that period: Cornea surgeons, by 1.3%. Glaucoma specialists, by 3.3%. Oculoplastic surgeons, by 2.1%. “This may be concerning for older rural patients, who may face…  read on >  read on >

Medicare Advantage isn’t that great an advantage for seniors compared with traditional Medicare, researchers say. The privatized form of Medicare offers more supplemental benefits than traditional Medicare, including dental, vision and hearing benefits. But many seniors aren’t using those additional benefits, and their out-of-pocket costs are about the same as with regular Medicare, researchers report in a study published recently in JAMA Network Open. For example, just a little more than half of seniors (54%) with Medicare Advantage are aware of having either dental or vision coverage, even though nearly all plans offer those benefits, results show. “Supplemental benefits are a major draw to Medicare Advantage, but our findings show that people enrolled in Medicare Advantage have no better access to extra services than people in traditional Medicare, and that much of the cost comes out of their own pockets,” senior researcher Dr. Lisa Simon, an assistant professor of general and internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said in a news release. “Older adults and people with disabilities deserve better from Medicare,” Simon added. About 51% of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage in 2023, researchers said in background notes. The federal government pays Medicare Advantage plans about 22% more than the cost of covering similar beneficiaries under traditional Medicare, which amounted to about $83 billion in 2024. For the study, researchers…  read on >  read on >