Stress is rarely a good thing for your health, but new research warns that it significantly raises the risk of a stroke. The study found that increased stress at home or work and recent stressful life events — like getting divorced or a major family conflict — were associated both with increased risk of stroke due to a clot, known as an ischemic stroke, and a stroke due to bleeding in the brain, called a hemorrhagic stroke. What to do to lower that risk? “Optimal approaches to managing, and preventing, psychosocial stress are uncertain. Previous studies have looked at interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques, client-led discussion, stress management, exercise regimens and anger management,” said study author Dr. Catriona Reddin, of the University of Galway College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, in Ireland. “The most effective approach may vary from person to person. It’s important that everyone has a strategy that works for them,” Reddin said. Her team studied stress around the world using data from a retrospective study known as INTERSTROKE in more than 26,000 people in 32 countries in North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. People who had severe work stress were more than twice as likely to have an ischemic stroke as those with no work stress, the investigators found. They were more…  read on >  read on >

If you need another reason to quit smoking, researchers have one: your mid-life brain health. Not only does smoking harm lung and heart health, but it increases the chances of middle-aged memory loss and confusion, a new study shows. The likelihood of mental (“cognitive”) decline is lower for those who quit — even if they did so only recently, according to researchers at Ohio State University, in Columbus. Past research has established a connection between smoking and Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia. This new study used a one-question self-assessment to ask participants if they were experiencing worsening or more frequent memory loss or confusion (also known as “subjective cognitive decline”). Using the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey, the researchers compared subjective cognitive decline measures for current smokers, recent former smokers and those who had quit years earlier, analyzing more than 136,000 people aged 45 and older. About 11% reported subjective cognitive decline. “The association we saw was most significant in the 45 to 59 age group, suggesting that quitting at that stage of life may have a benefit for cognitive health,” said senior study author Jeffrey Wing, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Ohio State. The researchers did not find a similar difference in the oldest group in the study, which could mean that quitting earlier is more beneficial, Wing suggested.…  read on >  read on >

Depression can be tricky to detect in some people, and Black women may exhibit different symptoms, leading to missed care, researchers say. Black women report sleep disturbances, self-criticism and irritability more often than the stereotypical low mood, according to a new study. As a result, standard screening tools may underdiagnose depression in Black women, the study authors said. “Based on our findings, it’s possible that health care providers may miss depression symptoms in Black women, resulting in underdiagnosis and undertreatment,” said lead author Nicole Perez. She’s a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner and postdoctoral associate at New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing in New York City. In general, depression symptoms are low mood, loss of interest in activities, changes in appetite or sleep, and feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness. But more than 1,500 possible combinations of symptoms exist that meet criteria for a depressive disorder, according to the study. Research on depression has primarily been conducted in white people, increasing the chances that it will be missed among racial and ethnic minority populations, the authors noted. For this study, researchers analyzed data from 227 Black women who were screened for depression. In addition to a category called somatic symptoms that includes fatigue, insomnia and decreased libido, researchers found that Black women with depression were more likely to be self-critical, irritable and to have an…  read on >  read on >

In some parts of the United States, young men face a higher risk of dying from gun violence than if they’d gone to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, a new study reports. Young men living in certain high-violence ZIP codes in Chicago and Philadelphia run a greater risk of firearm death than military personnel who served in recent U.S. wars, according to findings published online Dec. 22 in JAMA Network Open. Young men in Chicago’s most violent ZIP code were more than three times as likely to experience gun-related death compared to soldiers sent to Afghanistan, the researchers found, while those in Philadelphia’s most violent area were nearly twice as likely to be shot to death. In all ZIP codes studied, young men from minority groups overwhelmingly bear the risk of firearm-related death, the findings showed. “These results are an urgent wake-up call for understanding, appreciating and responding to the risks and attendant traumas faced by this demographic of young men,” said study leader Brandon del Pozo, an assistant professor of medicine at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School in Providence, R.I. His team examined shooting data from 2020 and 2021 in four large U.S. cities — Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia. The investigators zeroed in on shootings involving nearly 130,000 men between 18 and 29 years of age. They grouped them by…  read on >  read on >

Menopause and the years before it may make you feel like you’re losing your mind. Some of those feelings are changes that occur naturally in this stage of life, but other factors contribute, too, according to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), which offered tips to achieve some peace. Changes in hormones are a big reason for the mood swings and other symptoms. While most women are accustomed to their own hormonal rhythm, it gets disrupted during perimenopause, the years before a woman’s periods stop for good, according to NAMS. Part of it is just timing — that these physical changes are happening along with other midlife stresses, such as relationship issues, divorce or widowhood. For some women, those stresses include caring for young children, struggles with teens, the return of grown children to the home or being childless. Career, education and aging parents may add to this strain. Women in midlife also may be living with changes in self-esteem or body image because society values youth, NAMS suggested in a news release. One way to feel better is to create balance. Remember to take care of your own needs, not just those of family and work. This can help you meet new challenges and maintain self-confidence. If you experienced depression when younger, you’re more vulnerable to those feelings during perimenopause. Depression is associated with…  read on >  read on >

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21, 2022 (HealthDay News) – Cold, dry winter air and a trio of spreading viruses could cause children’s asthma to flare up this winter season. But experts at one children’s hospital offer some tips to help parents keep their kids’ worrisome respiratory symptoms in check. While asthma is a lung condition that can make it harder to breathe, some things can make symptoms worse, such as illness, cold air and smoke, according to Children’s Minnesota in St. Paul and Minneapolis. To avoid cold-weather flare-ups, make sure your child has the right clothing to wear outside, including a scarf or neck warmer they can wear over their mouth and nose. This can help warm and humidify the air they breathe. Help prevent a case of influenza by washing hands frequently and making sure your child gets a flu shot. The flu can lead to hospitalization in children with asthma. People with asthma have swollen, sensitive airways already, so they’re more likely to have serious health complications such as pneumonia if they get the flu. The influenza virus can trigger asthma symptoms even in mild asthma or cases that are well-controlled by medication. Teach your children how to wash their hands properly with soap and water, while still encouraging them to keep their hands away from their face. A flu shot doesn’t guarantee prevention of…  read on >  read on >