16/February/2022 Top Medical Bulletin

Here are today's top medical stories

Vitamin B12 deficiency linked with narcolepsy

Narcolepsy though isn't a common disease it does affects quality of life greatly, primarily characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy attacks, sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations, which affects 1/2000 individuals. Whether changes in the serum vitamin B12 levels are involved in the pathophysiological mechanism of narcolepsy remains unclear. This study findings published in Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery says decreased serum vitamin B12 levels are independently associated with the development of narcolepsy, which illustrates the complex relationship between vitamin B12 and narcolepsy. Future studies should explore whether vitamin B12 supplementation can improve the symptoms of patients.

Inflammatory myocardial disease presenting as fulminant heart failure, differential diagnosis 

Cardiac diseases are complicating with time, Inflammatory myocardial disease has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as myocarditis with cardiac dysfunction. The review in Cardiovascular Pathology reports heart failure with CD68 predominant inflammation "histiocytic"myocardial inflammatory disease, occurs with variable clinical presentation and outcome; may be primary or secondary. In some cases of "histiocytic"myocardial inflammatory disease, show features suggestive of antibody and/or complement mediated myocardial injury, and "histiocytic"myocardial inflammatory disease, is a diagnosis distinct from those in classification systems currently in use.

 Prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency and its association with metformin-treated type 2 diabetic patients 

Diabetes is commonly treated by metformin is the most-used drug in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management, but it may lower B12 status as a use consequence .A cross sectional study in Human Nutrition & Metabolism journal, the prevalence of B12 deficiency in patients with type 2 diabetic patients using metformin was 17.5%. The risk of this relationship might increase with longer metformin use and is influenced by the occurrence and duration of diabetes.

 Weekend alcohol consumption associated with diet variables, body mass index, cardiovascular risk and sleep 

Lifestyle changes greatly influenced by diet, physical activity, alcohol, tobacco use, and sleep patterns may be protective or risk factors that affect health maintenance and may trigger the development of diseases. The study linked weekend alcohol consumption with Body Mass Index (BMI), diet, sleep quality and tobacco use among Chilean university students, according to their gender. Published in Human Nutrition & Metabolism, students as subjects showed weekend alcohol consumption was associated with an unhealthy diet and insomnia, however, they did not observe an association with Body Mass Index or abdominal fat.