Medical Bulletin 22/December/2022

Primary care visits rise sharply in the weeks immediately preceding a sudden cardiac arrest, according to results from the ESCAPE-NET project.1 The project is backed by the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Resuscitation Council (ERC).

"Contrary to the general assumption, sudden cardiac arrest does not strike entirely unheralded, as ESCAPE-NET data have shown that patients attend primary care more often in the run up to an arrest compared to usual," said Dr. Hanno Tan, ESCAPE-NET project leader and cardiologist, Amsterdam University Medical Centre AMC, the Netherlands. "This insight may provide a lead for efforts to identify individuals at imminent risk of sudden cardiac arrest so that it can be prevented."

Reference:

Dr. Hanno Tan et al, EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CARDIOLOGY

Diabetes during pregnancy may increase the risk of neurodevelopmental conditions in children

New research published in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology has revealed a link between maternal diabetes during pregnancy and a range of neurodevelopmental conditions in children-including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental delay, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy.

The retrospective study included 877,233 children born between 2004 and 2008 in Taiwan whose mothers had type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes during pregnancy. The effect of type 1 diabetes on neurodevelopmental disorders was the largest, followed by type 2 diabetes, and then gestational diabetes.

Reference:

Pao-Lin Kuo et al,Childhood neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with maternal diabetes: a population-based cohort study, Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, DOI 10.1111/dmcn.15488

Is acupressure or acupuncture better at treating sleep disturbance in patients with cancer?

Acupuncture is a form of complementary therapy that involves inserting very thin needles into the body. Practitioners insert needles at different locations and depths to treat different health issues. Acupressure is often thought of as simply acupuncture without needles. But what exactly is acupressure and how does it work?

Both acupuncture-which is invasive and involves inserted needles-and acupressure-which is non-invasive and involves mechanical pressure-can potentially help reduce sleep disturbance in patients with cancer. A recent analysis of published clinical trials suggests that acupressure may have a greater effect than acupuncture.

Reference:

Denise Shuk Ting Cheung et al, Invasive or Non-Invasive? A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Acupuncture and Acupressure to Treat Sleep Disturbance in Cancer Patients, Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, DOI: 10.1111/wvn.12617

2 or more cups of coffee intake per day may double risk of heart death in people with severe hypertension

Previous research found that drinking one cup of coffee a day may help heart attack survivors by lowering their risk of death after a heart attack and may prevent heart attacks or strokes in healthy individuals. In addition, separate studies have suggested drinking coffee regularly may reduce the risk of developing chronic illnesses, such as Type 2 diabetes and some cancers; may help to control appetite; may help to lower the risk of depression or boost alertness, though it is not clear if this effect is from the caffeine or something else in coffee. On the harmful side, too much coffee may raise blood pressure and lead to anxiety, heart palpitations and difficulty sleeping.

Drinking two or more cups of coffee a day may double the risk of death from cardiovascular disease among people with severe high blood pressure (160/100 mm Hg or higher) but not people with high blood pressure not considered severe, according to research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

Reference:

Hiroyasu Iso et al, Coffee and Green Tea Consumption and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Among People With and Without Hypertension, Journal of the American Heart Association, DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.122.026477