Medical Bulletin 2/March/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Study finds home-based cardiac rehabilitation may help people live Longer

WHO defines cardiac rehabilitation as "The sum of activity and interventions required to ensure the best possible physical, mental, and social conditions so that patients with chronic or post-acute cardiovascular disease may, by their own efforts, preserve or resume their proper place in society and lead an active life".

Participating in home-based cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack or cardiac procedure was associated with a 36% lower likelihood of death from heart-related complications among U.S. military veterans within four years compared to those who opted out of rehabilitation programs, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

Reference:

Mary A. Whooley et al,Journal of the American Heart Association,doi 10.1161/JAHA.122.025856.

Vitamin D supplements could help prevent dementia: Study

In a new, large-scale study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, the team found that taking vitamin D was associated with living dementia-free for longer, and they also found 40 per cent fewer dementia diagnoses in the group who took supplements.

Researchers at the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute in Canada and the University of Exeter in the UK explored the relationship between vitamin D supplementation and dementia in more than 12,388 participants of the US National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center, who had a mean age of 71 and were dementia-free when they signed up. Of the group, 37 per cent (4,637) took vitamin D supplements.

Reference:

Professor Zahinoor Ismail et al,Sex, cognitive status, and APOE effects for vitamin D exposure and incident dementia.

Mediterranean diet may help people with MS preserve thinking skills, suggests study

The Mediterranean diet includes a high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, fish and healthy fats such as olive oil, and a low intake of dairy products, meats and saturated fatty acids.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who follow a Mediterranean diet may have a lower risk for problems with memory and thinking skills than those who do not follow the diet, according to a preliminary study released today, March 1, 2023, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75th Annual Meeting being held in person in Boston and live online from April 22-27, 2023.

Reference:

Ilana Katz Sand et al,AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY,MEETING,American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting.

Hypertension during pregnancy linked to thinking problems later: Study

Preeclampsia is high blood pressure that develops halfway through pregnancy and usually involves the kidneys and other organs. Gestational high blood pressure is a condition with high blood pressure in pregnancy but without affecting the kidneys or other organs.

High blood pressure disorders during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of thinking problems later in life, according to a study published in the March 1, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers found that those with these disorders had a higher risk of cognitive problems in later life than those who did not have high blood pressure during pregnancy. They also found that those with preeclampsia, may have an even greater risk of cognitive decline later in life, compared to those with gestational high blood pressure.

Reference:

Michelle M. Mielke et al,Journal Neurology,AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY