- NEW YORK: Strokes are most common in old age, but new research suggests that lifestyle is putting young people increasingly at risk for stroke too.
In a study of two U.S. states, researchers found the rate of strokes among adults younger than 55 nearly doubled between 1993 and 2005.
Among whites ages 20 to 54, the rate rose from 26 strokes for every 100,000 people, to 48 per 100,000. And among African Americans, it climbed from 83 to 128 per 100,000.
The researchers said they could only speculate on possible explanations. One might be that doctors are detecting strokes in young people more often - both as a result of better brain-imaging technology and of being more vigilant for stroke in the young.
"But I really don't think that's the major reason," said lead researcher Dr. Brett M. Kissela, of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
"We're definitely seeing a higher incidence of risk factors for stroke now," he said in an interview.
Those risk factors include obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. "And if you're developing them at the age of 20," Kissela said, "then you may have a stroke at a younger age, too."
A researcher not involved in the study agreed that better diagnosis and a real increase in young people's risk of stroke are both probably at work.
"Now MRI allows us to detect smaller strokes," said Dr. Mitchell S.V. Elkind, of Columbia University in New York, who co-wrote an editorial published with the study.
"Strokes come in all shapes and sizes," Elkind said. That includes subtle symptoms like mild degrees of blurry vision, weakness or numbness.
In the past, doctors might not have thought "stroke" when a relatively young person had symptoms like that. And MRI scans, which can detect subtle brain damage from stroke, were not used often back in the 1990s.
Kissela's team found that in 1993-1994, only 18 percent of all stroke patients in their study had an MRI. By 2005, that figure had risen to 58 percent.
"But that probably doesn't explain it all," Elkind said, referring to the rising incidence in young people.
"We know there's been an increase in obesity and diabetes," Elkind said. He added that drug abuse can also cause strokes, and this study did find an increasing rate of drug abuse among young stroke patients over time.
The results, which appear in the journal Neurology, are based on nearly 5,900 Ohio and Kentucky adults who suffered a first-time stroke between 1993 and 2005.
Over that time, 20- to 54-year-olds accounted for a growing proportion of strokes: from 13 percent in 1993, to almost 19 percent by 2005.
The study group came from only two U.S. states, but both Kissela and Elkind said the findings likely reflect what's happening nationally.
Indeed, a government study last year found a similar pattern nationwide: Between 1995 and 2008, the number of Americans ages 15 to 44 hospitalized for a stroke rose by more than one-third.
Kissela said the findings underscore the importance of a healthy lifestyle to stave off stroke risk factors in young people. He also said younger adults shouldn't see themselves as "invincible," and instead get to the doctor to see if they do, in fact, have health problems like high blood pressure or cholesterol.
"It's a small percentage of young people who have strokes," Kissela said, "but it can happen."
And, Elkind pointed out, since more-severe strokes may cause permanent disability, they could be particularly devastating to a younger person.
He advised that everyone, regardless of age, be aware of the potential symptoms of a stroke. Those include severe headache, a sudden loss of coordination or balance, sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of the body), and trouble seeing, speaking or understanding speech.
Most strokes happen when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood, and therefore oxygen, to the brain. If people get to the hospital quickly, doctors can treat them with clot-dissolving drugs that may be able to stop the stroke in progress. -
PESHAWAR: The young children’s rights leader Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by militants in Swat along with two other school girls, is showing improvement, Geo News reported.
Currently, Malala is being treated at Combined Military Hospital, Peshawar for more than 48 hours. Family sources told that though she is still unconscious, her body response has shown improvement.
She is in the intensive care unit of the hospital where senior surgeons are trying hard to save her life.
More than 31 hours have passed since she was operated to remove bullet from her head and the doctors told that the next 24 hours are critical for Malala’s life.
A board including expert surgeons will meet again on Friday to review her condition. The doctors said they are trying their best to save Malala’s life but also appealed for prayers.0Add a comment
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NEW
YORK: Actress Lindsay Lohan on Wednesday was involved in yet another
public spat - this time with her mother in what Long Island police
called a "verbal argument" outside the family home.
Police responded to an early-morning 911 call about a domestic dispute involving Lohan and her mother, Dina, but made no arrests and left the scene shortly after arriving, a spokeswoman for the Nassau County police said.
She said the argument occurred outside Dina Lohan's house on Old Mill Road in Merrick, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of New York City on Long Island's south shore. No injuries were reported.
Wednesday's incident marked the latest in a growing list of public spats involving the 26-year-old actress. Last month, she scuffled with a man at a New York hotel over what media reports described as her demand that photographs he had taken of her be deleted from his cellphone.
A week earlier, Lohan, who has been in and out of court, rehab and prison in recent years, was arrested in New York after a pedestrian told police that her car had struck him in an alley.
She was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, a misdemeanour.0Add a comment
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New York: Children's risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later in life may be tied to how much fish their mothers ate while pregnant, according to a US study.
Researchers writing in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that eating at least two servings of fish per week was linked to about a 60 percent lower risk of kids developing certain ADHD-like symptoms.
But elevated mercury levels, which can also come from eating more fish - depending on the fish - were tied to a higher risk of developing the symptoms, such as hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattentiveness.
Though the study did not prove cause and effect, and did not use a formal diagnosis of ADHD, it may offer insights into a condition that's estimated to have an impact on one in 10 children in the United States, researchers say.
"The really important message is to eat fish," said Sharon Sagiv, the study's lead author from the Boston University School of Public Health.
"Just stay away from mercury-containing fish, because these protective effects are pretty important."
Sagiv said it's best to stay away from "big fishes," such as tuna and swordfish, which typically contain the most mercury. Instead, stick to fishes such as haddock and salmon.
Past studies looking at the link between mercury and ADHD have produced conflicting results.
For the new study, the researchers followed 788 children who were born near New Bedford, Massachusetts, between 1993 and 1998. They used hair samples taken from the mothers right after delivery to test their mercury levels, and food diaries to see how much fish they ate.
Then, once the children were about 8 years old, the researchers asked their teachers to evaluate the kids' behaviors to see how many exhibited ADHD-like symptoms.
After taking all of the information into account, the researchers found 1 microgram of mercury per gram of a mother's hair - about eight times the average levels found in similar women's hair in another analysis - was tied to about a 60 percent increase in the risk of their child exhibiting ADHD-like behaviors.
But there was no link below 1 microgram of mercury per gram of a mother's hair.
Sagiv added that the negative effects from lower levels of mercury may be canceled out by the benefits from eating fish. The children appeared to be 60 percent less likely to exhibit impulsive or hyperactive behaviors if their mothers ate two or more servings of fish per week.
That finding conflicts with the US government's recommendation that says pregnant women should eat no more than two six-ounce servings of fish per week to limit their exposure to mercury.
"I think it does call into question those guidelines, but this is only one study and the results should be confirmed," Sagiv said.
In an editorial that appeared with the study, Bruce Lanphear at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, echoed Sagiv's advice on avoiding "big fishes."
In the long term, we have to really find ways to fight contamination levels in fish so years from now we don't have to give this advice," he added.0Add a comment
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KARACHI: Seven more people were killed in separate incidents of firing and violence in the provincial capital on Wednesday.
A man identified as Saleem Laasi was gunned down by unknown armed men in North Nazimabad. The deceased is said to have had an association with a political party.
In a similar incident a man named Akbar Ali was shot and killed in Azimpura area of Shah Faisal Colony while a dead body was found abandoned from Hawksbay.
Another dead body with torture wounds and having hands and legs tied together was found dumped close to Pankha Hotel in Shershah area while a bullet-riddled body was recovered from Paracha Chowk in the same area.
One more body of a man was found abandoned from Garden area who had been abducted and later on killed by unknown men. A tortured body of a youth was also found from SITE area.
The dead bodies have been shifted to a hospital for fulfillment of legal formalities.0Add a comment
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WASHINGTON:
The death toll from an American meningitis outbreak linked to tainted
medication has reached 12, according to US officials, who have
documented more than 120 infections in 10 states.
Officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said as many as 13,000 people might have received doses of the contaminated steroid injection that has caused an outbreak of the rare fungal infection.0Add a comment
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LOS
ANGELES: R&B star Rihanna and rapper Nicki Minaj led nominations
for the American Music Awards with four apiece on Tuesday, edging out
stiff competition from pop sensations Justin Bieber and One Direction.
Rihanna, 24, was nominated in the top category - artist of the year - where she will compete with Bieber, Katy Perry, pop-rockers Maroon 5 and Canadian rapper Drake.
She also won nods for female soul/R&B artist and album for "Talk That Talk," and will battle Minaj, 29, in the female pop/rock artist category.
Minaj scored two nods for her album "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded" in both the pop/rock and rap/hip hop categories this year, as well as a nomination for favorite rap artist, alongside Drake and American newcomer Tyga.
Minaj has been making headlines after joining the "American Idol" judging panel, where she was caught feuding on camera with fellow judge Mariah Carey in early audition rounds.
"Boyfriend" singer Bieber, 18, landed three nominations this year, tying with British boy band One Direction, Maroon 5, Drake and R&B star Usher.
Following in the footsteps of the Grammy Awards earlier this year, which hosted a tribute to electronic dance music, the American Music Awards introduced a new category in that genre, with David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Skrillex competing for the trophy.
Last year's big winners, Adele and Taylor Swift, who both scored three awards each, received one nomination each this year. Swift scored a nod for female country artist alongside Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, while Adele was nominated in the favorite adult contemporary artist category alongside Kelly Clarkson and Train.
The closely-watched new artist category will be a battle between R&B singer J.Cole, indie-pop ban fun., Australian singer-songwriter Gotye, Canadian pop singer Carly Rae Jepson and One Direction.
The AMA winners are determined by fans through online voting, which starts on Tuesday.
The American Music Awards will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and the ceremony and performance show will be broadcast live from Los Angeles on November 18.
Pop star and "The Voice" judge Christina Aguilera, who announced the nominees on Tuesday, was the first performer to be announced for the live show.0Add a comment
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SYDNEY:
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard Wednesday said she was
determined to be in Bali to mark the 10th anniversary of bombings that
killed 88 Australians, despite a possible terror threat.
Asked whether she was concerned about travelling to the Indonesian island for Friday's anniversary, Gillard said: "I do want to be in Bali for the 10-year commemorations0Add a comment
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BRUSSELS:
US General John Allen will take over as NATO supreme commander and be
replaced as head of alliance forces in Afghanistan by Joseph Dunford,
currently US Marine Corps deputy commander, officials said Wednesday.
Allen, who succeeds Admiral James Stavridis to a post traditionally held by a US officer, led the NATO campaign in Afghanistan from July 2011. Both appointments are subject to US Senate confirmation.0Add a comment
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LONDON:
FIFA vowed Wednesday to limit the number of empty seats to a "strict
minimum" during games at the next World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
This summer's European Championships in Poland and Ukraine and the London Olympics both struggled with empty seats at events that were meant to be sold out.
FIFA admit it is impossible to eradicate the problem completely but are confident they will have systems in place to avoid similar embarrassment in Brazil.
"Empty seats is always a huge topic," said FIFA's marketing director Thierry Weil, speaking at the Leaders in Football conference at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium in London.
"We are implementing new initiatives, we are implementing new resale platforms.
"There will always be no-shows -- as we call it -- in the ticketing world, people who, last minute, will not come to the stadium for certain reasons.
"But we will do our maximum to reduce that to a strict minimum."
Weil confirmed FIFA were revamping the official resale website used at the last World Cup, to allow tickets to be reallocated as late as the day of a game, helped by the fact that no physical ticket will be issued until the day of the match.
One of the biggest complaints during the Olympics was the large blocks of empty seats in some venues in the early stages of competition, which organisers blamed on competitors, team officials and corporate ticketholders failing to show up.
In a bid to counter the corporate issue, Weil said commercial partners would have to provide a list of names of individual attendees "two or three days in advance, so they cannot just say the people will come and then nobody comes".
He added: "The tickets will only be handed over the day of the game to the people, so you can reallocate tickets to different people, even in the sponsor families."
KARACHI: Seven more people were killed in separate incidents of firing and violence in the provincial capital on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON:
The death toll from an American meningitis outbreak linked to tainted
medication has reached 12, according to US officials, who have
documented more than 120 infections in 10 states.
LOS
ANGELES: R&B star Rihanna and rapper Nicki Minaj led nominations
for the American Music Awards with four apiece on Tuesday, edging out
stiff competition from pop sensations Justin Bieber and One Direction.
SYDNEY:
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard Wednesday said she was
determined to be in Bali to mark the 10th anniversary of bombings that
killed 88 Australians, despite a possible terror threat.
LONDON:
FIFA vowed Wednesday to limit the number of empty seats to a "strict
minimum" during games at the next World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
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