Hypertension During Pregnancy Raise Risk For Heart Disease

Hypertension (high blood pressure) occurs in approximately 8 to 10 percent of pregnancies. Research showed that women with hypertension during pregnancy might have a higher risk of hypertension even decades after maternity. This would in turn lead to an increased risk of a number of chronic diseases including heart disease. 

A group of researchers from National Institutes of Health, Imperial College London, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland reported that hypertension during pregnancy, even once or twice during routine medical care, can indicate substantially higher risks of heart and kidney disease and diabetes. Their findings were published on February 12, 2013 in the American Heart Association journal ‘Circulation’.

Previous study had shown that higher heart and kidney disease risk in women with preeclampsia, which is a serious pregnancy-related disease marked with hypertension and measurable protein in the urine.

The new study followed Finnish women who had babies in 1966 for 40 years. The risk of heart or kidney disease or diabetes in later life was calculated among women with hypertension during pregnancy.

Compared to women with normal blood pressure during pregnancy, women who had hypertension during pregnancy had 14 percent to over 100 percent higher risk of cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke) later in life. These women were also 2 to 5 times more likely to die from heart attacks, a 1.4- to 2.2-fold higher risk of having diabetes in later life. Women who had hypertension during pregnancy and healthy blood pressure levels after that had a 1.6- to 2.5-fold higher risk of having hypertension requiring medication or hospitalization later in life. Women with transient hypertension with and without measurable protein in the urine had a 1.9- to 2.8-fold higher risk of kidney disease in later life. Transient hypertension is temporary high blood pressure that will return to normal later.

According to researchers, women who had hypertension or who had diagnosed with hypertension during pregnancy for the first time might benefit from comprehensive heart disease risk factor checks by their doctors so as to reduce their long-term risk of heart disease.

Future study should find out how lifestyle chances during pregnancy would affect the risk of developing hypertension and it is important that these researches focus on how lifestyle changes and clinical follow-up after pregnancy could improve these women’s long-term health.

As the study was limited to non-Hispanic Caucasian Finnish women, researchers are not certain whether results would apply to other racial and ethnic groups.

Metabolism Disorders Relate To Heart Disease And Stroke

Metabolism is the process one’s body uses to get or make energy from the food eaten. A metabolic disorder occurs when abnormal chemical reactions in the body disrupt the process. When this happens, one might have too much of some substances or too little of others that are required to keep one stay healthy. One can develop a metabolic disorder when some organs like liver or pancreas become diseased or do not function normally. Diabetes is a good example.

Excess abdominal fat, higher blood pressure, higher levels of insulin, glucose and triglycerides, and lower levels of the HDL (high-density lipoprotein) or the so-called good cholesterol are some of the metabolic disorders that can be found in young children, according to a study by researchers from the University of Eastern Finland.

The study, which was published on April 29, 2013 in journal ‘Circulation’, revealed that the accumulation of these metabolic risk factors in overweight children were linked to mild artery wall stiffness. The findings also indicated that of single disorders, higher levels of insulin, triglyceride and blood pressure were linked to artery wall stiffness, and boys with excess abdominal fat and higher blood pressure levels were associated with a reduced arterial dilation after maximal exercise in a bicycle test. 

Relations of overweight, impaired glucose and fat metabolism and blood pressure to artery wall stiffness and arterial dilation capacity in 173 healthy children aged between 6 and 8 years in Kuopio, eastern Finland were analyzed.

Actually, the study comprised part of the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) study, which was carried out by a research group in the Institute of Biomedicine at the University of Eastern Finland. The PANIC study provides valuable information on children's physical activity, nutrition, fitness, body composition, metabolism, vascular function, learning, oral health, sleep, pain and other factors of the quality of life.

Results of the new study, which suggested that metabolic disorders developing already in childhood could cause mild arterial stiffness and impair vascular health, stressed the importance of lifestyle improvement in childhood for prevention of metabolic and vascular dysfunction leading to atherosclerotic events.

Arterial stiffness and reduced arterial dilation can predict atherosclerosis, also known as the hardening of the arteries, and in turn could weaken tissues of blood and oxygen, resulting in damage or tissue death. Atherosclerosis is a common cause of heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke.

Depression Could Raise Stroke Risk!

According to Stroke Association in the United Kingdom, about half of stroke survivor will suffer depression in the first year following their stroke. Depression can happen soon after a stroke or several months later, and it can range from mild to severe.

On the other hand, depression could raise stroke risks, too! In a paper published on May 16, 2013 in ‘Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association’, researchers from University of Queensland in Australia reported that depressed middle-aged women have almost double the risk of having a stroke.

A total of 10,547 women aged between 47 and 52 years old were involved in the 12-year study. These women were surveyed and answered questions about their mental, physical health and other personal details every 3 years from 1998 to 2010.

It was found that depressed women had a 2.4 times increased risk of stroke compared to those who were not depressed. Even after eliminating several factors that could raise stroke risks, depressed women were still found to be 1.9 times more likely to have a stroke. Those eliminated factors include age; socioeconomic status; lifestyle habits like smoking, alcohol and physical activity; and physiological conditions including high blood pressure, heart disease, being overweight and diabetes.

This is the first large-scale study that examined the relationship between depression and stroke in younger middle-aged women. About 24 percent of participants reported being depressed and 177 first-time strokes occurred during the study.

Researchers stressed that despite the increased stroke risk linked to depression was large in the study, the absolute stroke risk was still quite low for the age group studied. Only about 1.5 percent of all women had a stroke, as compared to about 2.1 percent of American women in the 40s and 50s. Among depressed women, the risk was raised to slightly more than 2 percent. Researchers also pointed out that similar results could also be expected among American and European women.

While it is not clear why depression might be strongly associated with stroke in this age group, it is possible that body’s inflammatory and immunological processes and their effects on the blood vessels might be part of the reasons.

Current guidelines for stroke prevention might overlook the potential role of depression. Hence, doctors should recognize the serious nature of poor mental health and its long-term effect when treating women. In the meantime, more targeted approaches are required to prevent and treat depression among younger women.

There is no doubt that depression, heart disease and stroke are all related. It is probably because stroke and heart disease share some risk factors, like high blood pressure and being overweight. For instance, a recent study had found that older people with heart disease and had more severe and frequent depression symptoms were more likely to have a stroke.

Diabetes Or Hypertension Link To Higher Sleep Apnea Risk

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. It is a potentially serious disorder since people with OSA are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease if it is not appropriately treated. During OSA, the sudden decline in blood oxygen levels would raise the blood pressure and strain the cardiovascular system. Besides cardiovascular disease, people with OSA can also have other complications including daytime fatigue and eye problems.

During the 27th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC (APSS) held between June 1 and 5, 2013 at the Baltimore Convention Center, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is advising people with Type-2 diabetes or hypertension to be evaluated for sleep apnea by a board-certified sleep medicine physician.

Patients suffering from Type-2 diabetes and hypertension are at much higher risk for OSA, as shown by overwhelming clinical evidence, Research also indicated that treating OSA could help manage these 2 disorders, including improved insulin sensitivity, blood pressure and cholesterol.

As revealed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 25.6 million Americans aged 20 years or older suffer from diabetes. 90 to 95 percent of these patients are Type-2 diabetics. 7 in 10 people with Type-2 diabetes also have OSA, and it was found that the severity of the sleep disorder directly affects the glucose control.

Treating sleep apnea in diabetics could not only lower their nighttime glucose levels and insulin sensitivity but also provide them with benefits of improved sleep unrelated to diabetes, including better alertness during the day and improved memory as well as cognitive function.

According to a recent study by the University of Chicago, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment of sleep apnea might have an effect comparable to prescribed oral diabetes medications.

In the study, average 24-hour glucose levels were reduced and post-breakfast glucose response was improved in Type-2 diabetics with OSA, with just one week of optimal CPAP. CPAP therapy also reduced dawn phenomenon, an early-morning surge in blood sugar in people with Type-2 diabetes, by 45 percent.

About 67 million Americans have hypertension, or 1 in every 3 adults. 30 to 40 percent of these patients also have sleep apnea. Approximately 80 percent of those who do not respond to hypertensive drugs have sleep apnea.

The nighttime and daytime blood pressure will decline with appropriate sleep apnea treatment. For patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea, the treatment would give them the greatest improvement. Reducing blood pressure would naturally lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and improve the overall health.

Less Salt More Potassium For Stroke Prevention!

About 98 percent of Americans consume an average 3436 milligrams of salt (sodium) daily, which is more than twice the recommended amount for a healthy diet, according to American Heart Association (AHA).

Higher intake of sodium is tied to a higher risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure) that would eventually lead to heart disease and stroke, as suggested by many studies. However, little is known about that lower potassium consumption could also lead to high blood pressure.

Several studies published on April 4, 2013 in the ‘British Medical Journal’ (BMJ reported that less salt and more potassium in a person's diet could lower blood pressure and hence the risk of stroke. In the first study, researchers from the Queen Mary University of London and Affiliated Hospital of LuZhou Medical College, China argued that while the current recommendations to lower salt intake from 9-12 to 5-6 grams per day will have a major effect on blood pressure, a further reduction of 3 grams per day will have a greater effect and should become the long-term objective for population salt intake.

Using data collected from 34 trials consisting of 3230 participants, researchers examined people with hypertension and those with normal blood pressure. The results showed that notable decreases in blood pressure in both groups after 4 or more weeks of modest salt intake. The change in the diet did lower their risk of heart attack, heart failure as well as stroke.

The second study by a group of scientists from Britain, Germany and Switzerland found that lower salt intake reduced blood pressure yet had no negative impact on hormone levels, blood lipids, or kidney function, as shown by high quality evidence. A total of 56 reports were analyzed, 37 of which were of high quality. A reduction in sodium intake could lower blood pressure in kids, as demonstrated by moderate quality evidence.

Lower sodium intake was also linked to a reduced risk of stroke and fatal coronary heart disease in adults. The totality of evidence suggested that most people will likely benefit from lowering sodium intake.

Researchers from Britain and Switzerland examined data in the third study on potassium intake and health from 33 reports consisting of 128,644 healthy volunteers. The high quality evidence showed that higher potassium intake reduced blood pressure in people with hypertension but had no adverse effect on hormone levels, kidney function, or blood lipids in adults. Meanwhile, moderate quality evidence also indicated that higher potassium intake was linked to a 24 percent lower risk of stroke.

Link Between Restaurant Meal And Weight Gain

Since 1980, the number of obese American adults has doubled to more than 78 million, according to an estimate made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People who are obese are more likely to develop chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Meanwhile, obesity costs the American economy an estimated $147 billion a year in medical expenses and lost productivity.

Unhealthy diet and sedentary have been accused to be 2 of the important factors that cause the obesity epidemic. Fast food consumption is definitely linked to disease risk. However, the disease-promoting potential of meals from sit-down restaurants has not given enough attention.

A study conducted by researchers from the University of Toronto found that a single meal at a North American restaurant might contain more than half the calories an average person needs for the entire day. The findings were published in the ‘Journal Of The American Medical Association’ (JAMA).

Hundreds of meals at 19 sit-down chain restaurants were sampled and it was found that average breakfast, lunch and dinner meals each contained 1128 calories, or 56 percent of the daily 2000-calorie recommendation.

Salt, fat, saturated fat and cholesterol levels were also found to be extremely high in these meals, which contained 2269 milligrams of salt or 151 percent of the daily-recommended amount for most adults (1500 milligrams), 89 percent of the daily value for fat, 83 percent of the daily value for saturated fat, and 60 percent of the daily value for cholesterol.

In another paper also published in JAMA, researchers from Tufts University focused on dishes available at 33 small independent and small chain restaurants in the Boston area, and samples were taken from Mexican, American, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Greek and Vietnamese restaurants.

Their findings showed that, on average, these meals contained 1,327 calories, which significantly exceeds the estimated energy needs of an individual adult at a single meal. Meanwhile, the researchers discovered that more than 75 percent of the meals contained at least 1000 calories and nearly 8 percent of meals contained 2000 calories. And surprisingly, they also found that calorie content was nearly 50 percent greater than that of popular meals from the largest national chain restaurants.

Italian meals had the highest average calories per meal (1,755), followed by American (1,494 calories) and Chinese (1,474 calories). Vietnamese meals had the least number of calories on average (922), and Japanese meals had the second lowest (1,027).

Obese Men Likely Hyperactive During Childhood!

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders for kids aged between 3 and 17. It can sometimes continue through adolescence and adulthood. The average age of onset is 7 years old.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States revealed that nearly 7 percent of children and teenagers have been diagnosed with ADHD and boys are more than twice as likely to have such disorder as girls are.

Obese men are likely hyperactive during their childhood, according to a recent study. Researchers from New York University found that boys who were diagnosed with ADHD in elementary school were more likely to grow up to be obese adults than those who do not have the condition.

Their findings, which were published on May 20, 2013 in ‘Pediatrics’, indicated that participants with a history of ADHD were 8.6 kilos heavier than those without ADHD after surveying 2 groups of 41-year-old men.

Data was drawn from 207 white boys with ADHD at around 8 years old. They were followed as they grew up. Another group of teenage boys without ADHD were added to the study10 years later. These boys were similar to the original participants.

At the age of 41, 111 men from each group were still in the study and were asked to report their weight. It was found that men with a history of ADHD weighed 96.6 kilos on average and 41.4 percent of them were obese. In comparison, men without ADHD weighed 88 kilos on average and 21.6 percent of them were obese.

Some of the common symptoms of ADHD, such as lack of impulse control, difficulty paying attention and poor planning skills, can lead to unhealthy food choices and irregular eating patterns that continue into adulthood. These behaviors could be responsible for the weigh gain.

While the findings were based on male participants, the researchers suspected that the results could well hold true for women.

It is hoped that the new findings will prompt parents to help their children, especially boys, develop healthy eating habits, and they should pay special attention to the change in weight over time.

Being a global health concern, obesity is the culprit for many chronic diseases including Type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

Smoking Ban Saves Life!

Among about 6 million deaths caused by smoking annually, more than 5 million are smokers while more than 600,000 are non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. This is the statistics released by the World Health Organization (WHO). The annual number of death could rise to more than 8 million by 2030.

Smoking can cause not only cancer but also many other chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. It will also raise the cost of health care and hinder economic development. Hence, many countries have implemented control to curb the number of smokers.

In July 2013, researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington and associates published a paper in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization reporting that the tobacco control measures implemented in 41 countries including Pakistan, Argentina and Italy between 2007 and 2010 will prevent some 7.4 million premature deaths by 2050.

These countries represented nearly one billion people or one-seventh of the world’s population in 2008. The total number of smokers in those countries was nearly 290 million in 2007.

Tobacco control measures, which include higher taxes on tobacco products, bans on adverts and controls on lighting up in public, were on track to persuade an estimated 15 million people not to smoke. Wider use of the controls could also lead to lower health care costs and higher birth weights for babies.

Increasing taxes and banning smoking in offices, restaurants and other public places were the most effective measures. The first method would prevent 3.5 million smoking related deaths, while the second would prevent 2.5 million.

A sharp drop in smoking rates was seen in Turkey as a result of control measures: from 47.9 percent in 2008 to 41.5 percent in 2012. The implemented measures include raising taxes on tobacco products to 75 percent of the final retail price, smoke-free air policies, warnings on cigarette packages, bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and offering treatments to kick the habit.

Another study, conducted by a team of scientists based in the United States, Britain and India, revealed that banning smoking in the workplace and levying a tobacco tax could prevent more than 9 million deaths from cardiovascular disease in India over the next decade.

Smoking is blamed for the deaths of 1 in 5 men in India. The deaths from cardiovascular disease linked to tobacco use are projected to increase by 12 percent over the next 10 years. Their findings, which were published in ‘PLoS Medicine’, confirmed that smoke-free laws and increased tobacco taxes were the single 2 most effective measures. These 2 measures alone would reduce heart attack deaths by 6 million and stroke deaths by 3.7 million (a total of 9.7 million) over the next 10 years.