Stroke Archive

Research we're watching

An increasing number of Americans have a blood abnormality that indicates autoimmunity, which means their immune system has created antibodies that could work against the body's own cells, according to a study published April 7, 2020, in Arthritis and Rheumatology. Autoimmunity can lead to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, although the study authors said they didn't look to see whether the prevalence of diagnosed autoimmune diseases also rose during the same period of time.

The researchers found a rise over two decades in the number of people who had positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) blood tests, a signal of autoimmunity. They used blood samples taken from 14,211 people ages 12 and older, as part of the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In samples taken in the period 1988 to 1991, ANA prevalence was 11%. It rose slightly to 11.5% for the 1999–2004 time period, and to 15.9% in the 2011–2012 period. Comparing differences in gender, race and age, the largest increases in positive ANA tests occurred in men, non-Hispanic whites, adolescents, and adults ages 50 and older.

On call

Q. I occasionally get an excruciating leg cramp that wakes me from sleep. What causes leg cramps, and how can I prevent them?

A. Although nocturnal leg cramps can strike people at any time of life, they become more frequent with age. Among people older than age 50, about half report having leg cramps, a third say they are awakened at night by them, and 15% report having cramps about once per week.

Do you struggle with decisions? These strategies can help you make good choices more efficiently.

We make countless choices every day. Most are the mundane variety: what to eat, what to wear, what movie to watch. But often our decisions (or lack thereof) have a significant impact on our well-being.

Poor decision making is often a consequence of natural cognitive decline. This can cloud people's judgment about what is the right course of action or make it harder to weigh multiple options. The result is that people make questionable choices, or they feel overwhelmed and don't make any decision, which is sometimes even worse.

Men need to manage their bone health as much as women do.

Most people think of osteoporosis as a women-only health problem, but older men also need protection from this bone-weakening disease.

About one in four men older than 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis during his lifetime, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. And research has found that compared with women, older men are more likely to die following a fracture related to osteoporosis.

If you haven't made a video call yet, give it a try to fight isolation.

When much of the world began lockdowns to battle coronavirus in March 2020, many people turned to video calls to fight off the loneliness that often accompanies social isolation. Tech companies reported that the use of video calls for socializing surged by as much as 80%, enabling people to "see" family and friends. But it doesn't take a lockdown to warrant the use of this technology.

The epidemic of loneliness and isolation

Loneliness affects more than a third of older Americans. Another third of older adults feel isolated: they may be living alone, lack transportation, or live far from loved ones. Or they may have outlived a spouse or friends.

Ask the doctor

Q. I know doctors and scientists are very busy dealing with COVID-19. Is the need to care for, and do research on, COVID-19 affecting the care of and research on other important diseases?

A. You're right: the COVID-19 pandemic has consumed and disrupted medical care and medical research in the United States and around the world.

Ask the doctors

Q. A friend told me that I should be screened for hepatitis C. I'm not in a high-risk group. Is this really necessary?

A. If you're an adult younger than 80 years old, the answer is yes. In March, a government health advisory group, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), revised its earlier position and now recommends that all people ages 18 to 79 be screened for this "silent" virus. Prior to this change, the USPSTF recommended only that only high-risk individuals or adults born between the years 1945 and 1965 be screened. Hepatitis C can attack the liver and lead to serious liver damage and liver cancer. The condition is curable if detected. But people often don't consider themselves at risk and are unaware that they are infected, because they typically don't have symptoms.

An analysis of multiple studies looking at the relationship between high blood pressure and cognitive health –– abilities like thinking, memory, and attention –– found that older people who lower high blood pressure are slightly less likely to develop cognitive impairment or dementia.

The easiest way to protect your eyes from the sun's hazardous radiation is to wear sunglasses, not only in the summer months, but year-round. Ultraviolet (UV) light can damage the iris, retina, lens, and cornea, leading to permanent vision loss. It's a good idea to request UV protection (an invisible coating) on all of your prescription glasses.

UV light has three wavelengths:

UVA is long, looks almost blue in the visible spectrum, and is responsible for skin tanning and aging. It may also contribute to skin cancer risk.

Obstructive sleep apnea affects an estimated 20% of the population, and if untreated it has negative effects on cardiac and metabolic health as well as quality of life. If the condition is moderate or severe, a CPAP machine is the first-line treatment, but there is less consensus about treatment of mild OSA.