During the summer, many of us participate in outdoor sporting events - Marathons, charity runs/walks, cross-country bike rides. In rare cases, people unused to exercise - or even well-trained athletes participating in a grueling endurance event - can experience rhabdomyolysis, a serious syndrome that results when muscle fibers break down and are released into the bloodstream. In these cases, rhabdomyolysis is caused by extreme muscle strain.
Amyloidosis is a rare disease in which abnormal proteins, called amyloid proteins, build up in your organs - affecting your kidneys, heart, spleen, liver, gastrointestinal tract or nervous system. Researchers have not yet determined the exact cause of amyloidosis, but those at greater risk include people over 40, those with chronic infectious or inflammatory diseases (such as tuberculosis or rheumatoid arthritis), those with a family history of the disease and those undergoing kidney dialysis.
Today over 26 million Americans (8 percent of the population) have diabetes. Estimates indicate that another 7 million Americans may be unaware they have the disease. In 2007, the Center for Disease Control characterized the rise in Type 2 diabetes an epidemic - it is still characterized as such.
Diabetes is currently the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. and new global research indicates that diabetes can shorten a person’s life expectancy by six years. In comparison, smoking is estimated to shorten a person’s life by 10 years.
For some time, researchers have been aware of the toll diabetes takes on one’s heart - high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and nerves leading to heart disease and a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. But according to the research published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2011, new studies that examined medical information from over 820,000 people in Europe and North America indicate that diabetes can cause a wide range of other medical conditions. Over the 13 ½ years the participants were followed, more than 123,000 participants died; most of the participants had Type 2 diabetes.
According to the study, the participants with diabetes were two times as likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than those without diabetes. They also had increased death rates from infections, pneumonia, lung and kidney disease and falls. They were 25 percent more likely to die from breast cancer and their risk was doubled for liver cancer. It was also noted that diabetics had a greater tendency to suffer from depression and commit suicide.
Researchers have not yet determined why diabetes has the above effects, but researchers do recommend cancer screenings for those with diabetes and emphasize the need to treat and prevent diabetes.
The symptoms of diabetes may be rather nonspecific and diagnosis may take a while. With Type 1 diabetics, the initial presentation of the disease may be rather rapid with significant illness. Many new onset diabetics present to the emergency department after a few days of a flu-like illness, including nausea, vomiting, and severe dehydration. Their blood sugar may be up over 1000 mg/dl, with normal being 100 mg/dl. This is an emergency situation that requires rehydration, control of sugars, and infusion of electrolytes while hospitalized. Left untreated, this patient can die.
Type 2 diabetics usually have a presentation that is slow and may be monitored over a few years. The usual Type 2 diabetic symptoms may include increased thirst, increased urination, weight loss, fatigue, poor healing wounds, and visual changes. Fasting blood glucose levels are usually over 110 mg/dl. Many times, weight loss will cure the problem. With more severe cases, a variety of oral medications can be taken to address the problem. There are a few cases that require both oral medications and shots of insulin.
The obesity epidemic that currently plagues American youth has many far-reaching repercussions. Not only is it leading to an increased risk and rate of diabetes and kidney disease, but it’s also associated with arthritis. New research shows that 1 in 5 young adult Americans (ages 24-32) has high blood pressure — and many of them don’t even realize they do. That complicates things because if the youth is unaware of the condition, they can’t take steps to improve their health. The new survey that revealed these results followed a group of kids ages 12 - 19 starting in 1995. When these youngsters were first being tracked, 11% of them were obese. Just five years later, 22% of them were obese. By 2008, 37% of them were obese and another 30% were overweight — for a total of 67% of this group. It is an alarming trend — and they’re only in their early 20s.
It’s up to parents and children to reverse this trend. Limit computer and video game time. Encourage outdoor recreation that gets your kids moving. Eliminate soda and limit sweetened drinks. Eliminate fast food, or cut back severely. Remember parents, you are the role model for your child. And while it may be difficult to make fresh meals and get kids to eat their fruits and veggies, consider the consequences on your child’s long-term well-being if you do not. Hypertension. Diabetes. Arthritis. Kidney disease. The list goes on and on. And researchers are seeing these conditions in youth who are only in their early 20s.
According to new research, caffeinated and non-caffeinated coffee can help prevent the most deadly form of prostate cancer. The results from Harvard University’s research are pretty impressive. Researchers followed 50,000 men for 20 years. Of those numbers, 5,000 men got prostate cancer and over 600 got the most deadly form of it. What the researchers found is that the men who drank the most coffee were most likely to get the deadly form of prostate cancer — their risk was 60% less than men who didn’t drink coffee. Men who drank at least 6 cups of coffee daily had a 60% risk reduction; those who drank 3 cups had a 30% reduction.
Researchers also noted that they saw the same results whether the coffee was caffeinated or decaffeinated. Thus, caffeine is not the beneficial ingredient. Other research has shown that coffee can help prevent Parkinsons’ Disease, diabetes and liver disease. Coffee is an anti-oxidant that can help lower insulin levels.
Of note, the study also found that weekly exercise (walking 2-3 times a week was sufficient) also reduced the risk of dying from prostate cancer — by 50%.
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