Study Says Alcohol May Trigger Dangerous Palpitations

A study of a clinical group with an average age of 59 builds a stronger link between alcohol consumption and serious heart palpitations in patients with atrial fibrillation, the most common form of arrhythmia. A study in 1978 first discovered such patients experiencing a common and potentially dangerous palpitation after excessive drinking.

The term “holiday heart syndrome” was coined after the 1978 study because excessive drinking is common during the winter holiday season. The symptoms usually went away when the revelers stopped drinking.

Now research from University of California, San Francisco builds on that finding, establishing a stronger causal link between alcohol consumption and serious palpitations in patients with atrial fibrillation, the most common form of arrhythmia. The researchers report that people with atrial fibrillation had almost a 4.5 times greater chance of having an episode if they were consuming alcohol than if they were not.

“One of the remaining big unknowns is why or how this happens,” said senior author Dr. Gregory Marcus, an assistant professor of medicine at the UCSF division of cardiology. “In a previous publication, we suggested that there was an effect on the electrical activity of the atrium that leads to these arrhythmias, but we do need additional studies to prove that.”

For more about the research, go to http://ctsi.ucsf.edu/news/about-ctsi/link-between-alcohol-and-atrial-fibrillation

Heart Disease, Stroke Death Rates Drop for Many Seniors With Diabetes

Death rates for people with diabetes dropped substantially from 1997 to 2006, especially deaths related to heart disease and stroke. That information comes from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, and it is encouraging news for seniors, the most common victims of type 2 diabetes.

Deaths from all causes declined by 23 percent, and deaths related to heart disease and stroke dropped by 40 percent, according to a recent study published in the journal Diabetes Care. CDC estimates that 25.8 million Americans have diabetes, and 7 million of them do not know they have the disease.

Although adults with diabetes still are more likely to die younger than those who do not have the disease, the gap is narrowing. Improved treatment for cardiovascular disease, better management of diabetes and some healthy lifestyle changes contributed to the decline. People with diabetes were less likely to smoke and more likely to be physically active than in the past. Better control of high blood pressure and high cholesterol also may have contributed to improved health.

For more about the research, go to http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/35/6/1252.full.

Trial Finds Two Drugs Effective In Restoring Vision for Elderly with Macular Degeneration

There is encouraging news about the treatment of age-related macular degeneration at the conclusion of a two-year clinical trial. The study concluded the two widely used treatment drugs – Avastin (bevacizumab) and Lucentis (ranibizumab injection) – are both effective in producing “a robust and lasting improvement in vision” in battling the leading cause of blindness in seniors.

The drugs improve vision when administered monthly or on an as-needed basis, although greater improvements in vision were seen with monthly administration for the common eye disease, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. The average age of the patients tested was over 80 years of age.

In its advanced stages, the wet form of age-related macular degeneration spurs the growth of abnormal blood vessels, which leak fluid and blood into the macula and obscure vision. The macula is the central portion of the retina that allows us to look straight ahead and to perceive fine visual detail. Without treatment, most patients are unable to drive, read, recognize faces or perform tasks that require hand-eye coordination.

“The dramatic and lasting improvement in vision with these two drugs is extraordinary. At two years, two-thirds of patients had driving vision. With previous treatments, only 15 percent of patients retained similar visual acuity,” said Maureen Maguire, Ph.D., principal investigator, CATT Coordinating Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

 For more about the two-year trial, go to http://www.nei.nih.gov/news/pressreleases/043012.asp

Omega-3, Curry Spice May Help With Spine Pain Relief

Recent research indicates that combining a popular omega-3 fatty acid with an ingredient of curry spice may offer millions of seniors some relief from cervical myelopathy and other spinal damage. Cervical myelopathy is the most common spine-related walking problem for people over 55, and it can lead to disabling neurological symptoms, such as difficulty walking, neck and arm pain, hand numbness and weakness of the limbs.

UCLA researchers said a diet with the two supplements preserved the walking ability in rats with spinal-cord injury. The findings suggest that the supplements help repair nerve cells and maintain neurological function after degenerative damage to the neck.

“Normal aging often narrows the spinal canal, putting pressure on the spinal cord and injuring tissue,” said principal investigator Dr. Langston Holly, associate professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “While surgery can relieve the pressure and prevent further injury, it can’t repair damage to the cells and nerve fibers. We wanted to explore whether dietary supplementation could help the spinal cord heal itself.”

What are these specific supplements? DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid shown to repair damage to cell membranes. Curcumin is a compound in turmeric, an Indian curry spice, and it is a strong antioxidant that previous studies have linked to tissue repair. Both reduce inflammation. “Our findings suggest that diet can help minimize disease-related changes and repair damage to the spinal cord,” Dr. Holly said.

To see more about the study, go to http://www.uclahealth.org/body.cfm?id=561&action=detail&ref=1935.