Health
For Decades, He Had Strange Episodes of Utter Exhaustion
4 out of 5 migraineurs could have signs that herald the onset of the migraine earlier than the headache itself. The primary indicators usually arrive with a change in temper, meals cravings, mild sensitivity or fatigue. One in 5 can have extra signs which might be extra localized and final wherever from 5 minutes to an hour. The most typical are visible, usually with shapes that seem earlier than the eyes and enlarge — however aura also can manifest as ringing within the ears or issue talking.
Might the person’s day of exhaustion be the precursor for a migraine headache that by no means arrives? The extra the duo learn, the extra satisfied they had been that that is what he had. Patel did just a little extra looking and referred the affected person to a headache clinic in Boston.
A part of a Greater Image
The affected person was in a position to have his first video go to with a headache specialist two weeks later. He described his signs and the timeline. It begins off with a sense of malaise, he stated — as if he had been coming down with one thing. Then after half an hour, stiffness arrives in his neck and shoulders, typically even his jaw. One other half-hour later, the weak spot kicks in and he has hassle even sitting up. However he didn’t get complications and hadn’t for many years.
The specialist had been seeing migraine sufferers for greater than 30 years and knew that migraines got here in lots of sizes and shapes. What the affected person described wasn’t an aura: It lasted far too lengthy. It was as if he had an extended episode of the preliminary signs however by no means fairly bought the headache. Furthermore, he had a historical past of migraine complications and, over time, a affected person’s migraines can change in order that they’ve most of the signs however not the headache. Certainly, consultants within the discipline now not name the dysfunction migraine complications however reasonably migraine illness, as a result of the headache is barely part of the larger image. And the way in which these debilitating signs got here out of nowhere after which resolved fully was in keeping with migraine illness.
There are not any assessments for migraine — it’s a prognosis made primarily based on the affected person’s story. The story this affected person was telling didn’t make the prognosis sure, nevertheless it was attainable. To check the prognosis, the headache specialist advised that they fight treating the episodes with medicines that may cease a migraine from progressing. A brand new treatment, accredited by the F.D.A. simply over a 12 months earlier, known as ubrogepant or Ubrelvy, had been efficient for a lot of. The drug blocks a protein that promotes the irritation within the mind that’s thought to provoke the method that produces migraines. When taken on the very begin of the signs, it will probably cease the episode in its tracks. The affected person wanted no persuading. Something which may free him from the unpredictable tyranny of those spells was value attempting.
The treatment was life altering, the affected person instructed the specialist at their subsequent appointment. He took it when the stiffness was first beginning to set in, and inside a few hours, it was gone fully.
For many years the presence of the standard headache was the defining high quality of migraines. Specialists just like the one who noticed this affected person now acknowledge that migraines can change over time in order that typically they aren’t even complications anymore.
Lisa Sanders, M.D., is a contributing author for the journal. Her newest e-book is “Prognosis: Fixing the Most Baffling Medical Mysteries.” In case you have a solved case to share, write her at Lisa.Sandersmdnyt@gmail.com.
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Health
Many families take patients off life support too soon after traumatic brain injuries: study
Many patients who died after traumatic brain injuries may have survived and recovered if their families had waited to take them off life support, a new study found.
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and other universities analyzed “potential clinical outcomes” for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who were removed from life support, according to a press release.
The study included 1,392 patients who were treated in 18 trauma centers across the U.S. over a 7½-year period.
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Using a mathematical model, the researchers compared patients for whom life support was withdrawn to similar patients who were kept on life support.
Among the group for whom life support was not withdrawn, more than 40% recovered at least some independence, according to a press release.
The researchers also discovered that the notion of remaining in a vegetative state was an “unlikely outcome” six months after injury.
When designing the study, the team didn’t know what to expect, according to study author Yelena Bodien, PhD, of the Department of Neurology’s Center for neurotechnology and neurorecovery at Massachusetts General Hospital.
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“Our anecdotal experience was that some families are told their loved ones had no chance for recovery, they would never walk, talk, work or have a meaningful relationship again — yet they chose not to discontinue life support and their loved one made a remarkable recovery,” she told Fox News Digital.
“On the other hand, clinicians are under a lot of pressure to make early prognoses and do not want to commit someone to a life that would never be acceptable to them, so it could be that those patients who died after life support was withdrawn would have had very significant impairments otherwise.”
“I think there are two stories here,” said Bodien.
“One is that some patients with traumatic brain injury who died because life support was withdrawn may have recovered, but the other is that many would have died even if life support was continued.”
A patient’s prognosis after severe traumatic brain injury is highly uncertain, she noted. “Sometimes patients with the most devastating injuries survive and make meaningful recoveries.”
“Families can advocate for delaying a decision to discontinue life support if this is aligned with what they believe their loved one would want.”
The problem, Bodien said, is that health care providers lack the tools required to determine which patients with devastating injuries will recover, to what extent they will recover — and how long that will take.
‘Very important’ study
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, was not involved in the research but said it was a “very important” study.
“Previous research shows a high-level recovery from mild TBI and a significant recovery percentage even with moderate to severe injury,” Siegel told Fox News Digital.
HEAD INJURY ASSOCIATED WITH DOUBLED MORTALITY RATE, 30-YEAR STUDY REVEALS
“After head trauma, the brain may swell, and the use of mannitol and steroids and even sometimes surgery — where the top of the skull is removed — can be used to decrease pressure on the brain and increase chance of a full recovery,” he continued.
Rehabilitation is also crucial, Siegel added.
“All of these tools should be given a chance to work in most cases.”
Based on the study findings, Bodien recommended that clinicians should be “very cautious” with “irreversible decisions” like withdrawing life support in the days following traumatic brain injury.
“Families should also be aware of our results so that they can advocate for delaying a decision to discontinue life support if this is aligned with what they believe their loved one would want,” she added.
Limitations of the research
There were some limitations to the study, Bodien said.
“The sample size of the study was small, which made it difficult to find an adequate number of participants who did not have life support discontinued and were clinically similar, or ‘matched,’ to those who had life support discontinued,” she told Fox News Digital.
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Among the participants who did not have life support discontinued, the researchers were not able to follow all of them for a six-month period.
Another limitation is that the researchers used clinical variables that were available on the day of, or the day after, hospitalization — but sometimes decisions to discontinue life support are made several days later.
“There are many considerations that may lead to a decision to discontinue life support after traumatic brain injury that we were unable to factor into our analyses,” she continued.
“For example, personal beliefs, religion and advanced directives could all affect decision-making but were not captured in our study.”
Bodien also noted that the Harvard study was focused on traumatic brain injury and cannot be generalized to other injuries and illnesses.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
Health
7 important health stories you might have missed this week: Catch up here
Every day of the week, Fox News Digital publishes a range of health pieces to keep you up-to-date on the most important wellness news.
We cover cutting-edge medical research, breakthrough medications, mental health challenges, personal medical dramas and more.
In case you missed them, here are a few of our biggest health stories from this week.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
You can see a full list of recent health pieces at http://www.foxnews/health.
1. Hunger could be tied to sleep, expert says
If you’re feeling hungrier than usual lately, your sleep routine could be the culprit. A nutritional biologist offers tips for regulating sleep and curbing unhealthy cravings. Click here to get the story.
2. Health agencies issue bird flu update: ‘Alert, not alarmed’
The CDC and WebMD teamed up this week to deliver an hour-long update on Thursday about the current bird flu outbreak. Fox News Digital breaks down the most important points. Click here to get the story.
3. Melanoma patients share their stories
For Skin Cancer Awareness Month, two melanoma patients are speaking up about their symptoms, treatment and prevention tips to help others avoid the potentially deadly disease. Click here to get the story.
4. Report reveals staggering discrepancy in health care costs
Patients with private health insurance could be charged up to 300% more than those with Medicare, a new report reveals. Doctors explain the reasons for the sticker shock. Click here to get the story.
5. Pastor shares important message about depression
A Dallas pastor who fought his own depression battle shares how he overcame the disease – and why it’s so important for those in church leadership to seek help when they need it. Click here to get the story.
6. Nurse’s depression is cured through breakthrough tech
A Chicago nurse struggled with COVID-19-related PTSD and depression for years until electrical brain tapping therapy finally gave her a new lease on life. Click here to get the story.
7. Young vaper shares warning after nearly dying
A 22-year-old man in Nebraska required a double lung transplant due to vaping. Jackson Allard shares his story as a cautionary tale. “I had a 1% chance to live,” he said. Click here to get the story.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
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