Health
People with brain aneurysms at higher risk of some mental health disorders, study finds
People who have been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm may be more susceptible to certain mental health conditions, according to a study published by the American Heart Association (AHA).
The knowledge of an unruptured aneurysm increased the risk of anxiety, stress, depression, insomnia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and alcohol or drug misuse by 10% over a 10-year period, the researchers found.
An unruptured aneurysm occurs when a blood vessel in the brain becomes weak and bulges out — creating the risk of a potentially deadly rupture, per the AHA.
RUPTURED BRAIN ANEURYSM LANDS SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER IN MEDICALLY INDUCED COMA AFTER EMERGENCY C-SECTION
The effect was most seen in adults under 40 years of age, and the risk was three times greater among those who received an official mental health diagnosis.
The researchers analyzed data for 85,438 adults with untreated aneurysms between 2011 and 2019, comparing them to 331,000 adults without aneurysms.
An unruptured aneurysm occurs when a blood vessel in the brain becomes weak and bulges out, creating the risk of a potentially deadly rupture. (American Heart Association)
The data came from the National Health Information Database in South Korea.
The findings were published in Stroke, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the AHA.
MICHIGAN MOM: ‘I HAD A STROKE AT 39 — AND THE WARNING SIGNS WEREN’T WHAT YOU’D EXPECT’
“As a neurosurgeon who treats cerebral aneurysms, I often see people who do not undergo surgery, yet feel fear and/or anxiety about their condition before each imaging or screening test to monitor their condition,” said study co-author Na-Rae Yang, M.D., PhD, an assistant professor of neurosurgery in the department of neurosurgery at Ewha Womans University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, in a press release.
“Even when it is medically judged and explained that follow-up observation is the best course for their aneurysm rather than surgery, they still worry about the very slim chance of developing a fatal brain bleed.”
The fact that younger adults were more likely to have a “significant psychological burden” could be linked to other life stressors, an expert noted. (iStock)
The fact that younger adults were more likely to have a “significant psychological burden” could be linked to other life stressors, Yang noted, such as building their career and/or raising a family.
“This elevated rate of mental health conditions suggests that younger people might be particularly vulnerable, highlighting the need for targeted mental health support and interventions for this age group,” she added.
TIAS AND MINI-STROKE RISKS: CARDIOLOGIST SHARES WARNING SIGNS AND PREVENTION TIPS
Dr. Daniel T. Lackland, an American Heart Association EPI and Stroke Council member and professor of epidemiology at the Medical University of South Carolina, was not involved in the study but said he was not surprised by the findings.
“While there is no evidence that aneurysms directly cause anxiety and mental disorders, this study suggests there may be a connection between stress and aneurysms, and that unruptured aneurysms can increase emotional distress,” he told Fox News Digital.
The knowledge of an unruptured aneurysm increased the risk of anxiety, stress, depression, insomnia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and alcohol or drug misuse by 10% over a 10-year period, the researchers found. (iStock)
“For example, an enlarging aneurysm may physically affect nearby sympathetic ganglia, which could produce panic or anxiety symptoms.”
Extreme emotional stress could also increase the risk of an enlarged aneurysm rupturing, which could increase anxiety, Lackland added.
ANGER CAN INCREASE HEART ATTACK RISK, STUDY FINDS: ‘CHRONIC INSULT TO ARTERIES’
Based on the findings, Lackland recommends maintaining active and regular communication with health providers, particularly for individuals with a family history of brain aneurysms.
“If diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, [the patient should] follow through with the appropriate and proper treatment,” he advised.
“Brain aneurysms, like aortic aneurysms, are life-threatening if they rupture, but can be treated with appropriate therapy and/or procedures.”
Although the findings suggest an association between aneurysms and mental health conditions, they can’t prove cause and effect, the researchers noted. (iStock)
Dr. Bradley Serwer, a cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, a Cincinnati-based company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals nationwide, has also noticed this phenomenon in his own practice.
“Whether the patient is told they have a brain aneurysm or they have an abnormal heart valve, irregular heart rhythm or aortic aneurysm, the psychological ramifications are significant,” Serwer, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
Younger patients may have fewer coping mechanisms, he noted.
“They tend to perseverate more on the medical conditions, and this can lead to anxiety.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
This study highlights the importance of taking a multidisciplinary approach to patient care, Serwer said, as well as the “dramatic need” for more behavioral and mental health services to support these individuals.
Potential limitations
The study did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged.
The analysis relied on a national database of medical codes rather than input from individual patients.
“Brain aneurysms, like aortic aneurysms, are life-threatening if they rupture, but can be treated with appropriate therapy and/or procedures.”
Additionally, the research did not take into account the size or location of the aneurysms.
Although the findings suggest an association between aneurysms and mental health conditions, they can’t prove cause and effect, the researchers noted.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health
“As the authors indicate, there is inadequate evidence to indicate that brain aneurysms cause increased mental health risks,” said Lackland.
“Also, the study was done in Korea — and it is unclear if the results can be generalized to other populations.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE GETTING YOUR FLU SHOT, ACCORDING TO DOCTORS
Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
HOW LONG YOU’RE CONTAGIOUS WITH THE FLU — AND WHEN IT’S SAFE TO GO OUT
The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
RESEARCHERS LOCKED FLU PATIENTS IN A HOTEL WITH HEALTHY ADULTS — NO ONE GOT SICK
The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
FREQUENT HEARTBURN MAY BE A WARNING SIGN OF A MORE DANGEROUS CONDITION, DOCTOR SAYS
The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
BACTERIA IN YOUR MOUTH MAY TRAVEL TO THE GUT AND TRIGGER STOMACH CANCER, RESEARCH FINDS
After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
-
West Virginia8 minutes agoWest Virginia High School Football: Huntington-Spring Valley to clash at Marshall university stadium.
-
Wyoming10 minutes agoWyoming reports first rabies case of season in Sheridan County
-
Crypto16 minutes agoVietnam Gov’t seeks Bybit’s support in developing cryptocurrency market – TNGlobal
-
Finance23 minutes agoHow Applied Materials Is Driving Transformation of the Finance Function with SAP Taulia
-
Fitness25 minutes agoPhysical fitness is linked to brain health in young adults, but the effects differ by sex
-
Movie Reviews38 minutes agoMovie Review: Travolta’s “Propeller: One-Way Night Coach” is One for the Ages — All Ages
-
World46 minutes ago
A new kind of date makes personal to-do lists a reason to get together with friends
-
Lifestyle1 hour agoHow having zero points in tennis — or ‘love’ — came to sound so sweet
