Health

  2010 MAR 21 - (VerticalNews.com) -- New research shows women who don't receive a clot-busting drug after a stroke fare worse than men who are not treated. The study is published in the March 2, 2010, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

  "Women need to be treated for stroke as soon as possible," said study author Michael D. Hill, MD, MSc, FRCPC, with the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. "We found that women who weren't treated had a worse quality of life after stroke than men. However, the good news is that women who were treated responded just as well as men to the treatment. ...read more

  2010 MAR 21 - (VerticalNews.com) -- Having a shingles infection that affects the eyes may increase the risk of stroke, according to new research published in the March 3, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

  For the study, researchers identified 658 people diagnosed with ocular shingles and 1974 without the infection. None of these people had a history of stroke at the beginning of the study. Ocular shingles is an infection of the eye and the skin around the eye caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. About 10 to 20 percent of all people with shingles have ocular shingles ...read more

  2010 MAR 14 - (VerticalNews.com) -- A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology recommends that the drug quinine, although effective, should be avoided for treatment of routine muscle cramps due to uncommon but serious side effects. The guideline is published in the February 23, 2010, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

  "It's important for people to know that quinine should be avoided since the drug is still available in some countries," said lead guideline author Hans D. Katzberg, MD, of Stanford University and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "Quinine should be considered only when cramps are very disabling, when no other drugs relieve the symptoms, and when side effects are carefully monitored. It should also be used only after the affected person is informed about the potentially serious side effects. ...read more