Preventable deaths linked to smoking, hypertension

Following a WebMD article, HealthDay (4/28, Doheny) reported that smoking and high blood pressure "account for about one in five deaths among US adults," according to a Harvard study of data collected in 2005. "Although both factors had previously been shown to be linked with premature death, the magnitude of the effect found in the new study was not expected," said lead investigator Majid Ezzati, PhD. Apparently, public health officials and their "efforts to reduce smoking and lower blood pressure...have run out of steam."
That assumption was made in light of the 467,000 deaths per year that were attributable to smoking and the 395,000 deaths induced by hypertension, according to MedPage Today (4/28, Phend). "Obesity and overweight [216,000] were the next most common preventable causes, according to" the Harvard group's "analysis of mortality from modifiable dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors." There were, however, "some surprises on the list," as "high salt intake [102,000 deaths], low intake of omega-3 fatty acid from seafood [84,000 deaths], and high trans fat consumption [82,000 deaths]" rounded out the top ten. Co-author Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, said "these are 'things really aren't on the radar the way they should be.'" The results are based on a review of "nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, as well as disease-specific mortality statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics."
MedWire (4/28, Cowen) quoted Dr. Ezzati as saying, "The large magnitude of the numbers for many of these risks made us pause." He added, "To have hundreds of thousands of premature deaths caused by these modifiable risk factors is shocking and should motivate a serious look at whether our public health system has sufficient capacity to implement interventions and whether it is currently focusing on the right set of interventions."

Eating Eggs is good for your eyes.

In a syndicated column appearing in Canada's Niagara Falls Review (4/27), W. Gifford-Jones, MD, wrote that eggs "contain lutein and zeaxanthin, known as carotenoids, that help to decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)," a disease that "affects central vision and is the leading cause of blindness for people over 65 years of age." According to research done by Dr. John Landrum, of Florida International University, who "is a world authority on macular pigments," patients "with the highest intakes of lutein and zeaxanthin had 43 percent less chance of developing" AMD. In addition, a "study from the National Institute of Health...found that those with the lowest level of carotenoids had the highest risk of AMD." Recent data from the National Cancer Institute "show the overall decline of lutein intake. This decrease in dietary lutein was particularly striking in those groups at risk of macular degeneration." Scientists "believe that lutein and zeaxanthin protect the macula by absorbing harmful blue light rays from the sun's rays," and may "act as antioxidants that neutralize free radicals, the end products of metabolism that are believed to cause aging."

Bifocals help you use your cell phone

Optometrists discuss difficulty reading displays on cell phones, PDAs.
In the Boston Globe (4/24) Voices column, Alex Beam writes that, according to optometrist Jeffrey Anshel, OD, "who consults in the field of visual ergonomics," human "vision is engineered for about 30 years of use." Because "nobody was texting in prehistoric times," humans "are outliving our focusing ability," thus encountering difficulty reading displays on cell phones and PDAs. Jeffrey Weaver, OD, "clinical care director for the American Optometric Association," pointed out the "huge difference between typing...on a regular computer keyboard and thumbing out messages on a PDA." People "can type on a computer with crummy vision, as bad as 20/2100," Dr. Weaver said, but the "BlackBerry or cellphone keypad requires greater concentration and much better vision -- or glasses." Even "the dean of American visual researchers," James Sheedy, OD, PhD, of Pacific University, must use multifocals to read the display on his Apple iPhone. (courtesy AOA)

Tips for ithcy eyes

California's San Fernando Valley Sun (4/23) reports that, "according to the California Optometric Association (COA), 20 percent of adults and children suffer from allergies." Many "who endure red, itchy, watery eyes usually try over-the-counter drops that promise immediate relief," but "find short-lived or little-to-no relief," and so "continue to rub their eyes throughout the day." A number of "COA members report seeing an increase in patient complaints during April and May, and offer tips on relief, as well as a warning that symptoms may indicate a more serious condition." COA president Hilary Hawthorne, OD, said that "increased amounts of swelling, redness, and pain should lead to a visit to the optometrist." That's because "self-diagnosis and treatment can potentially make the condition worse, because allergies and bacterial or viral infections can exhibit the same symptoms." Meanwhile, "ways to temporarily relieve discomfort until you see your eye doctor" include cold compresses, chilled sterile saline solution rinses, and "preservative-free over-the-counter eye drops," but not the kind that "get the red out." (courtesy AOA)

Stem Cell cure for macular degeneration in the works

The following was provided by the AOA.

The UK's Daily Mail (4/19, Templeton) reported that scientists in the UK "have developed the world's first stem cell therapy to cure the most common cause of blindness," age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In fact, "surgeons predict it will become a routine, one-hour procedure that will be generally available in six or seven years' time." The new "treatment involves replacing a layer of degenerated cells with new ones created from embryonic stem cells," and was "pioneered by scientists and surgeons from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London and Moorfields eye hospital." Currently, the researchers are "applying for regulatory approval for trials from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Human Tissue Authority, and the gene therapy advisory committee." The Daily Mail noted that "the clinical trial, due within two years, is expected to be the second in the world to use embryonic stem cells on humans."
About "30 million" people "around the world are affected by AMD, in which the part of the retina responsible for central vision gradually thins, leaving one in 10 sufferers totally blind," the UK's Telegraph (4/20, Jamieson) points out. "It is thought" that the stem cell "therapy could help those [with] both the 'dry' form of the condition, which is currently untreatable, and the 'wet' form, which can be mitigated with injections." This week, pharmaceutical maker "Pfizer is expected to announce financial backing for the therapy."