Marketing Consultants to the Overlooked Disabled Community
| Home Page |
| About Us |
| We Are Able |
| Clients |
| Did you Know? |
| What's New! |
| Self Test |
| Disorders |
| Hot Links / Sites |
| Contact Us |
|
. . .and a time to every purpose, under Heaven
July 2010
CHICAGO - HealthDay News noted people who say their lives have a purpose are less likely to get Alzheimer's or mild cognitive impairment, a study suggests.
As the nation ages and dementia becomes more frequent, there's more impetus to determine the disease’s causes, related risks, and how to prevent it, said study co-author Dr. Aron Buchman, associate professor in the department of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Center.
He said the study checked positive aspects of life and their possible effect on keeping dementia at bay, "looking at happiness, purposefulness in life, well-being, and whether those kind of concepts are associated with a decreased risk of dementia."
The study in the Archives of General Psychiatry had Dr. Buchman and his team collect data on 951 older people without dementia who were in the Rush Memory and Aging Project.
They were asked to respond to statements such as: "I feel good when I think of what I have done and what I hope to do in the future," and "I have a sense of direction and purpose in life."
Figuring other factors that could account for Alzheimer's, scientists found people who were most positive in statements about their lives were the least likely to develop the condition.
PHOENIX - Quest Magazine Online reported the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) OK’d sales of enzyme-replacement drug Lumizyme, the first treatment in the U.S. specifically for late-onset Pompe disease. The decision was reported by the drug's maker, Genzyme, of Cambridge, MA. Lumizyme is a lab-developed enzyme used to replace the acid maltase enzyme lacking in those with Pompe ages eight and up. Genzyme got FDA’s OK in 2006 to market Myozyme, the first-ever U.S. treatment for infants and children with Pompe. Due to limited output capacity, Myozyme has been reserved for children 17 and younger. MDA-supported basic research helped development of these drugs. Severely-affected adults who’ve been getting alglucosidase alfa through the Alglucosidase Alfa Temporary Access Program will still get therapy as they transition to the commercial supply. Those who’ve been waiting for treatment should contact their physician about access to the new medication.
LONDON – The Associated Press noted a five-minute colon cancer test could cut deaths about 40%. British scientists followed more than 170,000 people for about 11years. Of those, more than 40,000 had a "flexi-scope" test, which removes polyps - small growths that could be cancerous. The test involves having a pen-sized tube inserted into the colon so doctors can identify and remove small polyps. Scientists used the test on people in their 50s. In the U.K., government-funded colon cancer screening doesn't start until 60. Scientists compared those results with more than 113,000 people who weren’t screened. They found the flexi-scope test cut chances of getting colon cancer by 33%. It cut chances of dying by 43%. Scientists said the test needed to be done just once in a lifetime. Results were published online at the medical journal, Lancet. It was funded by Britain's Medical Research Council, National Health Service Research & Development, Cancer Research U.K., and KeyMed.
PALO ALTO, CA - HealthDay News noted study may provide the base for treatment of memory deficits tied to Down syndrome. The study was done in mice which were genetically engineered to have a condition similar to Down syndrome, a genetic disorder. It isn’t clear if humans would benefit from the findings. Still, scientists found mice with the syndrome-like woe could use their brains more effectively when the signaling of norepinephrine, which helps nerve cells communicate, was boosted. "If you intervene early enough, you will be able to help kids with Down syndrome to collect and modulate information," Dr. Ahmad Salehi, the study's primary author, from Stanford University Medical Center. "Theoretically, that could lead to an improvement in cognitive functions in these kids." Dr. Salehi, a research health science specialist at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, was a senior scientist at Stanford when the study was done. The study found the mice did better on cognitive tests such as nest-building - as well as normal mice - after getting drugs that boosted norepinephrine levels.
INDIANAPOLIS - HealthDay News reported study suggests an internal body clock that goes on the fritz could be a factor in developing childhood bipolar disorder. Findings are from examination of the genetic makeup of 152 children with bipolar disorder, which can make people susceptible to major mood swings, and 140 children without the disorder. They linked variations in a gene known as RORB to kids with bipolar disorder. "Our findings suggest clock genes in general, and RORB in particular, may be important candidates in the search for the molecular basis of bipolar disorder," co-author, Dr. Alexander Niculescu, of the Indiana University School of Medicine, stated in BMC Psychiatry online. The gene, which is mainly in the eye, pineal gland, and brain, is thought to be tied to the body's circadian rhythm.
LONDON - HealthDay News disclosed potentially fatal blood clots after surgery are a much greater risk than thought, a British study finds. "What’s most striking is that not only is the risk higher, but also that it lasts much longer than thought," said Dr. Jane Green, a clinical epidemiologist at the University of Oxford and a leader of the team which had findings online at BMJ. Blood clots in the deep veins and the lungs, formally called venous thromboembolism, have been known as a possible complication after any surgery. This study, using data on nearly 1 million United Kingdom women who were tracked for an average of 6.2 years after surgery, outlines the risk in precise detail. One of every 140 women who had surgery that required a hospital stay was readmitted for venous thromboembolism within 12 weeks of the operation. The rate was highest for hip or knee replacement surgery at one in 45, and was one in 85 after cancer surgery.
HERSHEY, PA - Medical News Today notes research suggests smoking soon after waking could hike even a light smoker's lung cancer risk because the shorter the time between waking and a first cigarette, no matter how many you smoke a day, the higher the levels of circulating cotinine, a nicotine derivative made in the body and linked to higher risk of lung cancer. Scientists said smoking cessation programs should account for time smokers wait before their first cigarette because it could make a major difference to their nicotine uptake. The study by Dr. Joshua Muscat, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine public health sciences professor and his team, was in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Dr. Muscat said: "Since cotinine level seems to reflect the risk of lung cancer, our results suggest smokers who smoke immediately after waking may be especially at risk for lung cancer. These people may require more intensive intervention than other smokers to help them quit smoking on a sustained or permanent basis."
PHILADELPHIA - HealthDay News noted that downing a cup or two of coffee after a few belts won't sober you up enough to have you safe at the wheel of a car, study concludes. Alcohol may cut caffeine effects, but it doesn't mitigate impaired decision-making induced by alcohol, the study found. The implications are especially dire for younger people, to whom many new high-octane, alcohol-caffeine combination drinks are marketed, researchers added. "Caffeine decreases the sedative effects of alcohol but doesn't improve cognitive function, which means decision-making may be compromised," said Thomas Gould, co-author of the study in the journal Behavioral Neursocience. "People assume they're not as drunk as they are, and the impaired cognition that remains may lead to poor decision-making. People often drink more when it's a caffeine-alcohol mix. Caffeine doesn't change blood alcohol levels and it doesn't change things as far as being able to make proper choices; those can lead to dire consequences," said Gould, Brain and Cognitive Sciences director at Temple University.
BOSTON - The "stroke belt" has a tight hold. People born in the South have a higher risk of dying from stroke as adults, even if they move away, versus people born in other U.S. areas. The study in the journal Neurology(r) claims people who live in the stroke belt in adulthood had elevated risk of dying from stroke, even if they were not born there. Researchers checked 1980, 1990, and 2000 U.S. death records for people 30-80 who were born and lived in 49 states. Stroke death rates were figured by linking this data to census numbers. The stroke belt had North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama with four groups: born/lived in the stroke belt as adults, born in the stroke belt but didn’t live there as adults, born outside the stroke belt but lived there as adults, and those not born or lived in the stroke belt. The study found those born in the stroke belt and moved away had a higher risk of death caused by stroke than those who were born outside the region and still lived outside the region as adults, said study author M. Maria Glymour, of the Harvard School of Public Health.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - COSMOS magazine reports schizophrenics are able to see through the "hollow mask" optical illusion, because they have difficulty coordinating different brain areas, research found. Previous studies showed schizophrenics are immune to this and the "contrast-contrast" illusion. The hollow mask (or hollow face) illusion occurs when an inverted mask is perceived, incorrectly, as a face. However, the neurological basis for this immunity was unknown. Now, scientists lead by psychiatrist Danai Dima, at the Hannover Medical School, in Germany, have tested the responses of schizophrenics and non-schizophrenic volunteers to 3-D images of normal faces and "hollow" faces while they lay inside a functional MRI brain scanner. Jonathan Roiser, a researcher involved with the study from University College London, said schizophrenics were immune to the illusion. "Connectivity between different brain areas was impaired relative to healthy controls, who did perceive the illusion," he said.
LOS ANGELES - The Disability Law & Policy e-Newsletter of the Law, Health Policy & Disability Center at the University of Iowa College of Law and the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University disclosed a study done by University of California researchers shows U.S. elderly have more disabilities than generations before them. The increase rose in ages 60-69, and reaches across demographic and socioeconomic lines. Non-whites and people with obesity have the highest disability rates. Those over 80 had a lower rate due to modern medicine and better nutrition than past generations. This study has major implications for employees, too: Nine out of 10 employees have at least one chronic health issue.
BOSTON - HealthDay News noted scientists have a tool to predict whether a patient will suffer a second stroke within 90 days of a first one. "This is an important new tool because studies have shown people who have a second stroke soon after a first stroke are more likely to die or have severe disability," Dr. Hakan Ay, of Harvard Medical School, said for the American Academy of Neurology. "This tool can help doctors identify people at high risk of another stroke and need immediate evaluation based on data typically available at initial evaluation." The Recurrence Risk Estimator at 90 Days score uses brain scan results and stroke risk factors to calculate a person's chances of having another stroke within three months. The risk factors include history of transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke), age, and type of first stroke. The higher a patient's score, the greater their risk for a second stroke. "We don't have a well-developed tool for predicting short-term risk of early recurrent stroke, so this tool could help improve stroke care and outcome," Dr. Ay said.
ATLANTA - Anyone who suspects he/she has a heart rhythm woe must see a doctor in an emergency room, asserts Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer, American Cancer Society. It could be a minor issue, but it could quickly be life-threatening. A good internist, family physician, or emergency medicine physician may choose to refer you to a cardiologist for an immediate evaluation. A cardiac arrhythmia is an abnormal beating of the heart. Normally, the heart beats in a regular fashion in which the timing between beats is the same and intensity is the same for each beat. For each heartbeat, an electrical conduction through the heart stimulates the orderly contraction of the muscular sack known as the heart. This leads to pumping of blood to the rest of the body and maintenance of a good blood pressure. If the heart rate should be too fast or the heart beats in an irregular fashion, the heart's ability to pump blood can be compromised. Decreases of the flow of blood to the brain can lead to lightheadedness or even loss of consciousness or death.
ATLANTA - For the first time, abuse of painkillers and other meds sends as many people to the emergency room as the use of illegal drugs, the Associated Press disclosed. In 2008, ERs had about 1 million visits from people abusing Rx or over-the-counter meds - mostly painkillers and sedatives. That was about even with those overdosing on heroin, cocaine, and other illegal drugs, states a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. Five years ago, illegal drug visits outnumbered those from legal meds by 2-to-1. The number of ER visits from medication abuse doubled, said Peter Delany, of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "It's a pretty startling jump," he said as he led a team that worked with the CDC on the report. ER visits for painkillers oxycodone and hydrocodone more than doubled 2004-2008, and cases from one kind of tranquilizer nearly doubled. The report was in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
KNOXVILLE, TN - A Health Behavior News Service report of a study finds Medicare’s Part D Rx meds management plan could be off limits to some patients who need it most: older African-Americans and Hispanics. In 2006, CMS introduced the program, Medication Therapy Management, or MTM, in the Part D Rx drug program. It has face-to-face counseling, phone calls, or consultations by mail with pharmacists or other healthcare providers to help people with chronic illness resolve problems with taking meds. The goal: aid patient health, cut costs, and lower side effects. To be part of the plan in 2010, a person must be enrolled in the Medicare Part D drug program, have at least three chronic health ills, take eight or more meds covered by Part D, and spend at least $3,000 yearly on the meds. Researchers led by Junling Wang, Ph.D., at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, checked data to see whether African-Americans, Hispanics, or whites would be apt to meet eligibility criteria equally.
ROCHESTER, MN - Although diabetes hikes chances of heat illness, many people with it don't know how to cut the risk, a Mayo Clinic survey showed to HealthDay News. "People with diabetes have impaired ability to sweat, which predisposes them to heat-related illness, as do uncontrolled high blood sugars," lead researcher Dr. Adrienne Nassar, a third-year medical resident at Mayo, said via the Endocrine Society. Many patients surveyed, she noted, had less-than-optimal glycemic control in summer, which could raise risk of dehydration. She and others checked 152 surveys on heat awareness taken by diabetics at a clinic in Phoenix. The surveys indicated 20% of the patients didn’t take precautions until temperatures climbed above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, despite the fact that when humidity is factored in, heat illness can occur in as low as 80-degree weather.
PHOENIX - Quest Magazine Online reported the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) OK’d sales of enzyme-replacement drug Lumizyme, the first treatment in the U.S. specifically for late-onset Pompe disease. The decision was reported by the drug's maker, Genzyme, of Cambridge, MA. Lumizyme is a lab-developed enzyme used to replace the acid maltase enzyme lacking in those with Pompe ages eight and up. Genzyme got FDA’s OK in 2006 to market Myozyme, the first-ever U.S. treatment for infants and children with Pompe. Due to limited output capacity, Myozyme has been reserved for children 17 and younger. MDA-supported basic research helped development of these drugs. Severely-affected adults who’ve been getting alglucosidase alfa through the Alglucosidase Alfa Temporary Access Program will still get therapy as they transition to the commercial supply. Those who’ve been waiting for treatment should contact their physician about access to the new medication.
LONDON – The Associated Press noted a five-minute colon cancer test could cut deaths about 40%. British scientists followed more than 170,000 people for about 11years. Of those, more than 40,000 had a "flexi-scope" test, which removes polyps - small growths that could be cancerous. The test involves having a pen-sized tube inserted into the colon so doctors can identify and remove small polyps. Scientists used the test on people in their 50s. In the U.K., government-funded colon cancer screening doesn't start until 60. Scientists compared those results with more than 113,000 people who weren’t screened. They found the flexi-scope test cut chances of getting colon cancer by 33%. It cut chances of dying by 43%. Scientists said the test needed to be done just once in a lifetime. Results were published online at the medical journal, Lancet. It was funded by Britain's Medical Research Council, National Health Service Research & Development, Cancer Research U.K., and KeyMed.
PALO ALTO, CA - HealthDay News noted study may provide the base for treatment of memory deficits tied to Down syndrome. The study was done in mice which were genetically engineered to have a condition similar to Down syndrome, a genetic disorder. It isn’t clear if humans would benefit from the findings. Still, scientists found mice with the syndrome-like woe could use their brains more effectively when the signaling of norepinephrine, which helps nerve cells communicate, was boosted. "If you intervene early enough, you will be able to help kids with Down syndrome to collect and modulate information," Dr. Ahmad Salehi, the study's primary author, from Stanford University Medical Center. "Theoretically, that could lead to an improvement in cognitive functions in these kids." Dr. Salehi, a research health science specialist at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, was a senior scientist at Stanford when the study was done. The study found the mice did better on cognitive tests such as nest-building - as well as normal mice - after getting drugs that boosted norepinephrine levels.
INDIANAPOLIS - HealthDay News reported study suggests an internal body clock that goes on the fritz could be a factor in developing childhood bipolar disorder. Findings are from examination of the genetic makeup of 152 children with bipolar disorder, which can make people susceptible to major mood swings, and 140 children without the disorder. They linked variations in a gene known as RORB to kids with bipolar disorder. "Our findings suggest clock genes in general, and RORB in particular, may be important candidates in the search for the molecular basis of bipolar disorder," co-author, Dr. Alexander Niculescu, of the Indiana University School of Medicine, stated in BMC Psychiatry online. The gene, which is mainly in the eye, pineal gland, and brain, is thought to be tied to the body's circadian rhythm.
LONDON - HealthDay News disclosed potentially fatal blood clots after surgery are a much greater risk than thought, a British study finds. "What’s most striking is that not only is the risk higher, but also that it lasts much longer than thought," said Dr. Jane Green, a clinical epidemiologist at the University of Oxford and a leader of the team which had findings online at BMJ. Blood clots in the deep veins and the lungs, formally called venous thromboembolism, have been known as a possible complication after any surgery. This study, using data on nearly 1 million United Kingdom women who were tracked for an average of 6.2 years after surgery, outlines the risk in precise detail. One of every 140 women who had surgery that required a hospital stay was readmitted for venous thromboembolism within 12 weeks of the operation. The rate was highest for hip or knee replacement surgery at one in 45, and was one in 85 after cancer surgery.
HERSHEY, PA - Medical News Today notes research suggests smoking soon after waking could hike even a light smoker's lung cancer risk because the shorter the time between waking and a first cigarette, no matter how many you smoke a day, the higher the levels of circulating cotinine, a nicotine derivative made in the body and linked to higher risk of lung cancer. Scientists said smoking cessation programs should account for time smokers wait before their first cigarette because it could make a major difference to their nicotine uptake. The study by Dr. Joshua Muscat, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine public health sciences professor and his team, was in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Dr. Muscat said: "Since cotinine level seems to reflect the risk of lung cancer, our results suggest smokers who smoke immediately after waking may be especially at risk for lung cancer. These people may require more intensive intervention than other smokers to help them quit smoking on a sustained or permanent basis."
PHILADELPHIA - HealthDay News noted that downing a cup or two of coffee after a few belts won't sober you up enough to have you safe at the wheel of a car, study concludes. Alcohol may cut caffeine effects, but it doesn't mitigate impaired decision-making induced by alcohol, the study found. The implications are especially dire for younger people, to whom many new high-octane, alcohol-caffeine combination drinks are marketed, researchers added. "Caffeine decreases the sedative effects of alcohol but doesn't improve cognitive function, which means decision-making may be compromised," said Thomas Gould, co-author of the study in the journal Behavioral Neursocience. "People assume they're not as drunk as they are, and the impaired cognition that remains may lead to poor decision-making. People often drink more when it's a caffeine-alcohol mix. Caffeine doesn't change blood alcohol levels and it doesn't change things as far as being able to make proper choices; those can lead to dire consequences," said Gould, Brain and Cognitive Sciences director at Temple University.
BOSTON - The "stroke belt" has a tight hold. People born in the South have a higher risk of dying from stroke as adults, even if they move away, versus people born in other U.S. areas. The study in the journal Neurology(r) claims people who live in the stroke belt in adulthood had elevated risk of dying from stroke, even if they were not born there. Researchers checked 1980, 1990, and 2000 U.S. death records for people 30-80 who were born and lived in 49 states. Stroke death rates were figured by linking this data to census numbers. The stroke belt had North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama with four groups: born/lived in the stroke belt as adults, born in the stroke belt but didn’t live there as adults, born outside the stroke belt but lived there as adults, and those not born or lived in the stroke belt. The study found those born in the stroke belt and moved away had a higher risk of death caused by stroke than those who were born outside the region and still lived outside the region as adults, said study author M. Maria Glymour, of the Harvard School of Public Health.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - COSMOS magazine reports schizophrenics are able to see through the "hollow mask" optical illusion, because they have difficulty coordinating different brain areas, research found. Previous studies showed schizophrenics are immune to this and the "contrast-contrast" illusion. The hollow mask (or hollow face) illusion occurs when an inverted mask is perceived, incorrectly, as a face. However, the neurological basis for this immunity was unknown. Now, scientists lead by psychiatrist Danai Dima, at the Hannover Medical School, in Germany, have tested the responses of schizophrenics and non-schizophrenic volunteers to 3-D images of normal faces and "hollow" faces while they lay inside a functional MRI brain scanner. Jonathan Roiser, a researcher involved with the study from University College London, said schizophrenics were immune to the illusion. "Connectivity between different brain areas was impaired relative to healthy controls, who did perceive the illusion," he said.
LOS ANGELES - The Disability Law & Policy e-Newsletter of the Law, Health Policy & Disability Center at the University of Iowa College of Law and the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University disclosed a study done by University of California researchers shows U.S. elderly have more disabilities than generations before them. The increase rose in ages 60-69, and reaches across demographic and socioeconomic lines. Non-whites and people with obesity have the highest disability rates. Those over 80 had a lower rate due to modern medicine and better nutrition than past generations. This study has major implications for employees, too: Nine out of 10 employees have at least one chronic health issue.
BOSTON - HealthDay News noted scientists have a tool to predict whether a patient will suffer a second stroke within 90 days of a first one. "This is an important new tool because studies have shown people who have a second stroke soon after a first stroke are more likely to die or have severe disability," Dr. Hakan Ay, of Harvard Medical School, said for the American Academy of Neurology. "This tool can help doctors identify people at high risk of another stroke and need immediate evaluation based on data typically available at initial evaluation." The Recurrence Risk Estimator at 90 Days score uses brain scan results and stroke risk factors to calculate a person's chances of having another stroke within three months. The risk factors include history of transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke), age, and type of first stroke. The higher a patient's score, the greater their risk for a second stroke. "We don't have a well-developed tool for predicting short-term risk of early recurrent stroke, so this tool could help improve stroke care and outcome," Dr. Ay said.
ATLANTA - Anyone who suspects he/she has a heart rhythm woe must see a doctor in an emergency room, asserts Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer, American Cancer Society. It could be a minor issue, but it could quickly be life-threatening. A good internist, family physician, or emergency medicine physician may choose to refer you to a cardiologist for an immediate evaluation. A cardiac arrhythmia is an abnormal beating of the heart. Normally, the heart beats in a regular fashion in which the timing between beats is the same and intensity is the same for each beat. For each heartbeat, an electrical conduction through the heart stimulates the orderly contraction of the muscular sack known as the heart. This leads to pumping of blood to the rest of the body and maintenance of a good blood pressure. If the heart rate should be too fast or the heart beats in an irregular fashion, the heart's ability to pump blood can be compromised. Decreases of the flow of blood to the brain can lead to lightheadedness or even loss of consciousness or death.
ATLANTA - For the first time, abuse of painkillers and other meds sends as many people to the emergency room as the use of illegal drugs, the Associated Press disclosed. In 2008, ERs had about 1 million visits from people abusing Rx or over-the-counter meds - mostly painkillers and sedatives. That was about even with those overdosing on heroin, cocaine, and other illegal drugs, states a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. Five years ago, illegal drug visits outnumbered those from legal meds by 2-to-1. The number of ER visits from medication abuse doubled, said Peter Delany, of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "It's a pretty startling jump," he said as he led a team that worked with the CDC on the report. ER visits for painkillers oxycodone and hydrocodone more than doubled 2004-2008, and cases from one kind of tranquilizer nearly doubled. The report was in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
KNOXVILLE, TN - A Health Behavior News Service report of a study finds Medicare’s Part D Rx meds management plan could be off limits to some patients who need it most: older African-Americans and Hispanics. In 2006, CMS introduced the program, Medication Therapy Management, or MTM, in the Part D Rx drug program. It has face-to-face counseling, phone calls, or consultations by mail with pharmacists or other healthcare providers to help people with chronic illness resolve problems with taking meds. The goal: aid patient health, cut costs, and lower side effects. To be part of the plan in 2010, a person must be enrolled in the Medicare Part D drug program, have at least three chronic health ills, take eight or more meds covered by Part D, and spend at least $3,000 yearly on the meds. Researchers led by Junling Wang, Ph.D., at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, checked data to see whether African-Americans, Hispanics, or whites would be apt to meet eligibility criteria equally.
ROCHESTER, MN - Although diabetes hikes chances of heat illness, many people with it don't know how to cut the risk, a Mayo Clinic survey showed to HealthDay News. "People with diabetes have impaired ability to sweat, which predisposes them to heat-related illness, as do uncontrolled high blood sugars," lead researcher Dr. Adrienne Nassar, a third-year medical resident at Mayo, said via the Endocrine Society. Many patients surveyed, she noted, had less-than-optimal glycemic control in summer, which could raise risk of dehydration. She and others checked 152 surveys on heat awareness taken by diabetics at a clinic in Phoenix. The surveys indicated 20% of the patients didn’t take precautions until temperatures climbed above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, despite the fact that when humidity is factored in, heat illness can occur in as low as 80-degree weather.