Dr. Susan Sharma: This is insidermedicine in 60. From the UK, smoking either during or after pregnancy may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS. Researchers have noted that 90% of infants who developed SIDS were born to mothers who smoked. In addition, the risk of developing SIDS is directly proportional to the amount of time exposed to second hand smoke. For instance, those who were exposed to smoke 8 hours per day were 8 times more likely to develop SIDS.
From Chicago, remembering drug names and doses is difficult for patients. A study of over 200 patients who took medicine to lower their blood pressure shows that those with high health literacy failed to remember their medication names nearly one third of the time, and those with poor literacy failed to remember the names of their meds 60% of the time.
From Palo Alto, a test for predicting who will get Alzheimer's may soon be available. A blood test that measures 18 serum proteins was tested on over 250 patients, some of whom had Alzheimer's and others of whom had mild cognitive problems. The test was 91% accurate in terms of predicting those with mild memory problems who would develop Alzheimer's in 5 years.
And finally from Alabama, while garlic has long been touted for health benefits, researchers have identified how it works. Mixing red blood cells with garlic released hydrogen sulfide. This compound acts as an antioxidant, causing blood vessels to relax and increase blood flow. For insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.
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