Articles by Pramod Sukumaran

The ‘Silent’ Liver Disease Epidemic among Latinos

July 25, 2018

More than 150 worldwide medical experts issued a manifesto to fight liver disease, called NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis), as part of the first-ever NASH Day on June 12, 2018. But just what is NASH? Why is it so important to Latinos? NASH and Our Diets NASH is a liver disease that stems from high-sugar, high fat diets. "To compensate, [our livers] start storing excess fat. If nothing changes, such as diet or exercise, our livers get inflamed — which is what we call hepatitis. Eventually, the disease progresses to nonalcoholic cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer, the need for a liver transplant and even death," according to a San Antonio Express-News report. NASH is a rising public health threat for several reasons. It could lead to needing a liver transplant, which ...

The Controversial Role of Genetics in Alzheimer’s Disease in Latinos

July 17, 2018

U.S. Latinos are 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than whites. But the reasons for this big disparity is still poorly understood—and highly controversial. Scientists believe that many factors influence when Alzheimer's disease begins and how it progresses. The more they study this devastating disease, the more they realize that genes play an important role. Research conducted and funded by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health and others is advancing our understanding of Alzheimer's disease genetics. Genetic Mutation in Alzheimer's Disease Some diseases are caused by a genetic mutation, or permanent change in one or more specific genes, according to a fact sheet by the National Institute on Aging. If a person inherits ...

When Will You Die? A New Blood Test Might Tell You

July 16, 2018

The steady increase in human average life expectancy in the 20th century is considered one of the greatest accomplishments of public health. A person’s rate of aging has important implications for his/her risk of death and disease. Now scientists have developed a blood test that reveals how long a person has left to live, The Guardian reports. Researchers at Yale School of Public Health used a nationally representative U.S. sample to derive a person's “Phenotypic Age” based on 34 a linear combination of chronological age and nine multi-system clinical chemistry measures. The study result suggested that Phenotypic Age is significantly associated with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality. If a person’s phenotypic age is higher than their chronological ...

Can Alcohol Influence the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease?

July 12, 2018

Effect of alcohol consumption on Alzheimer’s disease have been controversial. Some studies show alcohol has a protective effect against the disease, while other studies have pointed to a harmful role for alcohol in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive diseases. A new study from the University of Illinois, Chicago found that some of the genes affected by alcohol and inflammation are also concerned with beta amyloid peptides. These peptides form the main component of the amyloid plaques found in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients, which causes negative impact on communication between the neurons. The study suggests that alcohol consumption, and its impact on the immune system and inflammation in the brain, may be the vehicle through which alcohol ...

Could a Childhood Virus Play a Later Role in Alzheimer’s Disease?

July 5, 2018

Alzhiemer's and viral infectious disease

A childhood virus that infects almost everyone and lies dormant in the body for life might be involved in Alzheimer’s disease, NBC News reports. A recent study by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai examined 622 brains afflicted with Alzheimer’s and 322 disease-free brains. Researchers found increased levels of two Roseoloviruses—human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) and human herpesvirus 7 (HHV7)—interacting with gene networks in areas of the brain that are known to be affected in Alzheimer’s Disease. HHV-6 and HHV-7 cause roseola, a disease that usually infects babies and toddlers and is found in 90% of U.S. children. Roseola usually causes a fever and sometimes a rash and rarely causes complications, although it can cause a dangerous brain inflammation called ...

Alcoholism: A Rising Health Crisis for Latinos

June 25, 2018

Young man sitting drinking alone at a table with two bottles of

When it comes to Latinos and alcohol, there is good news and bad news. Good news: More Latinos have never had even one drink of alcohol (31.8%) than their white peers (15.8%). Bad news: About 1 in 10 Latinos will have alcohol dependence at some point in their lives, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. More than 33% of these Latinos will have recurrent or persistent problems compared, a higher rate than their white peers (22.8%). Either way, some Latinos do struggle with alcoholism. That makes it a problem that public health officials should address. Latinos and Alcohol: Stats Not all Hispanic groups are equal when it comes to drinking and alcohol-related problems, according to an expert who has been studying the alcohol pattern in Latinos for ...

CDC: Latino Youth Struggle with Obesity, Sleep, Asthma

June 20, 2018

tired sick stressed school class latina kid student sleep

More than one-third of U.S. high-school students were overweight or obese, including a higher rate among Latinos (37.7%) than their black (36%) and white (26.5%) peers, according to new CDC data. Sharp disparities were also found in Latino sleep habits and health conditions like asthma. The Data The CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System monitors health-related behaviors. These behaviors usually develop during childhood and early adolescence. They contribute to the leading causes of death among youth and adults in the United States. The CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey is part of the surveillance system. It examines 121 health-related behaviors of high-schoolers. Today we're examining the data on obesity, sleep, and asthma. Latino Youth and Obesity More Latino and black ...

Study: Lack of Sleep May Boost Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease

June 15, 2018

If you don't get enough sleep, you run a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, anxiety, and depression. Now lack of sleep is being tied to Alzheimer’s disease, too. Losing just one night of sleep led to an immediate increase in beta-amyloid, a protein in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Beta amyloid forms the main component of the amyloid plaques found in the brain of Alzheimer’s patient. It harms communication between neurons. A separate study also recently found that sleep deprivation impacts the beta-amyloid burden in regions of the brain implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. This situation also resulted in ...

How to Ease Stress for Latino Caregivers of Family with Alzheimer’s Disease

May 30, 2018

In Latino culture, family is the heart and children are expected to be caregivers for their aging parents. 1 in every 3 U.S. Latino households has at least one family caregiver. These Latino caregivers—mainly women in their 40s—juggle multiple jobs or leave the workforce entirely to enter the respectable but high-stress role of taking care of aging family members, who are 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and other age-related mental health issues. Latino caregivers of Alzheimer’s Disease patients deal with high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms, studies show. "Too often, Latino caregivers do not know where to turn for guidance, relief, and support for their caregiving activities," according to a recent report from the National Hispanic ...

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Pramod Sukumaran

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