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November 21, 2008 5:11:20 AM CST


stroke

stroke news stories

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Kim Jong-Il Had a 2nd Stroke:
Japanese TV

Report suggests that North Korea leader could be incapacitated

(Newser) - Uncertainty grew this morning about the health of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Il after a Japanese television station reported that he has suffered a second stroke, Reuters reports. The claim came from a source connected to an American intelligence agency, but South Korean officials rejected the assertion. North Korea has failed to release any proof that Kim is in good health since the stroke he is widely believed to have had in August. More »

More about:  North Korea South Korea Kim Jong Il stroke US intelligence

Drug May Cut Heart Attack Risk in Half

'Blockbuster' study could transform preventative care

(Newser) - A simple test and drug prescription can prevent hundreds of thousands of heart attacks and strokes, researchers say. Announced today at an American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans, the study of almost 18,000 volunteers in 26 nations confirmed that inflammation leads to heart disease—and can be counteracted by taking a cholesterol-lowering statin, the Washington Post reports. More »

Blinded Pilot Lands After Mid-Flight Stroke

Pilot recovering sight, but still in serious condition

(Newser) - An amateur pilot who suffered a stroke and went blind as he flew over North England landed his plane without a scratch, the Independent reports. Jim O’Neill, 65, was initially unable to follow instructions from civilian traffic controllers, but was guided to safety by British military planes. He remains hospitalized in serious condition, but is regaining his sight, BBC notes. More »

More about:  Great Britain England rescue pilot stroke flight blindness Royal Air Force

Brother-in-Law Pilots N. Korea for Ailing Kim

Head of secret police fills in as dictator heals from stroke: analysts

(Newser) - Kim Jong-Il’s brother-in-law is running North Korea as the dictator recovers from a stroke, experts tell the Times of London. South Korean analysts say that while Kim is conscious and probably mobile, he remains weak. But Pyongyang appears to be functioning normally in the hands of Chang Sung Taek, 62, the head of the country’s secret police. More »

More about:  North Korea South Korea Kim Jong Il stroke Pyongyang dictatorship

Efforts to Show Off Kim's Health Raise More Eyebrows

Observers can't tell whether recently released photos are legit

(Newser) - Recently released photos of Kim Jong-il are baffling observers, who still speculate the North Korean leader may have suffered a stroke despite officials’ insistence otherwise, the New York Times reports. One photo has green foliage, although North Korea’s trees are now sporting autumn colors; in another, Kim’s left hand appears immobile—hinting at a stroke. More »

More about:  North Korea New York Times Kim Jong Il stroke propaganda

 Son Appears to Fetch 
 Brain Doc for Kim 

North Korean leader's eldest son seen soliciting surgeon in Paris

(Newser) - Adding to the evidence that Kim Jong-Il is in grave health, the North Korean leader’s eldest son was filmed while apparently securing the services of a brain surgeon in Paris, the Times of London reports today. Fuji TV also showed clips of an unnamed surgeon being driven in a car owned by the North Korean embassy to de Gaulle airport for a flight to Beijing—the usual connection to Pyongyang. More »

More about:  North Korea Paris Kim Jong Il stroke dictatorship Koreans brain surgery

 Combo Heart Pills 
 Enter Trials in London 

The cheap drugs could halve deaths from
heart attack, stroke

(Newser) - Trials begin this week in London on a cheap "polypill" that could cut heart attack and stroke deaths in half worldwide, the Guardian reports. The pill combines four drugs—aspirin, a cholesterol-lowering statin, an ACE inhibitor, and thiazine to battle high blood pressure. The aim is to sell it—for about $1 a month—over the counter at pharmacies in the developing world, where cardiovascular disease is soaring. More »

More about:  medicine heart attack blood pressure stroke drug companies statins drug trials aspirin

Not Tonight, Honey, I Have
a Stroke

Women apparently have a rare, but real, risk to consider

(Newser) - Women may have a new excuse to avoid hanky panky, the Mom Logic blog notes: the danger of a stroke. It seems a 35-year-old woman suffered one during orgasm, though she has since made a full recovery. Such strokes—caused by a minor heart defect that triggers blod clots during moments of exertion—are extremely rare and more common in men. More »

More about:  sex stroke heart health blood clots stroke risk

North Korea: Kim Jong-Il Is Fine, Just Fine

But US intel believes missing dictator is recovering from stroke

(Newser) - North Korean higher-ups today insisted Kim Jong Il is in fine health, the Washington Post reports, with one diplomat deriding reports to the contrary as a “conspiracy plot.” Kim missed a major military parade yesterday, and hasn’t been seen in more than a month. But though South Korea reports no unusual troop movements or military radio traffic, recent diplomatic twitches on nuclear disarmament, as well as a deal with Japan, might signal power struggles in Pyongyang. More »

More about:  North Korea Kim Jong Il stroke Kim Soo-im

Stroke Rumors Abound as Kim Jong Il Misses Parade

'Dear Leader' hasn't been seen in months

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il was noticeably absent from North Korea’s massive 60th anniversary military parade today, fueling speculation that “Dear Leader” is seriously ill. Kim has not been seen in public for more than a month, and one US intelligence official told the AP the dictator may have had a stroke. Kim likely wouldn’t miss the parade voluntarily, as he presided over the 55th and 50th anniversary editions. More »

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Margaret Thatcher Suffering From Dementia: Daughter

Multiple strokes, dementia taking their toll on former 'Iron lady' of Great Britain

(Newser) - Britain’s Iron Lady is succumbing to the effects of multiple small strokes and progressive dementia, reports the Telegraph . Margaret Thatcher's daughter, Carol, writes in a memoir to be published in September and now being serialized in a British newspaper that the former prime minister, now 82, has struggled for nearly a decade. More »

More about:  dementia stroke Margaret Thatcher Denis Thatcher

 Japan Wages War on Waists 

Japanese workers told  to tighten belts

(Newser) - Japan has launched an unprecedented national campaign to help its residents lose their love handles. The nation now requires local governments and corporations to annually measure the waistline of everyone age 40 to 74, the New York Times reports. Women over 35.4 inches and men over 33.5 inches—rather slender by US standards—will be educated on how to slim down, and local officials and business leaders face fines for missing targets. More »

More about:  Japan obesity diabetes stroke diets

Blood Sugar Control Can
Kill Diabetics

Scientists nix study after patients suffer heart attacks, strokes

(Newser) - Intensive blood sugar control can actually provoke heart attacks and strokes in some diabetes patients, USA Today reports. Scientists canned one US study 4 months ago after high-risk diabetes 2 subjects died more often under aggressive treatment. In another study, blood-sugar control helped their kidneys, but failed to stop heart-related deaths. More »

More about:  United States drugs diabetes heart attack scientific study stroke type 2 diabetes

Chronic Disease Top Cause of Death Worldwide

Lifestyle-related ailments overtake illness as No. 1 killer

(Newser) - Chronic ailments such as heart disease have become the top causes of death around the world, Reuters reports. Infectious disease, such as tuberculosis and AIDS, has traditionally been the planet's number-one killer. But new World Health Organization stats show noncommunicable conditions, many of which are associated with a Western lifestyle, are killing more people, and the numbers are projected to continue climbing. More »

More about:  death disease heart attack stroke World Health Organization