Report suggests that North Korea leader could be incapacitated
Reuters Nov 11, 08 6:25 AM CST
(Newser)
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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.
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'Blockbuster' study could transform preventative care
Washington Post Nov 9, 08 8:06 PM CST
(Newser)
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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.
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Pilot recovering sight, but still in serious condition
Independent (UK) Nov 8, 08 4:17 PM CST
(Newser)
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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.
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Head of secret police fills in as dictator heals from stroke: analysts
Times (UK) Nov 7, 08 2:47 PM CST
(Newser)
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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.
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Observers can't tell whether recently released photos are legit
New York Times Nov 6, 08 4:30 PM CST
(Newser)
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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.
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North Korean leader's eldest son seen soliciting surgeon in Paris
Times (UK) Oct 27, 08 12:53 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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The cheap drugs could halve deaths from
heart attack, stroke
Guardian (UK) Sep 29, 08 8:16 AM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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Women apparently have a rare, but real, risk to consider
Mom Logic Sep 19, 08 10:35 AM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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But US intel believes missing dictator is recovering from stroke
Washington Post Sep 10, 08 9:02 AM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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'Dear Leader' hasn't been seen in months
BBC Sep 9, 08 9:29 AM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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Multiple strokes, dementia taking their toll on former 'Iron lady' of Great Britain
Daily Telegraph (UK) Aug 25, 08 12:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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Japanese workers told to tighten belts
New York Times Jun 13, 08 6:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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Scientists nix study after patients suffer heart attacks, strokes
USA Today Jun 6, 08 7:05 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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Lifestyle-related ailments overtake illness as No. 1 killer
Reuters May 20, 08 3:22 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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