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Doing This at Night May Be a Lewy Body Dementia Symptom — Best Life

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The public’s awareness of Lewy body dementia (LBD) may have increased since the tragic 2014 suicide of Robin Williams, who suffered from the disease, but ​​LBD is actually the most common type of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease (AD), according to Medline Plus, with approximately 1.4 million people in the United States affected by the condition.

AD and LBD are both forms of dementia, and while they are similar in some aspects, there are also important differences. “As the name suggests, Lewy body dementia is believed to be caused by the buildup of Lewy body proteins in the brain,” reports Verywell Health. “Alzheimer’s is characterized by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain.” The symptoms differ as well—and one specific nighttime issue is associated with the onset of LBD. Read on to find out what it is.

READ THIS NEXT: If You Do This During the Day, It May Be an Early Sign of Dementia.

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The buildup of Lewy body proteins affect chemicals in the brain, says Kashmira Govind, a pharmacist with the Farr Institute. She explains that these chemical changes may impair thinking, movement, behavior, and mood.

This can lead to myriad symptoms, as the disease manifests in many different ways. “Hallucinations; seeing, hearing or smelling things that are not there; issues with understanding, thinking, memory, and judgment,” are all potential warning signs, says Govind. “The most common symptoms include changes in cognition, movement, sleep, and behavior,” she says—but the signs don’t stop there and are extremely varied. Govind warns they also can include changes in body temperature, dizziness, frequent falls, and sexual disfunction, among other symptoms.

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The symptoms of LBD can manifest in both the body and the brain. “Lewy body dementia causes a progressive decline in mental abilities,” explains the Mayo Clinic. “People with Lewy body dementia might have visual hallucinations and changes in alertness and attention.” Other symptoms can be similar to Parkinson’s disease, such as “rigid muscles, slow movement, walking difficulty, and tremors.”

These similarities can often lead to a misdiagnosis (Robin Williams was mistakenly diagnosed with Parkinson’s before his death in 2014; only afterwards would an autopsy reveal that he’d been afflicted with LBD). The major difference between the two diseases is the order in which the symptoms occur, according to the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s. (In dementia with Lewy bodies, dementia symptoms will appear first, before the motor skills are affected.)

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In addition to the neurological and physiological symptoms of Lewy body dementia, a very specific behavior may be the first sign of the disease.

“Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder is a sleep disorder in which you physically act out vivid, often unpleasant dreams with vocal sounds and sudden, often violent arm and leg movements during REM sleep—sometimes called dream-enacting behavior,” reports the Mayo Clinic. This condition can manifest years before other symptoms of LBD occur.

“We can diagnose the sleep disorder with a sleep study,” neurologist James Leverenz, MD, tells the Cleveland Clinic. “And there’s a high chance that a person with this disorder will develop LBD or Parkinson’s disease.” Leverenz notes that this behavior is often first noticed by the patient’s bed partner. “Often when someone comes in for an evaluation, and we ask about sleep disturbances, the bed partner says, ‘Oh, they’ve been doing that for years,'” he notes.

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There is currently no cure for Lewy body dementia or other forms of cognitive decline like Alzheimer’s disease. However, the National Institute on Aging (NIH) explains that some symptoms can be effectively treated for a while. “An LBD treatment plan may involve medications, physical and other types of therapy, and counseling,” the NIH says. “A plan to make any home safety updates and identify any equipment can make everyday tasks easier.” Knowing the symptoms of dementia is crucial, as an early diagnosis can mean access to treatment and management options.

Govind also recommends making healthy lifestyle choices which may possibly decrease the risk of dementia. Physical exercise, eating a healthy diet, limiting your alcohol intake, and not smoking are all ways you can slash your risk of LBD, Alzheimer’s, and other forms of this debilitating disease.

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You can smell this cancer symptom — plus 10 other signs not to ignore

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Experiencing discharge down below is normal – and it’s something everyone has to deal with.

It’s important that you get to know your body and what’s right for you – as this will help you spot any deadly signs of cancer.

Cervical cancer is the 14th most common cancer in women in the UK – with around 3,200 people being diagnosed each year.

There are no obvious symptoms during the early stages of the illness – that’s why it’s best to keep up with your smears when reminded by your GP.

However, the NHS says that one of the key signs is “changes to your vaginal discharge.”

This refers to the texture, color and consistency of the discharge – but also the smell.

Experts at Cancer Research UK state: “Some women also have: a vaginal discharge that smells unpleasant and pain in the area between the hip bones.”

That being said, a change in discharge isn’t always down to cancer, and you should see your GP or visit a sexual health clinic if you are concerned.

A change in the smell, texture, color and consistency of discharge could be an indicator of cancer.
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Lower back or pelvis can also indicate cancer.
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Discharge isn’t the only indicator and other key signs include:

  1. Pain and discomfort during sex
  2. Vaginal bleeding after sex, between periods or after menopause
  3. Pain in your lower back or pelvis
  4. Severe pain in your side or back caused by your kidneys
  5. Constipation
  6. Peeing or pooing more than usual
  7. Losing control of your bladder or bowels
  8. Blood in your pee
  9. Swelling in one or both legs
  10. Severe vaginal bleeding
One of the easiest ways to detect and prevent cervical cancer is to get your smear test.
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One of the easiest ways to detect and prevent cervical cancer is to get your smear test.

They are a preventative swab used to detect abnormal cells on the cervix – the entrance to the womb from the vagina.

Detecting these cells and then removing them can prevent cervical cancer. It’s not a test for cervical cancer itself.

Most women’s results show everything is totally normal – the test picks up abnormalities in around one in 20 women.

Cervical screening is carried out under the NHS Cervical Screening Programme, which was introduced in the 1980s.

Every woman over the age of 25 who has a GP is invited for screening – and it doesn’t matter if you’re sexually active or not.

It is possible for women of all ages to develop cervical cancer, but it’s extremely rare in women under 25.

Earlier this year medics warned that millions of women across the UK could be at risk of the illness – after 37 percent of those aged 25-34 said restrictions had impacted or delayed them being able to book their smear test.

It is possible for women of all ages to develop cervical cancer.
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In those aged 35-44, 43 percent said the pandemic had meant they also had not attended a screening appointment.

Dr. Nikki Kanani, GP and Medical Director for Primary Care at NHS England, said: “There is no doubt about it – cervical screening saves lives.

“By screening for risk signs at an early stage, it means that any abnormal cells can be treated quickly before they potentially develop into cancer.

“We know that it can feel embarrassing or feel like something that you can easily put off, but accepting your invite and getting checked could save your life.

“And please do speak to your GP practice about any concerns you might have – we are here to help you.”

This story originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced here with permission.

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Echolalia May Be a Symptom of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s — Best Life

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Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease that causes the brain to shrink, ultimately destroying memory and disrupting other important cognitive functions. Outside of its impact on memory, however, several other symptoms can help tip you off to the onset of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. One such symptom is known to alter patients’ speech, and those who have it tend to pepper conversations with an odd pattern that doctors may recognize as a red flag. Read on to learn which speech-related symptom could indicate early-onset Alzheimer’s, and how to recognize it in yourself or others.

READ THIS NEXT: Doing This at Night May Help You Ward Off Dementia, Study Says.

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Alzheimer’s disease most commonly occurs among seniors over the age of 65, but those with early-onset Alzheimer’s may begin noticing symptoms as early as their 40s and 50s. These patients often face a specific set of challenges due to their life stage, since they may have young children, demanding careers, and aging parents to care for, among other responsibilities.

“Since health care providers generally don’t look for Alzheimer’s disease in younger people, getting an accurate diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s can be a long and frustrating process,” experts from the Alzheimer’s Association explain. “Symptoms may be incorrectly attributed to stress, or there may be conflicting diagnoses from different healthcare professionals. People living with early-onset Alzheimer’s may be in any stage of dementia—early stage, middle stage, or late stage. The disease affects each person differently and symptoms will vary,” they add.

READ THIS NEXT: If Your Handwriting Looks Like This, You Could Have Early-Onset Alzheimer’s.

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While many Alzheimer’s symptoms are subtle and are therefore more likely to be misattributed to stress, exhaustion, or another health condition, one particular symptom may stand out: echolalia, in which people repeat things others have said in conversation.

As it turns out, this type of verbal repetition is surprisingly common among those with Alzheimer’s. In fact, a 2017 study published in the journal International Psychogeriatrics found that verbal repetition occurred in over 47 percent of dementia patients. “Verbal repetition was more frequent in individuals with mild dementia compared to those with moderate and severe dementia and in those with Alzheimer’s disease versus other dementias,” the researchers wrote. “Overall, verbal repetition was the most common of the 60 possible symptoms reported as a target for monitoring, in 807 individuals.”

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Echolalia can sound different from patient to patient, but knowing its range of presentations can help you identify the symptom sooner rather than later.

Peope with echolalia may repeat words or phrases immediately after hearing them, after a brief pause, or in some cases even hours or days after a conversation has ended. Some people repeat the words exactly as they heard them, while others change the wording slightly.

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If you notice signs of echolalia in yourself or someone else, don’t panic: Alzheimer’s is not the only possible explanation for this symptom. It’s important to see a doctor who can help to determine whether verbal repetition is related to dementia.

Beyond Alzheimer’s, echolalia can be caused by other neurodegenerative disorders, head injury or trauma, delirium, Tourette’s syndrome, encephalitis, stroke, epilepsy, and schizophrenia. When the symptom appears in young children, it is often viewed as a possible sign of autism, though it can also be a normal part of language development at that age.

Speak with your medical provider if you notice verbal repetition in your own speech patterns or someone else’s. While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, you may be able to slow its progression with the help of your doctor.

READ THIS NEXT: If This Has Happened to You, Your Dementia Risk Soars, Experts Warn.

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Robin Williams’ Wife On the Dementia Symptom He Hid — Best Life

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Throughout his legendary career, Robin Williams was revered as both a comedic genius and a masterful dramatic actor. He’ll forever be remembered for his electrifying performances in Dead Poets Society, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Birdcage, Good Will Hunting, and many other films. Tragically, in 2014, after struggling with deteriorating mental health and a confounding set of physical symptoms, Williams died by suicide at the age of 63. The actor’s untimely death shook Hollywood and devastated fans, but also left behind a grieving wife, Susan Schneider Williams, and Williams’ three children from previous marriages.

Two years after his death, Schneider Williams penned a heartfelt letter to scientists working to advance research on neurological disorders. In it, she revealed that Williams hid one thing from her during the course of his illness. Read on to learn which heartbreaking symptom Williams endured alone.

READ THIS NEXT: Neil Diamond Says Parkinson’s Means He Can Never Do This Again.

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In the fall of 2013, Williams began experiencing “a firestorm of symptoms,” Schneider Williams recalled. At the time, they seemed unrelated and included “constipation, urinary difficulty, heartburn, sleeplessness and insomnia, and a poor sense of smell—and lots of stress. He also had a slight tremor in his left hand that would come and go,” she wrote.

Over time, the star also began to experience marked shifts in his mental health, displaying periodic “spikes” in anxiety, delusions, paranoia, insomnia, and fear. In May of that year, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, though his family would later learn this was a misdiagnosis.

“Not until the coroner’s report, three months after his death, would I learn that it was diffuse LBD [Lewy body dementia] that took him,” Schneider Williams explained. “All four of the doctors I met with afterwards and who had reviewed his records indicated his was one of the worst pathologies they had seen.”

READ THIS NEXT: This Was the First Sign of Parkinson’s That Michael J. Fox Noticed.

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Schneider Williams says that at the end of every day, the couple would share their ups and downs. “We would discuss our joys and triumphs, our fears and insecurities, and our concerns,” she explained in her letter. This meant that as time wore on and the actor’s symptoms worsened, they would spend long hours discussing how they affected him.

However, Schneider Williams believes there was one thing that her husband held back from her in the months leading up to his suicide: a particular symptom that she believes he couldn’t bring himself to share.

“Throughout the course of Robin’s battle, he had experienced nearly all of the 40-plus symptoms of LBD, except for one. He never said he had hallucinations,” she wrote. “A year after he left, in speaking with one of the doctors who reviewed his records, it became evident that most likely he did have hallucinations, but was keeping that to himself.”

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Only after his death did Schneider Williams realize her husband likely had suffered from hallucinations. In her letter, she shared one heartbreaking memory which suggested that the Julliard-trained actor downplayed his symptoms for his family’s sake.

“When we were in the neurologist’s office… Robin had a chance to ask some burning questions. He asked, ‘Do I have Alzheimer’s? Dementia? Am I schizophrenic?’ The answers were the best we could have gotten: No, no, and no. There were no indications of these other diseases,” she recalled. “It is apparent to me now that he was most likely keeping the depth of his symptoms to himself,” Schneider Williams wrote.

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Though she says not having clearer answers was agonizing, Williams’ widow doubts that the actor’s life could have been saved by diagnosis. “Even if we experienced some level of comfort in knowing the name, and fleeting hope from temporary comfort with medications, the terrorist was still going to kill him,” she wrote. “There is no cure and Robin’s steep and rapid decline was assured. It felt like he was drowning in his symptoms, and I was drowning along with him.”

Schneider Williams now serves on the Board of Directors of the American Brain Foundation, and works to raise awareness about the neurological disorder that took her husband’s life. In concluding her letter, she addressed researchers explicitly, imploring them to continue their important work: “This is where you come into the story. Hopefully from this sharing of our experience you will be inspired to turn Robin’s suffering into something meaningful through your work and wisdom,” she wrote. “It is my belief that when healing comes out of Robin’s experience, he will not have battled and died in vain.

“I am sure at times the progress has felt painfully slow. Do not give up. Trust that a cascade of cures and discovery is imminent in all areas of brain disease and you will be a part of making that happen,” Schneider Williams wrote. “If only Robin could have met you. He would have loved you.”

READ THIS NEXT: The “Crazy” Way Mark Ruffalo Discovered He Had a Brain Tumor.

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Virginia has its first possible monkeypox case | State and Regional News

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Virginia has its first possible case of monkeypox in the state.

In a Thursday release, the Virginia Department of Health announced that the initial testing was conducted in its state lab, but the agency awaits official confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The patient is a woman from Northern Virginia who had recently traveled to a country in Africa. Officials said she is isolating at home, did not require hospitalization and “does not pose a risk to the public.”

Cases have been found in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Utah, Virginia and Washington, per a CDC briefing on Thursday. There are nine total cases that have been identified nationwide.

The first U.S. resident to have a confirmed monkeypox case this year was a man from Boston who had recently traveled to Canada. That case was reported on May 18.

“Transmission requires close contact with someone with symptomatic monkeypox, and this virus has not shown the ability to spread rapidly in the general population,” said Dr. Colin Greene, state health commissioner. “VDH is monitoring national and international trends and has notified medical providers in Virginia to watch for monkeypox cases and report them to their local health district as soon as possible.”

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Earlier this week, President Joe Biden called monkeypox ”something that everybody should be concerned about,” especially if the virus were to continue to spread.

Unlike coronavirus, monkeypox is contagious only when an infected individual is symptomatic and is not easily spread from person to person, said Julia Murphy, the VDH’s state public health veterinarian.

In a Thursday interview, Murphy assured Virginians that there is no evidence monkeypox would have “pandemic potential” and said the state is prepared to handle the disease.

There are already vaccines available to target monkeypox, an illness that has been around for more than 50 years and is considered extremely rare — especially in the U.S.

The first monkeypox outbreak nationwide was in 2003 and was concentrated largely in the Midwest among people who had been in contact with sick prairie dogs.

The viral illness is transmitted when people have prolonged interactions with body fluids or contaminated materials such as clothing or bedsheets.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches and swelling of the lymph nodes. But one of the more distinguishing signs is the presence of a specific rash with raised red marks that start on a person’s face before spreading to the rest of the body and growing into pus-filled blisters.

The VDH estimates that the illness lasts anywhere from two to four weeks, with symptoms appearing seven to 14 days after being exposed.

The state agency recommends seeking medical care if residents have traveled to parts of Europe, central or west African countries where monkeypox cases have been reported; if they have had contact with someone who has a confirmed or presumed case of monkeypox; and if they are men who have sex with men, as multiple — but not all — cases identified have been among this group.

However, Murphy stressed that it’s not the only group of people who can contract the disease.

“It would be a disservice to simply attribute infections to that group of individuals because we are detecting illness in individuals who are not part of that group,” Murphy continued. “[We’re] early in this international investigation at this point, and we very well may learn much more in the coming days.”

Additional guidance about how monkeypox transmission looks in various communities and who might be at higher risk is expected to be available in upcoming days, Murphy said.

Last Saturday, the World Health Organization said in a statement that the spread of confirmed and suspected monkeypox cases with no direct travel links to places where the virus is endemic — such as countries in central and West Africa — is “atypical” and “a highly unusual event.”

Endemic means “consistently present but limited to a particular region,” according to Columbia University’s School of Public Health.

“Hence there is an urgent need to raise awareness about monkeypox and undertake comprehensive case finding and isolation [provided with supportive care], contact tracing and supportive care to limit further onward transmission,” wrote WHO officials.

Murphy said the VDH is working with multiple teams internally such as emergency preparedness, pharmacy and immunization personnel to provide any response support needed. The agency is also arranging webinars and outreach to health care providers to inform them of symptoms to watch out for.

As of Thursday night, the VDH has not found any additional monkeypox cases after conducting contact tracing.

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Insomnia Could Be a Symptom of Long COVID — Best Life

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If you haven’t been infected with the coronavirus yet, consider yourself lucky. By Feb. 2022, nearly 60 percent of all Americans had already had at least one case of COVID, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But while some of these cases have cleared up within a week or so, a number of people who have been infected with the virus have not been as lucky. Some people who have had COVID experience long-term problems that can last for months or even years—a condition known as long COVID.

While there is no clear number, it is estimated that anywhere between 7 to 23 million Americans have developed long COVID, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). While many of these cases are debilitating, it’s also possible that you could be experiencing lingering symptoms without even realizing it. Doctors are now warning about one nighttime problem that may be associated with long COVID. Read on to find out what you should be on the lookout for.

READ THIS NEXT: You Could First Develop These 2 COVID Symptoms a Year Later, New Study Says.

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Long COVID covers a wide range of health issues, according to the CDC. The most common general symptoms reported by people who experience post-COVID conditions include tiredness and fatigue that interferes with daily life, symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort, and fever. Other signs include difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, and difficulty thinking.

These symptoms “can last more than four weeks or even months after infection,” according to the CDC. “Sometimes the symptoms can even go away or come back again.”

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These are just some of the symptoms that could mean you’re suffering from long COVID. Virus experts are now warning that another sign might be so familiar that it isn’t recognized as a symptom at all.

“Sleep disorders are one of the most common symptoms that patients who suffer from post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection are having these days,” Cinthya Pena, MD, a sleep specialist for Cleveland Clinic, told Nexstar Media Group.

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The trouble with sleeping comes from the fact that COVID can affect an individual’s circadian rhythm, Pena told Nexstar. “So mainly what we are finding is that they complain from insomnia, fatigue, also brain fog, some of them present sometimes circadian rhythm disorders,” she explained.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, circadian rhythm sleep disorders occurs when your body’s “internal clock” does not match up with your environment. “Circadian rhythm, the name given to your body’s 24-hour internal clock, controls your body’s sleep-wake cycle,” the experts at the clinic explain. This could mean you’re feeling tired during the day but not getting tired and staying asleep at night.

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The CDC warns that it can be hard for healthcare providers to recognize what is and isn’t a symptom of long COVID. “There is no single test for post-COVID conditions,” the agency explains. “While most people with post-COVID conditions have evidence of infection or COVID-19 illness, in some cases, a person with post-COVID conditions may not have tested positive for the virus or known they were infected.”

According to the CDC, the wide variety of post-COVID conditions makes it more difficult to assess whether the problem has come from a coronavirus infection or something else. “Your healthcare provider considers a diagnosis of post-COVID conditions based on your health history, including if you had a diagnosis of COVID-19 either by a positive test or by symptoms or exposure, as well as doing a health examination,” the agency says.

READ THIS NEXT: Doctor Issues Major New Warning to All Americans—Including the Vaccinated.

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COVID symptom: COVID infection may increase risk of rare eye problem

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COVID-19 could increase your risk for a rare COVID-19 symptom — rare eye blood clots.

Driving the news: A new study found that patients with COVID-19 might have had an increased risk for “rare vision-threatening blood clots in the eye,” per Reuters.

  • The risk lasted for months after infection.

What they found: The researchers studied about 500,000 COVID-19 patients to see if they developed clots in the veins or arteries of the retina, according to the study published on Thursday in JAMA Ophthalmology.

  • Within six months, 65 of the patients had a retinal vein occlusion, which is a blockage of the small veins that carry blood from the retina of your eye.
  • The clots were common in patients who had other conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
  • However, clot risk was not associated with a severe coronavirus infection.

Yes, but: The researchers said it’s impossible to prove that COVID-19 caused the clot, but there’s a simple association.

The bigger picture: There have been some connections between the coronavirus and eye-related issues.

  • Just recently, a new study from the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that there is an increase of risk for dry eye disease (DED) for those infected by the coronavirus.
  • These patients with the DED condition often had blurred vision, followed by itching, pain and burning sensations, per South China Morning Post.
  • Other symptoms included tearing, discharge and redness, as I wrote for the Deseret News.

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Male infertility may be a new symptom of long COVID

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WASHINGTON — Long COVID symptoms like brain fog or lingering heart issues are becoming common ailments coronavirus patients deal with after their infection. Now, doctors fear infertility could be a new problem long COVID patients experience. Researchers in India have found that male fertility issues may occur post-COVID infection as well.

Scientists say their findings suggest even mild-to-moderate cases of COVID-19 can result in detrimental protein-level changes in relation to male reproductive functions. These findings are preliminary, but no less concerning. While studies show the SARS-CoV-2 virus mostly targets on the human body’s respiratory system, it’s also clear that our immune response to infection can wreak havoc all over the body. Prior research has also suspected that men may face fertility issues after recovering from the illness, with scientists finding the coronavirus in male reproductive organs.

So, Firuza Parikh and Rajesh Parikh at Jaslok Hospital, Sanjeeva Srivastava at the Indian Institute of Technology and their colleagues set out to determine if COVID-19 can really cause long-term changes in male reproductive functioning. To that end, the team compared protein levels within the semen of men from two groups: Healthy men who never had COVID-19 and men who recovered from a mild or moderate bout with the virus.

More specifically, scientists analyzed semen samples from 10 healthy men and 17 men who had recently recovered from COVID-19. All participants were between the ages of 20 and 45 years-old, and none had any prior history of fertility issues.

The men who had recovered from COVID-19 showed a significantly lower sperm count and reduced sperm motility in comparison to the others. Additionally, these men also had fewer “normally shaped sperm.”

COVID has a wide-ranging impact on reproduction

When scientists analyzed semen proteins using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, they noted 27 proteins at higher levels and another 21 proteins at lower levels among recovering COVID patients in comparison to the control group. Many of those proteins are directly involved in reproductive function, study authors say.

For example, men who recovered from COVID displayed much lower levels within their semen (less than half) of two specific fertility-related proteins (semenogelin 1 and prosaposin) in comparison to the control group.

All in all, the research team says this work strongly indicates SARS-CoV-2 indeed inflicts direct or indirect changes on male reproductive health, with the effects lingering long after recovery. Additionally, this research may help answer questions regarding the pathophysiology of human reproduction in recovered men.

What’s the next step? Study authors are hoping further studies will feature larger groups to confirm these initial results. It would also be helpful to include a control group of men who recently recovered from other flu-like illnesses in future projects as well. That will ensure future findings are relevant to COVID-19 specifically.

The study is published in ACS Omega.



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New COVID symptom: Does COVID-19 cause Type 2 diabetes?

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People who recovered from COVID-19 had a higher risk of developing diabetes, according to new research.

Why it matters: This would add to the growing body of ramifications from a COVID-19 infection, showing the long-term damage of the virus.

Driving the news: A new large study found that those who recovered from COVID-19 within the last year had a 40% higher chance of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes compared to those who didn’t catch COVID-19, per The Wall Street Journal.

  • Overall, about 1% of people who had COVID-19 developed diabetes when they otherwise likely wouldn’t have developed it, per The Journal.

Worth noting: Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the pancreas does not produce enough insulin and cells respond poorly to insulin to take in less sugar, according to the Mayo Clinic.

  • It is more common among adults.
  • There is no cure, but losing weight and eating well can help manage the disease.

Between the lines: People who had mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 infections could develop diabetes, too, per The Washington Post.

  • However, the chances of developing new-onset diabetes were greater for those who had severe COVID-19 symptoms.

Yes, but: “This kind of study cannot prove cause and effect, but it showed a strong association between the two diseases,” according to The Washington Post.

Method: The researchers — who published their findings in the medical journal Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology — reviewed medical records of more than 181,000 Veterans Affairs patients.

  • The records were then compared with 4.1 million VA patients who were not infected during the same period, as well as 4.28 million VA patients who had Medicare in 2018 and 2019.

The bottom line: “For the broader public, if you’ve had covid-19, you need to pay attention to your blood sugar,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at VA St. Louis Health Care System, according to The Washington Post.

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COVID symptoms: This COVID symptom is rarer than expected

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The number of athletes suffering from myocarditis — inflammation of the heart muscle — after COVID-19 infection is less common than previously thought, the American College of Cardiology said in new guidance released Tuesday.

The backdrop: Professional and collegiate sports officials have paused games and leagues due to fears athletes would suffer from myocarditis after a COVID-19 infection, ABC News reports.

Yes, but: The ACC said in its guidance — which was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology — that the number of athletes with myocarditis is lower than originally thought.

What’s next: The ACC said leagues and athletic organizations need to develop a plan to help athletes return to competitions after infection.

What they’re saying: “For athletes recovering from COVID-19 with ongoing cardiopulmonary symptoms … further evaluation should be performed before resuming exercise,” the ACC experts said, according to ABC News. “For all others who are asymptomatic or with symptoms less suggestive of a cardiopulmonary etiology … additional cardiac testing is not recommended.”

Worth noting: There have also been concerns about younger men suffering from myocarditis after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, too, as I reported for the Deseret News.

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