Compiled by Dr Muiris Houston and Sylvia Thompson
SNORING AND HEADACHE: Snoring is more common among those who suffer from chronic daily headaches than among the general population, according to a new study. However, it is unclear whether the headache causes the snoring or vice versa. One theory is that sleep disruption caused by repeated awakening due to snoring may increase the likelihood of headache. However, it is also possible that medications used to manage pain may aggravate sleep-disordered breathing and therefore snoring.
RIVETING RESEARCH: Tomorrow the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, will launch an innovative publication by the Health Research Board. 'A Picture of Health': a selection of Irish Health Research 2003 is a compendium of research projects currently being undertaken in the Republic. The book will be of interest to second level teachers as well as healthcare professionals. For further details please contact: Health Research Board at 01-6761176.
LUNGS CHECK: With Ash Wednesday just around the corner what better time than now to take stock of the health of your lungs, particularly if you smoke or are an ex-smoker. If you do have breathing problems, understanding the causes, the treatments available and how to get the best from your lungs could change your life for the better. In the same way blood pressure measurement is used to pick up early high blood pressure problems, lung function is assessed through a simple test called spirometry. If you are experiencing breathing problems and have not spoken to your GP about it, do so now.
REPEAT STROKE: According to recent research published in the British Medical Journal the risk of having a full-blown stroke soon after a minor one is much higher than previously thought. About one in 10 will have a stroke within a week and almost one in five within a month. Dr Desmond O'Neill chairman of the Irish Heart Foundation's Council on Stroke says this research represents a radical change in our understanding of the seriousness and urgency of transient ischaemic attack (mini stroke) and stroke.