Family worries in mental illness

Disruption of a family member’s treatment for mental illness and subsequent worsening of psychiatric symptoms can have harsh financial, physical and emotional consequences for families. So say results from an international survey of caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder.

“When you consider parents, siblings, spouses and children connected to these individuals, you see how far the shadow of serious mental illness is cast,” said Preston J. Garrison, secretary general and chief executive officer, World Federation for Mental Health. “This survey shows that many caregivers have experienced both the chaos of their loved one’s relapse and the relief that comes with stabilisation.”

Nasal chemical link for sinus

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have evidence that curbed activity from several key chemicals on the inner lining of the nose is linked to chronic sinusitis that fails to respond to the current treatments. Persistent inflammation of the moist tissue that lines the nose and sinus cavities results in clogged passages and recurring infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The team found that in chronic sufferers who failed to respond to treatment, the activity of at least four genes in the body’s nasal immune defence system were severely decreased, and production of two proteins critical to this defence was 20 to 200 times less than normal.

Weight watchers can’t quit

Although many women quit smoking during pregnancy, the majority will resume smoking after having a baby. Results of a University of Pittsburgh study suggest that women’s worries about weight may decrease their motivation to remain smoke-free postpartum. The researchers interviewed 119 women who had smoked at least eight cigarettes per day for at least one month prior to quitting, and who quit after learning they were pregnant. About 65 per cent were highly motivated to remain smoke-free but the rest weren’t. The more confident a woman was she could maintain her weight without smoking, the more motivated she was to remain a non-smoker.

Young snorers galore

About 12 per cent of pre-school children have primary, habitual snoring and more alarmingly, some one to three per cent of children have the potentially life threatening medical condition of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), studies in American schools have revealed. Children with an abnormal condition of tonsils called adenotonsillar hypertrophy were found to have poorer health.