Costs of Stroke May Double, and Then Some, by 2030

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- A new report shows it really does pay to give careful attention to your health. A detailed analysis by the American Heart Association (AHA) shows the total annual costs of stroke in the U.S. are projected to increase to $240.67 billion by 2030 -- that’s 129 percent higher than today.

A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain becomes blocked by a clot or a bleeding vessel, leading brain cells lacking in oxygen-rich blood to die.

Even though stroke, as the fourth leading cause of death and top cause of disability, already accounts for 1.7 percent of national health expenditures, it is predicted to increase dramatically due to the aging of the U.S. population, according to data published in the AHA journal Stroke. More people suffer stroke after the age of 55.

And the deck is further stacked: improved treatment for stroke will lead to higher stroke survivor rates, and our increase in obesity, hypertension, and diabetes will lead to more strokes overall.

With increased survivor rates, medical professionals agree the cost of caring for stroke survivors will eventually take its toll on the healthcare system.

Policy changes in the health system that focus on preventative interventions are necessary now, given the reports findings, or we will certainly pay later.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Alabama Mystery Illness Solved

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- It turns out the mystery Alabama illness was a coincidental cluster of varying viruses, but that doesn't mean public health officials were wrong to raise the alarm, experts say.

Testing confirmed that the seven respiratory illnesses in the southeastern part of the state were the result of a mix of the common cold and a strain of flu, rather than the feared new H7N9 bird flu and the new SARS-like virus currently making headlines in other parts of the world, Alabama Department of Public Health announced Thursday.

"This is a great example of science sorting through the mystery of a 'pseudo-outbreak,'" said Dr. Richard Besser, chief health and medical editor for ABC News. "As expected, these were a variety of infections that just happened to occur close in time."

Health officials became aware of a possible mystery illness on May 16 when seven patients came down with a cough, a fever and shortness of breath, but there wasn't a known cause for these symptoms. Two patients eventually died after coming down with pneumonia, Dr. Mary McIntyre, who is leading the investigation, told ABC News in an email.

Since the patients had little in common – their ages ranged from mid-20s to late 80s, and their test results varied -- the health department couldn't find a link among them.

"You never want to assume that there isn't a connection, because as soon as you do that, you will be proved wrong," Besser said. "The first cases of the next SARS or the next flu pandemic could look very much like this. You treat every one of these clusters the same: You attack it with rapid public health science."

The five patients still alive seem to be getting better, McIntyre said Wednesday. One of them was released from the hospital Tuesday.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Heart Failure? Don’t Go to the Hospital in January – or Overnight

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(DENVER) -- Some patients' fears about being admitted to the hospital overnight might just be valid. A recent study of heart patients linked higher death rates with overnight admissions.

Researchers at the University of Colorado recently analyzed heart failure admissions in the state of New York from 1994 to 2007 -- a total of 949,907 admissions.   

They found that death rates and length of stay were lowest when the patient was admitted between 6 a.m. and noon. But death rates for patients admitted between midnight and 6 a.m. were at their highest.

The researchers also compared days of the week and different months. It turns out the highest death rate and length of time in the hospital was for patients admitted on Fridays and during the month of January.  

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Cockroaches Evolve to Lose Sweet Tooth to Avoid Traps

iStockphoto(NEW YORK) -- Add this to the list of reasons why cockroaches are going to rule the world one day.

In only a few years, several German populations of cockroaches have evolved to lose their sweet tooths, according to a new study published in the U.S. journal Science.

Many insecticide traps use sugary glucose as bait to lure these pests to their demise. Scientists discovered, in the late 1980s, cockroaches were coming back to kitchens after just visiting insecticide traps.

In less than five years, a short amount of time evolutionary speaking, the cockroaches the scientist studied stopped being attracted to sweets. According to the study, glucose now simulates “an aversive bitter compound receptor,” actually driving the roaches away from the traps.

Traps that used glucose bait stopped working. New types of bait have been introduced -- a sort of arms race between man and insect. In the end though, it really might take a nuclear war to find out who wins.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio