skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: Heart and Dementia Risk Factors Overlap

play audio
Play

Tuesday, February 1, 2022   

During February, Americans are urged to pay closer attention to their heart health. Experts say new findings suggest it can keep your brain in better shape, and South Dakota has an opportunity to help with prevention.

With American Heart Month underway, the American Heart Association's statistics update said in the past decade, global death rates from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia have grown at a faster pace than heart-disease death rates.

Mitchell Elkind, neurology professor at Columbia University and immediate past president of the American Heart Association, said it coincides with research connecting heart disease risk factors and the likelihood of dementia.

"That boundary that we used to draw between vascular diseases of the brain, like stroke, and degenerative problems, like Alzheimer's disease, is beginning to fade away," Elkind explained.

The report showed efforts like keeping blood pressure low can reduce the risk of dementia later in life.

Meanwhile, groups supporting Medicaid expansion in South Dakota emphasized covering more people could go a long way toward keeping them healthier. Expansion is on the fall ballot, but is opposed by some leaders, including Gov. Kristi Noem.

Lindsey Karlson, director of quality improvement for the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas, said the clients they work with fall into the coverage gap; they make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but can't afford other health insurance plans.

Community health centers will see them for primary care, but Karlson pointed out having insurance gives them more options.

"Medicaid expansion helps that patient get access to additional specialty care that they might need, so we're talking heart disease," Karlson explained.

South Dakota is among the last states holding out on Medicaid expansion, which is largely funded by the federal government under the Affordable Care Act.

Elkind added there is real concern with many people not having health care access or forgoing preventive care in the pandemic, the situation will only get worse.

"We are seeing an increase in cardiovascular disease and strokes, and that might lead to an increase down the line in people with not just dementia, but all sorts of long-term, chronic health issues," Elkind cautioned.

Disclosure: American Heart Association of South Dakota contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues, Poverty Issues, Senior Issues, and Smoking Prevention. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021