Media Coverage

Sudden death from epilepsy can occur when having an intense seizure. A seizure can be so strong that you don’t wake up afterwards. Fortunately, that is extremely rare and happens infrequently. “To keep it in perspective– most patients with epilepsy are otherwise healthy. You know, it affects you in your best years of life often,” said Stephen Schuele, MD, MPH, chief of epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology in the department of neurology and professor of neurology and physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. According to Schuele, it’s important to look at the course of seizures in a broad context. “I look at it in the broad context of education. You know, when you have your patient coming with the first seizure, they have– many of them have questions which fill a full hour. And I think that that is correct, you know? If I would have my first seizure, I would have an hour of questions for you. So I think if you create a culture of education and being open for questions of your patients, I think that’s probably the most important aspect to actually lead into discussing SUDEP as well.”

For the more than 310,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer every year, no matter how well the treatment goes, there is always a lingering fear. Could the disease come back, even years later? And what if it comes back in the other breast? Could they protect themselves today by having a double mastectomy? A study has concluded that there is no survival advantage to having the other breast removed. The finding that a double mastectomy is not protective against death for many breast cancers seems counterintuitive, Dr. Narod admitted. An accompanying editorial, by Seema Ahsan Khan, MD, a breast cancer surgeon at Northwestern University, and Masha Kocherginsky, PhD, a biostatistician also at Northwestern, called it a conundrum. Dr. Khan says she too counsels women that a double mastectomy is not a cure-all. But, she said, there are reasons some women choose to have one anyway. Other women who are having one breast removed and reconstructed choose the same for the second breast for cosmetic reasons. “The decisions are complex,” she said. “I have always advised women that a second cancer may occur in the future,” she said. “But if it occurs there is still a good chance of survival.”

The use of GLP-1 medications like semaglutide for weight loss has increased twofold over the past decade, but declined in use among type 2 diabetics, according to a new study, and the researchers warn the resulting and ongoing drug shortage may limit diabetics’ access to the drugs. Adverse side effects may also be causing a decline in GLP-1 use among type 2 diabetics. Metformin is considered the go-to drug for glucose management in type 2 diabetics, but many patients take second-line drugs—type 2 diabetes drugs that aren’t insulin—like GLP-1s to assist with treatment, according to a study by Northwestern Medicine. Almost 40% of patients taking second-line diabetes drugs stop treatment, but this number is even higher (50%) among those taking GLP-1s. The researchers believe this may be due to gastrointestinal side effects—like vomiting, nausea and diarrhea—associated with GLP-1s. Other than side effects, the high cost of the drugs is also a leading cause of discontinuation, according to a separate study by the American Diabetes Association.

A siesta is a short nap in the early afternoon, typically after lunch. While those of us programmed to overschedule our lives may see daytime napping as lazy, it’s actually an effective tool in maintaining longer and more productive days. It’s been a traditional practice in many cultures for centuries, especially in Spain and Latin America, where people take a break during the hottest part of the day to rest and recharge. An afternoon nap has many health benefits. These can include “improvements in energy, alertness, productivity and cognitive function, as well as reductions in fatigue, errors and risk for accidents,” says Keith C. Summa, MD, PhD, a sleep researcher and assistant professor at Northwestern Medicine Feinberg School of Medicine. Part of the basis for siestas and afternoon naps goes back to our body’s natural 24-hour, or circadian, rhythm in body temperature. “Body temperature is at its lowest in the middle of the night during sleep and then begins to rise in anticipation of waking up as well as throughout the morning. In the midafternoon, there is a dip when the body temperature decreases for a short period of time before rising again until peaking in the evening. It then begins to fall in the early night,” says Summa. Decreasing body temperature helps us fall asleep. So, siestas and afternoon naps take advantage of this normal rhythm by allowing a person to take a daytime rest when the body is most receptive to its benefits.

The changes [of the brain] can begin in middle age, but they’re not usually noticeable until decades later. By age 60 and beyond, the changes can pick up speed and may become obvious. Those who have apparently slowed down the process the most are called “super agers” and are the focus of intense research. But plenty of other people, beyond their 70th birthday, boast that they wow their friends often with their spectacular memories and other mental skills. These “super agers” include Edith Smith, who, at 110, is the oldest of more than 100 people taking part in the Northwestern University SuperAging Program. Similar programs, also funded by the National Institutes of Health, are in operation at other sites in the U.S. “There are many different definitions of successful cognitive aging,” said Tamar Gefen, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, who directs the program there. For the Northwestern program, “a super ager is an individual over age 80 whose memory function is at the level of a 50-year-old or even better,” she said, as determined by testing. Gefen is often asked for a profile of a typical super ager. She doesn’t have one. “We have super agers who smoke. We have super agers who drink a six-pack [although not every day]. We have super agers who are depressed. Some have 8 years of education; others have 20 years. We have super agers who are Holocaust survivors, who have been to hell and back.”

Dengue isn’t normally a disease that people in the U.S. are concerned about. But cases in the U.S. this year are already closing in on the total number of cases in all of 2023. More than 9.7 million cases have been reported in North and South America, which is twice as many cases as were reported throughout last year. The global picture is also alarming: The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 6.5 million cases in 2023, a record high. Infectious disease experts say that most local cases in the continental U.S. likely occur when a mosquito that has bitten an infected recent traveler then passes the disease to someone else. In the continental U.S., locally acquired cases of dengue have been reported in Florida. “The reservoir is already seeded, and mosquito populations [in the continental U.S.] already have [the virus],” says Robert Murphy, MD, professor of infectious diseases and executive director of the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University. “There is very little in the way of stopping it, other than being more aware and ready to diagnose cases.”

The Mediterranean diet has been linked to many health benefits for adults. Now, a new study suggests it could be beneficial to children’s heart health as well. The research further supports that incorporating healthy dietary habits early in life can help prevent cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which often originate in childhood, researchers say. Knowing the benefits the Mediterranean diet has for adults’ cardiometabolic health, the findings are not surprising but provide further emphasis on the importance of having a diet of unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish for all stages of life, said Stuart Berger, MD, division head of pediatric cardiology at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Berger was not involved with the study. But it is always important to keep in mind a child’s preferences and to incorporate cultural traditions into any guidance around food choices, Muth added. For those looking to shift to the Mediterranean eating plan, following age-appropriate dietary plans and exercise recommended by a child’s pediatrician is also key, said Berger, who is a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “We’ll need to do more studies on kids in particular,” Berger said, “but reviewing these studies suggest the … beneficial effects of the so-called Mediterranean diet and everything associated with it.”

Strokes are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of disability, according to the American Stroke Association. The exact needs that a stroke survivor requires in order to recover will vary, depending on each individual’s case. Factors like how severe the stroke was, which area of the brain was affected, how soon a patient received medical attention and the overall health of the patient can all play into the recovery process, according to Northwestern Medicine. Because of these life-altering changes that stroke survivors endure, they will need support from those around them, including medical professionals and loved ones.

Lupus is one of the most common autoimmune diseases, and now, a key mystery has been solved that could pave the way to a cure. Investigators at Northwestern Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital said they have discovered a root cause of lupus. Jaehyuk Choi, a dermatologist at Northwestern Medicine, said until now, lupus has been treated by using immunosuppressant drugs, which can have some pretty harsh side effects because they can diminish the immune system, impacting the organs. A new treatment would involve specifically targeting only the cells that are causing lupus. But the new treatments could go even further by reprogramming the cells so they no longer cause lupus.

The cause of lupus has long escaped doctors trying to treat the autoimmune disease. However, a study published this week identified a cause of lupus based on molecular defects in patients’ blood. Lupus overproduces specific cells that attack the body’s organs and tissues. The incurable disease affects hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. The cause of lupus has long escaped doctors trying to treat the autoimmune disease. “Up until this point, all therapy for lupus is a blunt instrument. It’s broad immunosuppression,” said study co-author Dr. Jaehyuk Choi, an associate professor of dermatology and a Northwestern Medicine dermatologist, in a statement. “By identifying a cause for this disease, we have found a potential cure that will not have the side effects of current therapies.” Choi’s colleagues at Northwestern and researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston took part in the study published this week in the journal Nature. They compared blood samples of 19 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, the most common form of lupus, and 19 patients without the autoimmune disease.