Category: Family Health

Because SADS condition are passed down from parent to child, each child of an affected parent has a 50% chance of inheriting the condition. It is estimated that over half of the 4,000 SADS deaths each year of children, teens, or young adults have one of the top two warning signs: 1) family history – of a SADS diagnosis or sudden unexplained death (usually undiagnosed and untreated) of a family member, or 2) fainting.

SADS conditions occur because the electrical system of the heart is not working properly, so that the heart beats with an abnormal rhythm.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) are liver conditions that are becoming more common, especially in people with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. These diseases used to be called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but experts updated the names to better reflect their connection to metabolic health.

MASLD means your liver has too much fat. This can happen even if you don’t drink alcohol. MASLD is often found in people who are overweight or have diabetes. More than one-third of the world’s population has MASLD.

MASH is a more serious form of liver disease. It means your liver is not only fatty but also inflamed and damaged.

Which of these liver conditions you have, along with several other factors, is key to understanding your outlook, also called prognosis.

Understanding MASLD and MASH outcomes

Many people with MASLD don’t have liver-related complications, especially if they lessen their metabolic risk factors. Research shows that people with MASLD live, on average, about three years less than those without the condition. MASLD can raise the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. And up to 20% to 30% of people with MASLD may develop MASH.

With MASH, inflammation and damage can lead to scarring, also called fibrosis; cirrhosis, which is severe scarring; and liver cancer over time. These conditions have a great impact on survival rates.

Factors influencing outcomes

Healthcare professionals use a system called fibrosis staging, from F0 to F4, to measure how much damage there is in the liver.

People with F3 or F4 fibrosis are at greater risk of liver failure and cancer. The average 10-year survival rates reflect this.

• F0 to F2: About 89% to 93%.
• F3: About 81%.
• F4, also called cirrhosis: Around 51%, depending on complications.

Worsening of scarring to cirrhosis is typically slow, taking years to decades. On average, people with MASH move to the next stage of fibrosis approximately every seven years, compared with every 14 years in those with MASLD.

People who have liver scarring without major complications, called compensated cirrhosis, have higher survival rates than those with scarring with major complications, known as decompensated cirrhosis. Complications include abdominal fluid buildup, called ascites; gastrointestinal bleeding, also called variceal bleeding; and confusion, known as hepatic encephalopathy. For people with decompensated cirrhosis, average survival time is 2 to 3 years without receiving a liver transplant.

Other factors affecting prognosis include:

Heart health. Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in people with MASLD or MASH. That’s because these liver conditions often come with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes — all of which hurt the heart.

Diabetes and obesity. Having diabetes or being overweight worsens liver health. It also raises the risk of kidney issues and other health concerns.

Age and sex assigned at birth. Older people tend to have more liver damage. Men may be more likely to develop serious scarring, while women may have more fat in the liver but slower progression until they reach menopause.

Lifestyle. Drinking alcohol, eating less healthy food and not exercising can make liver disease worse. But healthy habits can slow or even reverse damage.

Genes. Some people have genetic traits that make them more likely to get liver damage. Researchers are still learning how to use this information to help people with liver conditions.

The good news is that MASLD and MASH can often be managed — and sometimes improved — with lifestyle changes. For example, losing just 7% to 10% of your body weight can reduce liver fat and inflammation. Eating a Mediterranean-style diet that includes lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains and healthy fats can also improve liver health.

Why Get the Flu Vaccine?

If you’ve ever had the flu, you know how bad it can make you feel. To help skip all that misery — as well as possible health problems from the flu — doctors recommend that all kids and teens get a flu vaccine every year.

There are other good reasons too:

• It’s extra important for people with some medical conditions (like kidney disease, diabetes, HIV, heart problems, or asthma) to get a flu vaccine. They are more likely to have serious health problems (like pneumonia) when they get the flu.
• Kids and teens who need to take aspirin for a health condition also need the flu vaccine. They’re at risk for getting a serious condition called
  if they get the flu.
• Getting vaccinated protects the people around you. Because you’re less likely to get the flu and pass it on, you help protect people who might get very ill from the flu — like babies, people with serious medical conditions, and the elderly.

When Should a Person Get Vaccinated?

To be protected against the flu, you must get the vaccine every year. Unlike some other illnesses, like chickenpox, the flu virus keeps changing. The vaccine needs to change to keep up with the types of flu viruses expected to cause problems that year.

Flu viruses usually cause the most illness during the colder months of the year. In the United States, flu season is from October to May.

The best time to get a flu vaccine is before flu season starts. Getting it as soon as it’s available, usually around September, gives the body time to build immunity. Your parent can find out about vaccine availability from your doctor’s office, or you can ask your school nurse. The nasal spray vaccine is even available for some people to get at home.

Even if you can’t get vaccinated right away, getting it later is better than not getting it at all. It’s still flu season in January or February — even then it’s not too late for you to get the flu vaccine. And getting a flu vaccine late in the season is especially important for people who travel. That’s because the flu can be active around the globe throughout the year.

What Are the Possible Side Effects of the Flu Vaccine?

Flu vaccines come in two forms, a shot and a nasal spray:

• The flu shot usually is injected into the upper arm or thigh, depending on a person’s age. It contains killed  flu virus. It can cause soreness, redness, or swelling at the injection site. Rarely, it might cause a low fever or body aches.
• The nasal spray flu vaccine contains weakened live flu viruses. So it may cause mild flu-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, wheezing, sore throat, vomiting, or tiredness. Like the shot, it can sometimes cause a low fever or body aches.

Sometimes people feel faint after getting a shot. To prevent this, you can sit or lie down for 15 minutes right after the shot.

Both vaccine types cause the body to make antibodies to fight off infection by the live flu virus, and they work equally well. Get whichever vaccine your doctor recommends. People with weak immune systems or some health conditions and pregnant women should not get the nasal spray vaccine.

What If I Still Get the Flu?

Some people who get the vaccine might get the flu. But the illness will be much milder and go away sooner than if they weren’t vaccinated. The flu vaccine is very good at protecting against the flu, but it’s not 100%. And it only works against some types of the virus. If a new flu type appears, a person who’s had the vaccine may not be protected against it.

What Else Should I Know?

In the past, people with an egg allergy had to check with their doctor about whether the flu vaccine was OK for them because it’s grown inside eggs. But health experts now say that the amount of egg protein in the vaccine is so tiny that it’s safe even for kids with a severe egg allergy. People with egg allergies can now get the flu vaccine just like everyone else. They do not need to take any extra precautions.

You can get the flu vaccine at the same time as other vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccine. If getting shots makes you nervous, talk with your parents about it.