Roundup: These Adults 65 and Older are Seeing Sharp Declines in Heart Health; and More News

Study: Adults 65, Older With Certain Health Issues See Sharp Declines in Cardiovascular Scores

New research shows that older adults living with high blood pressure, heart failure, or stroke are experiencing significant declines in overall heart health. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, highlight the importance of prevention and lifestyle support for the nation’s aging population, the study states.

Researchers evaluated cardiovascular health using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, a set of eight key measures for heart and brain health. These include:

• Four health behaviors: diet, physical activity, sleep, and smoking status
• Four health factors: body mass index, cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure

Each factor was scored from 0 to 100, with higher scores reflecting better health. Overall scores below 50 indicated poor cardiovascular health; 50–79 represented moderate health; and 80 or higher reflected optimal cardiovascular health.

How the Study Was Conducted

Researchers analyzed national health survey data collected between 2013 and 2018 from 3,050 adults aged 65 and older. This sample represented nearly 38 million older adults in the U.S. Participants reported whether they had conditions such as heart attack, chest pain, high blood pressure, stroke, or heart failure.

Average heart health scores were then compared between adults with and without cardiovascular disease.

Key Findings

• Older adults without cardiovascular disease had an average cardiovascular health score of 68 out of 100, considered moderate.
• Adults with one or more cardiovascular conditions had average scores below 60, showing poorer health. Scores declined further as the number of conditions increased.
• Between 2013 and 2018, declines were especially steep in those with:
• High blood pressure: 4.1 percent decrease (from 59.6 to 57.1)
• Stroke: 11.5 percent decrease (from 60.6 to 53.6)
• Heart failure: 15.2 percent decrease (from 60.9 to 51.6)

The largest gaps were linked to low physical activity and poor blood pressure control.

“On average, participants with one cardiovascular disease had a Life’s Essential 8 score nine points lower than those without cardiovascular disease,” said study co-author James M. Walker, B.A., an M.D./M.B.A. student at Northwestern University, in a news release. “That gap seemed to be explained by low scores for blood pressure and physical activity.”

Why It Matters

The results establish a baseline of heart health in older adults before the COVID-19 pandemic, offering important context for understanding long-term trends. They also underscore the need for preventive measures earlier in life to reduce risks later on.

“As people age, it is natural for health to decline, especially with conditions such as high blood pressure or after major events like stroke,” said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., volunteer president of the American Heart Association, in a news release. “That is why following Life’s Essential 8 early—even starting in childhood—is so important.”

Looking Ahead

The study was limited because it analyzed survey data at a single point in time and included only six types of cardiovascular disease. Still, researchers stress the urgent need to help older adults maintain healthy lifestyles as America’s population ages.

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One-Third of U.S. Adults Unaware of Link Between HPV and Multiple Cancers

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common viral infections in the U.S., yet its health consequences remain widely misunderstood. According to a new study from Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina, about one in three U.S. adults is unaware of the connection between HPV and several forms of cancer.

HPV is responsible for nearly all cases of cervical cancer, but its impact extends far beyond. The virus also causes the majority of oropharyngeal (throat) cancers and contributes to anal, vaginal, vulvar, and penile cancers. Despite this, many adults remain unaware of the scope of HPV’s role in cancer development.

Knowledge Gaps and Regional Differences

The study, published in JAMA Oncology, analyzed data from the Health Information National Trends Survey, a national survey conducted by the National Cancer Institute. The findings revealed that not only is there a general lack of awareness about HPV, but also significant regional disparities. States in the Midwest and South showed particularly low levels of knowledge. In fact, in 13 states—including South Carolina—more than 40% of adults did not know that an HPV vaccine exists.

Lead researcher Kalyani Sonawane, Ph.D., emphasized the importance of these findings in a news release. “When people make decisions about whether they want to get vaccinated or whether they want to get their child vaccinated, they are doing a risk-versus-benefit assessment,” she explained. “So, it's important for them to understand what can happen when someone gets HPV infection.”

The Role of Vaccination

The HPV vaccine is considered the first and most effective defense against cancers caused by the virus. Since its introduction in 2006, evidence from both the United States and Europe has shown promising results, including a marked reduction in cervical cancer among young women. These women were the first generation to receive the vaccine as children.

As vaccinated individuals age into the decades when cancer typically develops, experts anticipate even greater declines in HPV-related cancers. Cervical cancer often appears in one’s 30s and 40s, making it the earliest indicator of vaccine effectiveness. By contrast, oropharyngeal cancers are most commonly diagnosed in individuals in their 50s and 60s, so measurable declines in those cancers are expected in the coming years.

Misconceptions About Gender and Risk

Despite approval of the vaccine for both boys and girls, vaccination rates for boys remain lower. One reason, researchers note, is the persistent misconception that HPV primarily threatens women. “HPV is linked with six different types of cancers, but cervical cancer seems to be the one that people are most aware of,” said Ms. Sonawane in a news release. She added that marketing of the vaccine was initially directed toward girls, leading some parents to believe their sons did not need protection.

Impact of the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic further disrupted preventive care, including HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening. While screening rates for breast and colon cancer have since rebounded, cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination lag behind.

Education about the virus and continued efforts to promote vaccination—for both boys and girls—are essential to reducing future cancer rates, researchers note. The study underscores a critical public health priority: improving understanding of HPV’s risks so that individuals and families can make informed decisions about prevention.

Brain's Memory of Lost Limbs Challenges Long-Standing Scientific Theory

A groundbreaking study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has revealed that the brain maintains its representation of amputated limbs for years after surgical removal, contradicting decades of accepted scientific understanding about brain plasticity and reorganization.

The research, published in Nature Neuroscience, examined brain activity in three participants both before and after arm amputation, providing the first comprehensive look at how the brain responds to limb loss. The findings could revolutionize treatments for phantom limb syndrome and advance the development of brain-controlled prosthetic devices, the NIH states in a news release.

Challenging the Textbook Theory

For decades, neuroscientists believed that when a limb is amputated, the brain undergoes significant reorganization. The prevailing theory suggested that the cortex—the brain's outer layer responsible for controlling specific body parts—would remap itself, with neighboring regions taking over the "vacant" territory left by the missing limb.

"For many decades, cortical remapping as a response to amputation has been a literal textbook example of brain plasticity," explained co-author Chris Baker, Ph.D., from NIH's National Institute of Mental Health.

However, this theory struggled to explain phantom limb syndrome, a condition where patients experience vivid, often painful sensations in their missing appendages. Baker and his colleagues hypothesized that these persistent sensations might indicate the brain retains its memory of the lost limb.

Unprecedented Research Methodology

The study required an exceptional opportunity that took years to arrange. Researchers conducted functional MRI scans on participants in the months before their planned amputations, then followed up with additional scans for up to five years afterward.

"It's not often you get the chance to conduct a study like this one, so we wanted to be exceedingly thorough," Baker noted. "We approached our data from a variety of angles and all of our results tell a consistent story."

During the initial scans, researchers mapped brain activity while participants moved individual fingers. After amputation, they conducted follow-up scans as participants attempted the same movements with their phantom limbs.

Consistency in Brain Activity

The results were striking. Comparing pre- and post-amputation brain scans revealed virtually no differences in the patterns of brain activity. The researchers found that if they hadn't known when the data was collected, they would likely be unable to distinguish between brain maps taken before and after amputation.

To verify their findings, the team employed machine learning algorithms trained on pre-amputation data to identify finger movements. Remarkably, these algorithms successfully identified which phantom finger patients were attempting to move after amputation, demonstrating the persistence of the brain's limb representation.

The study also confirmed that nearby brain circuits controlling lip and foot movements did not expand into the phantom limb's brain territory, further supporting the conclusion that major brain reorganization does not occur following amputation.

Implications for Treatment and Technology

These findings have significant implications for medical treatment and technological development. Many current phantom limb pain treatments assume the brain reorganizes after amputation, but this research suggests those approaches may need reconsideration.

According to lead author Hunter Schone, Ph.D., who conducted the research as an NIH graduate student, the findings could prove crucial for implementing brain-computer interface technologies. If the brain maintains its representation of lost limbs, neuroprosthetic devices might more effectively tap into existing neural pathways rather than working around presumed brain reorganization, the NIH said in a news release.