Archive for the 'Elderly' Category
July 28th, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Blood pressure drugs, called angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), appear to be helpful in the incidence and progression of dementia, according to researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine. In a recent study, patients taking ARBs were 35 percent to 40 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia than people who didn’t take the drugs.
Also, for those who already have dementia, use of ARBs might delay further deterioration of brain function and help keep patients out of nursing homes. In the study, people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia who took ARBs were up to 45 percent less likely to develop delirium, to be admitted to nursing homes, or to die.
The researchers speculated that ARBs may be beneficial because they may actually help prevent nerve cell injury from blood vessel damage or help promote nerve recovery after blood vessel damage.
ARBs are available only by prescription and include Atacand, Avapro, Benicar, Cozaar, Diovan, Micardis, and Teveten. ARBs are also included in combination drugs with a diuretic, such as Atacand HCT, Avalide, Benicar HCT, Diovan HCT, Hyzaar, Micardis HCT, and Teveten HCT.
via Boston University School of Medicine, news release, July 27, 2008
July 9th, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
A recent study from Imperial College London has found that treating high blood pressure in people over 80 may help reduce the risk of developing dementia. This is one of several trials that found a link between poor blood pressure control and dementia, but this study also underlines the well-known fact that controlling high blood pressure is essential for good health.
High blood pressure can silently damage any organ in your body for years before symptoms develop. Over time, high blood pressure eventually leads to life-threatening or disabling conditions such as stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, cognitive decline, aneurysm development, erectile dysfunction, nerve damage and vision problems.
One in three adult Americans has high blood pressure, and nearly one-third of them don’t know they have it. The only way to know if you have hypertension is to have your blood pressure checked. People whose blood pressure is above 120/80 should consult their doctor about methods for lowering it.
via Hypertension, from Bay Area Medical Information (www.bami.us)
via Lancet Neurology, July 2008
via American Heart Association
June 30th, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Older adults with type 2 diabetes appear to have a steeper mental decline as they age, according to Harvard researchers. One of the reasons for this is that diabetes damages blood vessels, and it can certainly damage the blood vessels that supply the brain.
These findings confirm previous studies and adds to the current body of knowledge about the ravages of this disease. Diabetes was known in ancient times and remains today a world-wide and increasing health problem. One of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States, it is associated with long-term complications that affect almost every part of the body.
In adults, type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. It is associated with older age, obesity, physical inactivity, and a family history of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents, although still rare, is being diagnosed more frequently.
There is a very significant correlation with the rise of obesity in this country and the increased incidence of type 2 diabetes. Since the mid-seventies, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased sharply for both adults and children in this country and this raises very serious concern about Americans’ future health.
via Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, June 2008
via Diabetes, Bay Area Medical Information
June 24th, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Each year, one in three older Americans falls, and 30 percent of these falls are serious, according to a new report by the CDC. Hip fractures are certainly one of the devastating consequences of many falls, but traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are all too common. In fact, because of the high incidence of head injury, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and nonfatal injuries for those 65 and over.
Serious injury to the brain can be caused by a simple bump or blow to the head and can be life-threatening or result in long-term disabilities such as difficulty with thinking, functional impairments, and/or emotional disturbances.
There are many reasons people 65 and over tend to fall, but usually a cause can be traced back to one or more the following: mobility problems due to muscle weakness or poor balance, loss of sensation in feet, chronic health conditions, vision changes or loss, medication side effects or drug interactions, and home and environmental hazards such as clutter or poor lighting.
According to the Nat’l Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “Symptoms of a TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the damage to the brain. Some symptoms are evident immediately, while others do not surface until several days or weeks after the injury… Anyone with signs of a TBI should receive medical attention as soon as possible.”
Preventing a fall in the first place is key, and the CDC has recently developed the ‘Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury’ initiative. Developed in collaboration with 26 organizations, it features easy-to-use materials to help prevent, recognize, and respond to TBI. For more information and materials, visit www.cdc.gov/BrainInjuryInSeniors.
via NINDS, “Traumatic brain injury: Signs and symptoms”
via CDC, “Traumatic brain injuries can result from senior falls”
May 30th, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Frequent interaction with family and friends, volunteering, and other social activities may delay age-related memory loss, a new study reveals. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health recently studied adults 50 and older and found that memory declined twice as fast among those who were the most socially reclusive as it did among those with the most social interaction.
These results are certainly interesting and add to the work of previous researchers who found links between social stimulation and the incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but the study was unable to determine whether increasing social contact may actually help reverse or prevent memory loss. Another important point, the researchers pointed out in MedPage Today, is that it’s possible that people who are suffering from memory decline tend to withdraw socially.
Whatever the case, enjoyable social stimulation is well known to have positive health benefits while stress takes a huge toll on our well-being. The act of laughing has been shown to lower blood pressure, improve arterial circulation, reduce the release of stress hormones (adrenalin, cortisol, and dopac), and help release the body’s own pain killers (endorphins).
In a study from the University of Maryland Medical Center, participants who watched funny movies experienced improved arterial circulation. In contrast, however, participants responded with constriction of arterial blood flow during “the heart-wrenching opening D-Day sequence in the 1998 drama Saving Private Ryan”, according to an article in MedPage Today.
Unfortunately, even mild laughter can trigger an asthma attack in someone who has inadequately controlled asthma. Those who have exercise-induced asthma tend to be particularly susceptible, say researchers from New York University at an American Thoracic Society meeting in 2005.
In one way or another, keeping the gift of laughter, family and friendship in our lives will certainly help us ward off the effects of aging.
via MedPage Today, May 29, 2008
via American Journal of Public Health
via meeting of the American Physiological Society , 2008
via MedPage Today, January 2006
May 19th, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
A new small study finds that about half of people with obstructive sleep apnea may need supplemental oxygen during a commercial airline flight, even if they are otherwise healthy. Australian researchers from the Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Sydney undertook this study because of the rising rate of obesity, which is increasing the number of people with obstructive sleep apnea.
In this study there were 2 groups of participants who underwent an airline cabin simulation while their blood-oxygen saturation levels were measured. One group consisted of 22 patients with severe sleep apnea but no history of lung disease, and the other group was made up of 10 normal volunteers. During the simulation of commercial airline travel, both groups experienced a significant drop in oxygen saturation from normal, but the sleep apnea patients had a significantly lower oxygen saturation at all simulated heights. In fact, 11 of the 22 patients experienced a drop low enough to warrant the use of supplemental oxygen.
According to one of the researchers Leigh Seccombe, M.Sc., in MedPage Today, ”It’s too early to say what the clinical implications of the findings are. Many people fly, many people get hypoxic, but not many have adverse events.” One implication might be that the airlines may need to allow people with obstructive sleep apnea to use supplemental oxygen at a physician’s request, as they now do for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Via MedPage Today May 2008
Seccombe LM, et al “Effects of commercial flight simulation in patients with obstructive sleep apnea” Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2008; 177: A220.
March 6th, 2006 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
A two-year study of elderly people suffering from recurrent episodes of depression found drugs worked better than psychotherapy in controlling the symptoms. Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, this study reinforces the rising trend to prescribe antidepressants not only to treat depression, but to keep it from recurring.
via New England Journal of Medicine
