Dr. John's Health Matters
Welcome to Dr. John's Health Matters blog.
The articles posted here are from various sources who are duly acknowledged. I would appreciate being immediately notified, if any copywritten material needs to be removed. This blog is not intended to replace the qualified advice of a licensed health practitioner. Readers should exercise their own judgment. Enjoy, subscribe, participate and tell others :)
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Posts tagged "elderly"
Wednesday, Sep 2nd, 2009 ↓Waist-hip Ratio Better Than BMI For Gauging Obesity In Elderly, Study Finds →
Sept 2, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Body mass index (BMI) readings may not be the best gauge of obesity in older adults, according to new research from UCLA endocrinologists and geriatricians. Instead, they say, the ratio of waist size to hip size may be a better indicator when it comes to those over 70.
In a new study published online in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Epidemiology, researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that the waist-to-hip circumference ratio was a better yardstick for assessing obesity in high-functioning adults between the ages of 70 and 80, presumably because the physical changes that are part of the aging process alter the body proportions on which BMI is based.
“Basically, it isn’t BMI that matters in older adults — it’s waist size,” said Dr. Preethi Srikanthan, UCLA assistant professor of endocrinology and the study’s lead investigator. “Other studies have suggested that both waist size and BMI matter in young and middle-aged adults and that BMI may not be useful in older adults; this is one of the first studies to show that relative waist size does matter in older adults, even if BMI does not matter.”
For full article, see link above.
Tags: AMD age-related macular degeneration elderly aging eyesight seeing exercise prevention diet nutrition omega-fatty acids fish salmon blindness antioxidant zinc atherosclerosis alzheimer's flaxseed oil inflammation
Older Drivers Unaware Of Risks From Medications And Driving →
Aug 13, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Most older drivers are unaware of the potential impact on driving performance associated with taking medications, according to new research from the Center for Injury Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The findings, released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, indicate that 95 percent of those age 55 and older have one or more medical conditions, 78 percent take one or more medications, and only 28 percent have an awareness of the risks those medications might have on driving ability.
The researchers surveyed 630 drivers ages 56 to 93. Only 18 percent reported receiving a warning from a health-care professional about potential driver-impairing (PDI) medications such as ACE inhibitors, sedatives and beta-blockers. The study found that such warnings do not increase with increasing numbers of medications used or increasing numbers of medical conditions.
“These findings indicate that health-care professionals need to take a more active role in educating their patients about the risks of PDI medications,” said Paul MacLennan, Ph.D., assistant professor of surgery at UAB and the study’s lead author. “Society needs to understand that PDI medications are a driving-safety issue, and there is a need for increased education geared at older drivers, their families and health professionals.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: elderly older senior education driving car vehicle medication drug prescription awareness safety ACE inhibitor sedative beta-blocker
Older Cancer Patients Have More Frailty Than Other Seniors →
Aug 8, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Older people with a history of cancer are more likely to have disabilities and be frail and vulnerable than older adults who have not had cancer, according to a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, published online July 29.
The prevalence of frailty and vulnerability among older cancer patients will pose an increasing challenge for physicians as the population ages. By the year 2030, persons who are older than 65 years are projected to make up 70% of cancer patients and have 65% of cancer deaths.
Supriya Gupta Mohile, M.D., from the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester in N.Y., and colleagues used data in the 2003 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to evaluate whether non-skin cancer was independently associated with vulnerability and frailty. They found that survey respondents with a history of non-skin cancer had statistically significantly more limitations in the activities of daily living and other measures of frailty and vulnerability than those who had not had cancer.
For full article see link above.
Higher Muscle Density Reduced Risk Of Hospitalization In The Elderly →
Aug 7, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Older adults who have less strength, poor physical function and low muscle density are at higher risk of being hospitalized compared to adults with more strength and better function. That’s the finding of a new study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.
The study also found that muscle density, a measure of how much fat compared to lean tissue there is in the muscle, is a more accurate gauge of a person’s risk of hospitalization than muscle mass or size. The relative risk for hospitizations was 50% higher for those with poor walking or less dense muscle mass
“Our research suggests that we need to re-think the way we define sarcopenia or age-related muscle loss,” says Peggy Cawthon, PhD, MPH, a scientist with the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute and the lead author of the study. “Many definitions of sarcopenia today tend to focus on lean mass or muscle size, our study shows that is looking at the wrong factors. We found that muscle strength or performance were much better ways of measuring function.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: muscle density prevention hospitalization elderly physical function strength fat tissue walk walkingm sarcopenia
A Silly Pat On The Head Helps Seniors Remember Daily Medication →
July 30, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Doing something unusual, like knocking on wood or patting yourself on the head, while taking a daily dose of medicine may be an effective strategy to help seniors remember whether they’ve already taken their daily medications, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.
We’ve all heard warnings that some medications may be habit-forming, but research also shows that “getting into the habit” of taking a daily medicine in a routine and precise fashion can be a befuddling challenge for some older adults, many of whom tend to err on the side of over-medication, taking a dangerous second dose when in doubt about the first.
“In extended medication-taking situations, the habitual nature of the task may make it difficult for older adults to remember whether or not they took the medication on a particular day, especially if pill boxes are not used,” explains Mark McDaniel, Ph.D., lead author of the study and a professor of psychology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University.
“To remedy this potential problem, older adults could be instructed to take their medication while placing one hand on their head or in some other unusual or silly way, like crossing their arms,” he suggests. “Our results indicate that older adults can use these sorts of more complex motor tasks to effectively reduce repetition errors in habitual prospective memory tasks, such as taking a daily medication.”
For full article see link above.
Antipsychotics Risky for Elderly With Diabetes →
July 29, 2009 (Therapytimes.com)—A class of drugs used to treat dementia symptoms and other mental ailments in the elderly may be dangerous for those with diabetes.
A new study shows that older people with diabetes are more likely to be hospitalized for hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar levels) after beginning treatment with antipsychotic drugs.
Researchers say antipsychotic drugs are being increasingly prescribed to treat dementia and other behavioral problems in the elderly.
These drugs are known to carry a number of risks, including an increased risk of stroke, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms. There have also been some reports of hyperglycemia after beginning therapy with antipsychotics, but researchers say few studies have examined these risks in older people as well as in elderly with pre-existing diabetes.
For full article see link above.
Tags: risk elderly dementia danger diabetes blood sugar glucose antipsychotic drug medication behaviour stroke parkinson's
Anemia Increases Risk Of Death In The Very Elderly →
July 27, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Anemia in very elderly people aged 85 and older appears to be associated with an increased risk of death, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
The study was part of the Leiden 85-plus study that looked at 562 people aged 85 years in the Netherlands and followed them until age 90. Twenty-seven per cent of participants had anemia at the start of the study (prevalent anemia) and, in the follow up period, incident anemia developed in 24% of the people without anemia at the start of the study.
Anemia in elderly people is generally associated with increased death as well as decreased mobility, cognitive impairment, depression, falls and fractures, hospital admission and diminished quality of life. It can significantly affect health care needs and costs in ageing Western societies.
In the study group, the risk of death was similar among men and women, and among people in long-term care facilities and in the community.
“We found a strong, independent association between prevalent anemia in participants at age 85 years and risk of death,” write Ms. Wendy den Elzen of the Leiden University Medical Center and coauthors, confirming results of previous studies of people in the Netherlands and North America. “We found that incident anemia in participants beyond the age of 85 years had an even stronger impact on mortality than prevalent anemia at age 85.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: iron anemia elderly mobility cognitive impairment depression fall fracture death risk
Spinal Disc Degeneration Common in Elderly - Only severe associated with chronic low back pain →
FRIDAY, June 12 09 (HealthDay News) — Most elderly adults show signs of degenerative disc disease regardless of whether they have chronic low back pain, although individuals with chronic low back pain tend to have more severe disc disease, according to a study in the May 20 issue of Spine. Gregory E. Hicks, Ph.D., from the University of Delaware in Newark, and colleagues compared the radiographic severity of degenerative disc and facet disease in the lumbosacral spine of 162 elderly adults (65 years and older) with chronic low back pain and 158 age- and gender-matched pain-free individuals. The researchers found that more than 90 percent of all elderly adults showed degenerative disc and facet pathology, regardless of whether they had low back pain. The presence of severe disease in the lumbar spine was associated with a higher risk of having chronic low back pain (odds ratio, 2.13). However, there was no association between the radiographic severity of disc and facet disease and pain severity among those with chronic low back pain.
For full medical article, see link above.
Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Elderly Men Increase Risk of Falls →
July 10, 2009 (Medscape.com)— Community-dwelling, ambulatory men age 65 years and older with moderate or severe lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are at increased risk of falling, according to results of a large, prospective cohort study published in the July issue of BJU International.
“Understanding the links between LUTS and falls in men is a salient public health issue,” Dr. J. Kellogg Parsons, at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center, and co-authors note. “The high prevalence of LUTS in older men underscores the relevance of this problem, particularly in an era of rapidly increasing male longevity.”
Dr. Parsons and his associates drew their data from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS), conducted at six academic medical centers in the US. Men were recruited through targeted mailings based on several databases. Eligibility criteria included age of 65 or older, the ability to walk without assistance from another person, and no cases of bilateral hip replacement.
For full medical article see link above.
Tags: urinary tract infection lower elderly men man risk fall LUTS symptom fracture walk
Eating oily fish keeps vision loss due to age at bay →
June 10, 2009 (Presstv.com) —Eating oily fish at least twice a week helps keep eye disease at bay in individuals suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration is a chronic eye disease and the leading cause of blindness among the elderly.
AMD is characterized by the deterioration of the macula - a part in the eye responsible for central vision -, which leads to progressive vision loss. While AMD is considered as an age-related impairment, a diet rich in saturated fats, cigarette smoking and excessive exposure to sunlight are enumerated as other factors contributing to the condition.
For full article see link above.
Grilled Meats Not Tied to Breast Cancer in Women →
June 5,2009 (HealthDay News) — Eating meat doesn’t increase postmenopausal women’s risk for breast cancer, new research has found.
Previous studies looking at whether eating meat and increased breast cancer risk might be linked have yielded inconsistent results. In the new study, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University analyzed data on 120,755 older American women, including the types of food the women ate, how often they ate certain foods and how they prepared their meat.
For full article see link above.
Interactive Video Games Offer Exercise Benefits →
June 5, 2009 (HealthDay News) — Couch potatoes beware: If you start playing a new generation of video games that require users to get up and move around, you may find yourself getting a bit more fit.
New research suggests that several exercise-based Nintendo Wii video games provide health benefits, in one case equal to that of light jogging.
For full article see link above.
Over-the-counter drugs up elderly brain damage →
June 7, 2009 (presstv.com)—Taking common over-the-counter (OTC) drugs for pain, cold symptoms or sleep disorders places the elderly at a greater risk of cognitive problems.
According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Interventions in Aging, individuals aged 65 and older who take certain OTC medications and sleep aids are at an increased risk of developing delirium or a decline in attention-focus, perception and cognition.
For full article see link above.
