Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Study Fails to Find Reason for Frequent, Inconsistent
Surgery After Partial Mastectomy
No consensus on optimal width to be removed around cancer because it has not been addressed in prospective randomized
trials - see video
See video
in story |
Feb. 1, 2012 - Nearly one in four women who undergo a partial mastectomy for treatment of breast cancer have another
surgery to remove additional tissue (reexcision), and there is substantial surgeon and institutional variation in the rate of reexcisions that
cannot be explained by patients' clinical characteristics, according to a study in the February 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA). Read more, see video...
FDA Approves Erivedge to Treat Most Common Skin Cancer - Basal Cell Carcinoma
About a million cases of basal cell carcinoma in U.S. each year with senior citizens prominent victims; most common of
skin cancers
Feb. 1, 2012 - Erivedge (vismodegib) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week for the treatment of
adults with basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer, and should be available in pharmacies within two weeks. Senior citizens
are at high risk of these cancers. The drug is intended for use in patients with locally advanced basal cell cancer who are not candidates for
surgery or radiation and for those whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic).
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Older Women with Diabetes Have Greater Hearing Loss as They Age
Men lose even more hearing regardless of diabetes or age; women lose less if diabetes controlled
Jan. 26, 2012 - Having diabetes may cause women to experience a greater degree of hearing loss as they age, especially if
the metabolic disorder is not well controlled with medication, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. It also found men
have worse hearing loss even without diabetes. Read more...
|
Many Older Women May Be Able To Skip Osteoporosis Screening
By Mike Stobbe,
Huffington Post
 1/19/12
- New research could mean millions of older women can skip frequent screening tests for osteoporosis: If an initial bone scan shows no big problems,
many can safely wait 15 years to have another one, the study suggests.
Government advisers and leading doctor groups urge osteoporosis screening, but no one has known how often that should happen.
The findings offer the best information to date on that question, experts said.
At issues are bone mineral density tests, which usually are done through X-rays and cost around $250. It takes about 10 minutes
and involves less radiation than what's emitted during a chest X-ray. Medicare pays for testing every two years.
The new study feeds concerns that the tests are done too often, at least for some women.
Complete story at Huffington Post |
Aging News & Information
Nursing Home Dementia Patients Three Times as Likely to Fall if on Antidepressants
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) appear to cause risk to rise with higher doses
Jan. 19, 2012 - Nursing home residents with dementia who use average doses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
are three times more likely to have an injurious fall than similar people who don’t use these drugs.
Read more...
|
Many Older Women May Be Able To Skip Osteoporosis Screening
By Mike Stobbe,
Huffington Post
1/19/12
- New research could mean millions of older women can skip frequent screening tests for osteoporosis: If an initial bone scan shows no big problems,
many can safely wait 15 years to have another one, the study suggests.
Government advisers and leading doctor groups urge osteoporosis screening, but no
one has known how often that should happen. The findings offer the best information to date on that question, experts said.
At issues are bone mineral density tests, which usually are done through X-rays and
cost around $250. It takes about 10 minutes and involves less radiation than what's emitted during a chest X-ray. Medicare pays for testing every two
years.
The new study feeds concerns that the tests are done too often, at least for some
women.
Complete story at Huffington Post |
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Daily Aspirin Drops Heart Risk 10%; Ups
Bleeding Risk 30%; No Benefit to Heart Disease Patients
Lead author warns people with an established history of heart conditions must not stop taking their medication
Jan. 17, 2012 - People without a history of cardiovascular disease (such as heart attack or stroke) are unlikely to
benefit from a regular dose of aspirin, given the associated risk of internal bleeding. Aspirin does reduce the risk of clots forming in blood
vessels and thereby protects against heart disease and stroke, but maybe less than previously thought.
Read more...
Older Americans with Cirrhosis of Liver Suffer High Rates of Disability and Care
Cirrhosis burden expected to climb as obesity, age increase; found in 75% of those obese; 5.5 million with chronic liver
disease
|
More about liver disease below news
report. |
Jan. 12,
2011 - Older patients with cirrhosis have significant functional disability, require twice the amount of informal caregiving, and contribute
added strain on the health care system, according to U-M research published in Hepatology.
Read more...
Features for Senior Citizens
Glaucoma Week Aims to Make Seniors More Aware of Second Leading Cause of Blindness
Older Americans at high risk of this ‘sneak thief of sight’ says National Eye Institute
 |
| Glaucoma vision |
Jan. 11, 2012 – Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the major cause of blindness and the primary victims are senior
citizens. The National Eye Institute, however, is pointing out this month that older people need to also be aware of glaucoma, the second
leading cause of blindness that most often attacks older people. This is Glaucoma Awareness Month in the U.S. and a good time for the simple
eye test. Read more...
Senior Citizen Alerts
Statins of Any Kind May Increase Risk of Diabetes in Postmenopausal Women
Researchers say current recommendations by diabetes association nor statin guidelines should change
Jan.
10, 2012 - Statins have become the go-to drug for most senior citizens trying to maintain a healthy, cardiovascular system and most of the
research has confirmed a number of health benefits. A red flag has gone up, however, after a new study has found statins appear to increase
the risk of diabetes for postmenopausal women. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Fat Hormone Adiponectin May Increase Dementia, Alzheimer’s Risk for Women
Study participants averaged 76 years of age at start of study – in 13 years 19% developed dementia; about 79% of those
had Alzheimer’s
Jan. 2, 2012 – Adiponectin, a hormone in visceral fat, appears to play a role increasing the risk for dementia and
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in older women, according to a study published Online First today by the Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals. Read more...
Medicare News
Hospitals Look to Post-Discharge Clinics to Help Hold Down Readmissions
Medicare may penalize hospitals with higher than expected 30-day readmission rates for pneumonia, heart failure, heart
attack - see video
By Michelle Andrews, Insuring Your Health
|
See video on Revolving Door of Readmissions |
Dec. 20, 2011 - For patients, the transition from hospital to home is a critical time. Discharged with follow-up
instructions and often a fistful of medications, many need medical guidance. But too often a smooth handoff to a primary-care physician
doesn't happen, and small recovery glitches become larger ones. The result: In short order the patient is often back in the hospital.
Read more, see video...
Diuretic for Hypertension Significantly Extends Life Expectancy 20 Years Later for Seniors
Chlorthalidone (brand name, Thalitone) helps senior citizens avoid cardiovascular death for years
Dec. 20, 2011 – A new study shows that treating senior citizen systolic hypertension patients with a diuretic has a
long-lasting benefit that 20 years later appears to significantly prolong life free from cardiovascular death for these patients – adding one
day for every month of treatment. Read more...
Cancer Survivors Face Increased Risk of Melanoma; Melanoma
Survivors Even More
Melanoma the most aggressive, dangerous skin cancer, fifth most common cancer among men, seventh among women
|
 Scar
after removal of melanoma from top of senior citizens head |
Dec. 19, 2011 – New research brings bad news for cancer survivors and, in particular, melanoma skin cancer survivors, who
are most often senior men. A report in the Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, finds all cancer
survivors have an increased risk of melanoma and this risk his greatest for those who have already been diagnosed with melanoma.
Read more...
Statin Study Finds Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Save Lives of Flu Patients
Patients not receiving statins were almost twice as likely to die from influenza
Dec. 16, 2011 - Statins, traditionally known as cholesterol-lowering drugs, may reduce deaths among patients hospitalized with influenza,
according to a new study released online by the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Read more...
Swinging One Arm Less Than Other is Early Sign of Parkinson’s Disease
Early detection can allow treatments to slow the disease progression, maybe save lives
Dec. 13,
2011 - People with Parkinson's disease swing their arms asymmetrically - one arm swings less than the other - when walking. This
unusual movement is easily detected early when drugs and other interventions may help slow the disease, according to Penn State researchers.
Read more...
Excessive Cancer Screening Among Senior Citizens Appears to Challenge Federal Guidelines
Seniors without high school diploma significantly less likely to be screened for breast, cervical and prostate cancer,
compared to those with college degree
Dec. 12, 2011 – Senior citizens always seem to be doing the wrong thing
- tell us to get flu shots, we won't. Tell us to cut back testing, we get more. The latest complaint is that despite federal
guidelines cautioning against routine screening of those age 75 and older for some of the most common cancers, a high percentage of seniors
report they are still getting screened regularly. Read more...
Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens
Brief, High-Intensity Workouts Appear to Help Diabetics Lower Blood Sugar
Improved blood sugar levels even though they did not lose weight during short two-week study - see video
Dec. 12, 2011 - Brief high intensity workouts - as little as six sessions over two weeks - rapidly lower blood sugar
levels in type 2 diabetics, offering a potential fix for patients who struggle to meet exercise guidelines, according to researchers at
McMaster University in Canada. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Why Observing Prostate Cancer Gaining Ground On Surgery: NIH Panel Says Not Cancer
‘Some think these tumors should be rebranded as something else, such as idle tumors’
By Richard Knox, NPR’s Shots blog
Dec. 9, 2011 - A federally convened panel of experts says most men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer should be offered
the chance to put off treatment in favor of medical monitoring of their condition. In fact, the panel went so far as to say doctors should
stop calling most of these low-risk tumors cancer at all. Read more...
Anti-estrogen Combo Extends Life for Older Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer
Anastrozole with fulvestrant better than single drug for hormone-sensitive breast cancer
Dec. 9, 2011 - Post-menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer may have a new treatment
option that could lengthen their lives by months, according to results of a study by the SWOG clinical trials network that were presented this
week at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Delay of Treatment for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer Gets Nod from NIH Panel
Recommends active monitoring but details of strategies not determined
Dec. 8, 2011 - Many men with localized, low-risk prostate cancer should be closely monitored, permitting treatment to be
delayed until warranted by disease progression, according to an independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health.
Read more...
Cardiovascular Deaths Not Linked with ADT for Prostate Cancer but Lower All- Death Risk May Be
Study should be 'generally reassuring' to most men with unfavorable-risk prostate cancer considering ADT, because it was
associated with improved survival
Dec.
7, 2011 -
Although previous research has indicated that the use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to treat men with unfavorable-risk, nonmetastatic
prostate cancer may increase the risk of dying from cardiovascular causes, a new study failed to find the link. It did find, however, lower risk of prostate cancer-specific death and all-cause death with ADT.
Read more...
Taking Aspirin Prior to Cardiac Surgery Aids Recovery, Prevents Complications, Early Death
‘This outcome could lead to new preoperative treatment standards in cardiac medicine’
Dec. 5,
2011 – Taking aspirin within five days of cardiac surgery seems to be responsible for a significant decrease in the risk of major
postoperative complications, including renal failure, a lengthy intensive care unit stay and even early death, according to a study by
researchers at Thomas Jefferson University and UC Davis Medical Center to appear in the journal Annals of Surgery.
Read more...
Senior Citizens in Home Health Care at High Risk of Dangerous Medications
40% of seniors cared for by home health agency are taking a prescription that is potentially unsafe or
ineffective; Affordable Care Act offers hope
Dec. 2, 2011 – Senior citizens receiving home health care may be in danger of taking a drug that is unsafe or ineffective
for older people, says a new study that found nearly 40 percent of seniors receiving medical care from a home health agency are taking at
least one prescription medication that is considered potentially inappropriate for their age.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
M.D. Anderson Chief Predicts Cure for Cancer, Opens Institute to
Speed Drug Development
Institute is designed to convert basic discoveries into effective new drugs and complementary diagnostics for cancer
patients - link to video
Nov.
30, 2011 – A day after declaring he expects a cure for cancer to be found while he is president of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston,
Ronald DePinho, M.D., announced the establishment of a major new research institute at the University of Texas cancer center. The goal is to
blend the best attributes of academic and industrial research to identify and validate new cancer targets, convert such scientific knowledge
into new cancer drugs, and advance these novel agents into innovative clinical trials.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Nearly 10% of Patients Having Balloon Angioplasty, Stent Placed Go Back to Hospital in Days
Readmitted patients after PCI also had higher risk of death within one year; most readmitted for cardiac-related problems
Nov. 28, 2011 - In an analysis of the outcomes for more than 15,000 patients who underwent a percutaneous coronary
intervention (PCI; procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries), nearly one in 10 were
readmitted to the hospital within 30 days, and these patients had a higher risk of death within one year, according to a study published
Online First by the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Read more...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Coffee Antioxidant Properties May Protect Women Against Uterine Cancer
Drinking more than four cups of coffee daily cut risk by 25%; coffee fast-emerging as protective against a number of
diseases- see video
Nov. 28, 2011 - Long-term coffee consumption may be associated with a reduced risk for uterine (endometrial) cancer,
according to an extensive study of almost 65,000 women. The lead researcher sees coffee, the favorite drink of senior citizens, emerging as a
protective agent in cancers that are linked to obesity, estrogen and insulin.
Read more, see video...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Diabetes Drugs, Blood Thinners Cause 2/3 of Senior Citizen Adverse
Events, Hospitalizations
Almost half of cases are in elderly aged 80 plus; overdoses, stronger than expected effect most common causes
Nov.
26, 2011 - Each year, there are nearly 100,000 emergency hospitalizations for adverse drug events
in U.S. senior citizens (aged 65 years or older), according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published this week in the
New England Journal of Medicine.
Read more...
Surgery Patients with Low Body Mass Index Most Likely to Die in 30 Days
Slim patients with 23.1 BMI twice as likely to die in 30 days as obese with 35.3 BMI
Nov. 25, 2011 – People in the U.S. are pounded by health advice pointing out the health danger of being too fat. Body
Mass Index measurement has become a common way for doctors to warn their patients about obesity. But, a new study published this week, has
produced a puzzling result – surgery patients with the lowest BMI scores (23.1) were most likely to die within 30 days.
Read more...
Pre-Melanoma Skin Lesion Found Mostly in Elderly Successfully Removed with Laser
Lentigo maligna disappears as carbon dioxide laser exerts its effect by vaporization of water-containing cells
|
-skin-l_small.jpg) Skin cancer, close-up of lentigo maligna melanoma
|
Nov. 21, 2011 – Removal of a precancerous skin lesion found primarily on senior citizens, lentigo maligna, may be
successfully performed using a carbon dioxide laser, when surgery of radiation therapy is not feasible.
Read more...
New York City Achieves Striking Success in Effort to Increase Colonoscopy Rates
Women 50 plus increase rate 22.3%, all senior New Yorkers 20%; erases racial gaps
Nov. 18, 2011 – A campaign to improve colonoscopy rates in New York City, with an emphasis on minorities and women, has
achieved dramatic success, according to a new study. While men had a higher rate of colonoscopies when the campaign was introduced in 2003,
women closed the gap: their screening rate rose 22.3%, as opposed to a 16.7% increase among men. Rates among all New Yorkers aged 50 and older
jumped 20%. Read more...
|
Women More Likely to Have 'Broken Heart Syndrome'
11/17/11 - A woman's heart breaks more easily than a man's.Females are seven to nine times more likely to suffer "broken
heart syndrome," when sudden or prolonged stress like an emotional breakup or death causes overwhelming heart failure
or heart attack-like symptoms, the first nationwide study of this finds. Usually patients recover with no lasting damage.
It happens when a big shock, even a good one like winning the lottery, triggers a rush of
adrenaline and other stress hormones that cause the heart's main pumping chamber to balloon suddenly and not work right. Read more of
AP report on Yahoo News
>> Archived Senior Journal story:
Broken Heart Syndrome May be Sudden Killer of More People Than Assumed - July 19, 2011 |
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Jakafi First Drug Approved by FDA
for Bone Marrow
Disease Myelofibrosis
Increasing trend in oncology where detailed scientific understanding of mechanisms of a disease allows a drug to be
directed toward specific molecular pathways
Nov. 16, 2011 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Jakafi (ruxolitinib) as the first drug approved to
specifically treat patients with the bone marrow disease myelofibrosis, which normally strikes people age 50 or older.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
New Drug, Evacetrapib, Increases Good Cholesterol, Decreases
Bad – Alone or With Statin
The combination of a statin and evacetrapib resulted in greater reductions in LDL but no greater increase in HDL
Nov. 15, 2011 – On the same day a study
was released highlighting the efficiency of two statins to improve cholesterol levels and even reverse artery blockage, another study finds a
new cholesterol fighting drug very effective. The drug evacetrapib alone, or in combination with statin medications, produced significant
increases in HDL (good cholesterol) levels and decreases in LDL (bad cholesterol) levels.
Read more...
High Doses of Statins Lipitor, Crestor Reduce Plaque, Reverse Coronary Artery Disease
Either rosuvastatin or atorvastatin reduced plaque, reversed the progression of coronary artery disease: plaque fell 0.99%
with atorvastatin, 1.22% with rosuvastatin
Nov. 15, 2011 ― High doses of two statins – Crestor (rosuvastatin) (40 mg) and Lipitor (atorvastatin) (80 mg) - reversed
the progression of coronary artery disease by reducing some of the plaque in clogged arteries supplying blood to the heart, according to
late-breaking research released today at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2011.
Read more...
‘Death Is Always Cheaper’ – Capsules: The KHN Blog
Sapien artificial heart valve approved by FDA for use in old, frail patients to gain another year
By Christopher Weaver
Sapien Artificial Heart Valve - |
Nov. 14, 2011 - Conventional health care wisdom says that a less invasive procedure will be less expensive: Fewer days in
the hospital and an easier recovery should reduce costs, right? Well, it’s complicated. A new heart valve device and procedure
approved by the FDA last week costs less than the standard treatment, but it can’t replace that
procedure. Instead, it will allow an estimated 20,000 more patients - who would otherwise be inoperable due to frailty - to get the new valve.
Read more...
Low Vitamin C Levels Appear to Increase Risk for Heart Failure Patients
Heart failure patients who don’t eat enough vitamin C-rich foods have more inflammation and a higher risk of cardiac
complications and death
Nov.13, 2011 - A study presented yesterday at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2011, claims a new
study is the first to demonstrate that low vitamin C intake is associated with worse outcomes for heart failure patients.
Read more...
New Guidelines Lead High Risk Heart, Stroke Patients to Longer, Healthier Life
‘...important because increasing numbers of older adults are living with cardiovascular disease, and in clinical practice
many patients are not getting indicated therapies’
Nov. 3, 2011 - For people who are either at high risk for a heart attack or stroke, or who have already had such an
event, healthy habits and medication can help you live longer, improve your quality of life, and lower your chance of a repeat attack or the
need for artery-opening procedures, according to new joint guidelines developed by the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the
American Heart Association. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Mayo Study Discovers Tactic to Attack Deadbeat Cells, Delay Age-Related Disorders
Potential for fundamental change in way we provide treatment for chronic diseases in older people
Nov. 2, 2011 – As we age, we accumulate cells that
Mayo Clinic researchers call
“deadbeat” cells. In a new study they show that by eliminating these worthless cells we can prevent or at least delay age-related disorders
and disabilities. At least in mice models, they say these cells contribute to aging. Read
more...
Prescription Painkiller Overdoses at Epidemic Levels Says
CDC; Seniors Sometimes Source
Kills more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined; senior citizens are not big abusers but may be source for others
Nov.
1, 2011 - The death toll from overdoses of prescription painkillers has more than tripled in the past decade, according to an analysis in the
CDC Vital Signs report released today from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Senior citizens are not among those most often in this abuse but are increasingly seen as a source, due
to their heavy use of prescription painkillers. Read more...
Prostate Cancer Patients Considering Suicide May Find Help in New Concept
Patients who have these negative thoughts before surgery are more likely to have a lower perceived quality of life 3 months
afterwards
Oct. 31, 2011 - Men with prostate cancer are twice as likely to commit suicide, but a method where they put intrusive
thoughts into words may reduce this risk, reveals research at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Read more...
Study Finds Heart Failure Patients Benefit from Leg Muscle Exercise
By warming up properly, patients can improve the oxygenation, performance of their leg muscles, which is beneficial in
promoting beneficial exercise
Oct.
31, 2011 - Doctors should not only treat the heart muscle in chronic heart failure patients, but also their leg muscles through exercise, say
researchers in a major new study of the disease that primarily hits senior citizens.
Read more...
|
Cancer Screening May Be More Popular Than Useful
By Gina Kolata,
New York Times News Service
10/30/11 After decades in which cancer screening
was promoted as an unmitigated good, as the best — perhaps only — way for people to protect themselves from the ravages of a frightening
disease, a pronounced shift is under way.
Now expert groups are proposing less screening for
prostate, breast and cervical cancer and have emphasized that screening comes with harms as well as benefits.
More at Desert News.com |
Million Hearts Campaign Joins World Stroke Day Effort to Prevent
Strokes
Million Hearts’ goal to prevent a million heart attacks and strokes in 5 years; CDC recommends ways to reduce the threat
- See Video
Oct. 28, 2011 - In the time needed to read out loud the headline on this story, someone has died from a stroke. Every 6
seconds, someone in the world dies from stroke. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in support of World Stroke Day, Oct. 29, 2011,
asks Americans to take immediate action to reduce their risk for stroke. Read more, see
video...
Hospital TIA Team Significantly Reduces Risk of Other Vascular
Events After ‘Mini-Stroke’
‘...urgent treatment of patients with TIA is feasible and associated with a substantial reduction in stroke risk during the
first three months
Oct.
27, 2011 - Patients who had a transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes referred to as a "mini stroke", were much less likely to experience
further vascular events in the first year after their attack if their care was coordinated by a specialized hospital TIA team.
Read more...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Coffee, Favorite Drink of Seniors, Provides Protection from Basal Cell Carcinoma
Women get almost twice as much protection as men among 3-cup a day drinkers - see video
 A senior, Karen Teaser, shares her story on You Tube of how she was diagnosed and treated
at Mayo Clinic in Arizona for a basal cell carcinoma. Also, she offers tips on how to protect yourself against skin cancer. |
Oct. 26, 2011 – Anytime caffeine is found to have a positive effect on health, it is good news for senior citizens –
coffee is by far the favorite drink of older Americans. The latest good news comes from a large study finding that drinking coffee provides
protection from basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Read more, see video
Aging News & Information
Age Alone is Not Best Assessment of How Well Senior Citizens Tolerate Treatments
Older patients with acute leukemia do not tolerate and benefit from standard, aggressive therapies as much as younger
patients, but it matters what kind of 70-year-old you are
Oct. 26, 2011 - In geriatric medicine, the adage that age is just a number holds true. New research from Wake Forest
Baptist Medical Center uses a simple assessment tool to determine how well senior citizens diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) can
handle treatment. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Lipitor, Plavix Among Big-Name Drugs Falling Off The 'Patent Cliff'
Some of the most popular and expensive brand-name drugs are about to go generic
By Fred Mogul, WNYC
Oct. 24, 2011 - Take
Lipitor, for example. In November, the heart drug comes off-patent — and by next June, there are likely to be multiple generic versions. With almost $11 billion in sales last year, it's the largest blockbuster to fall off what analysts call the "patent
cliff." And it's just one of dozens of popular high-end pharmaceuticals whose prices are expected to plummet in the coming years, including
drugs like
Plavix (for heart disease),
Seroquel (used to treat depression) and
Nexium
(for digestive problems.) Read more...
Clinical Trial Seeking Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Treatment for Older People Halted
Deadly disease usually affects middle-aged and older adults; 3-drug regimen more harmful than placebo
Oct. 22, 2011 – One
part of a clinical trial studying treatments for the lung-scarring and deadly disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has been halted by
the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for safety concerns. IPF is a serious disease that usually affects middle-aged and older adults.
IPF has no cure and many people live only about 3 to 5 years after diagnosis. Read
more...
|
New Guidelines for Cervical Cancer:
Annual Pap Test Too Often
Annual cancer screening tests urged less and
less
10/21/11 - Annual cancer tests are
becoming a thing of the past. New guidelines out Wednesday for cervical cancer screening have experts at odds over some things, but they
are united in the view that the common practice of getting a Pap test every year is too often and probably doing more harm than good. A Pap smear once every three years is the
best way to detect cervical cancer, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says.
>>
Read the complete AP report by Marilynn Marchione |
Books for Senior Citizens
Helping Patients Know Their ‘Medical Mind’ Can Ease Uncertainty
New book helps readers recognize the
many influences on their medical decisions and encourages them to chart their own
path
By Michelle Andrews
Oct.
21, 2011 - Medical decisions can seem overwhelming, especially when you’re sick and scared. In their new book, "Your
Medical Mind: How To Decide What Is Right For You," oncologist and New Yorker writer Jerome Groopman and his wife, endocrinologist
Pamela Hartzband, team up to help readers recognize the
many influences on their medical decisions and encourage them to chart their own
path. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Fewer Medicare Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure, Death Rates Stable
Hospitalization rate decline due to fewer patients being hospitalized, rather than a reduction in frequency of HF
hospitalizations - see video
|
View JAMA Video (link in story) |
Oct. 19, 2011 - Between 1998 and 2008, heart-failure related hospitalizations declined substantially among elderly
Medicare patients, but at a lower rate for black men, according to a study in the October 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA).
Read more...
|
Mammogram Results Often Wrong, U.S. Study Finds
By Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters
10/17/11 - More than half of healthy women who have an annual mammogram will get at
least one false positive result over a 10-year period, and 7 to 9 percent will undergo a biopsy that doesn't turn out to show cancer, U.S.
researchers said on Monday.
Having a mammogram every other year instead of every year would cut the risk of a
false positive by about a third, but it could result in catching cancers at a later stage, they reported in the Annals of Internal
Medicine.
Read more at Reuters |
Burden of Breast Cancer Deaths Shifts to Poor Finds American Cancer Society Report
Death rates declining steadily; down 2% a year for women over 50 says Breast Cancer Facts 2011 - see
video review
Oct. 11, 2011 – We are making gains in the battle against breast cancer, but the death
rates among women living in poor areas have declined slower and exposed a major difference between death rates for the poor and the affluent.
Screening rates hold the answer, says a new report – in 2008, among women 40 and older, only 51.4% of poor women had mammograms in a two year
period, compared to a rate of 72.8% for the non-poor. Read more, see video...
Capsules
THE KHN BLOG
Influential Panel Giving Thumbs Down To Routine PSA Test for Prostate Cancer
See links to other comments and reports on this recommendation
By Scott Hensley, NPR News
Oct. 10, 2011 - The same group that caused a ruckus by recommending against mammograms for women in their 40s is about to
tell men that a routine blood test for prostate cancer does most of them more harm than good.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Raising 'Good' Cholesterol Reduces Heart
Attack, Stroke Risk in Diabetes Patients
And, risks of heart attack and stroke increase when 'good' cholesterol levels go down
Oct.
7, 2011 - Increasing levels of high-density lipoproteins, better known as HDL or "good" cholesterol, reduced the
risk for heart attack and stroke among patients with diabetes. That's according to a new study appearing online today in The American
Journal of Cardiology. Read more...
Shortages Lead Doctors To Ration Critical Drugs for Wide
Range of Problems
'We know this is a dire public health situation,' Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services
Howard Koh
By Richard Knox,
NPR News
Oct.
4, 2011 - Drug shortages mean a growing number of Americans aren’t getting the medications they need. That’s causing drug companies and
doctors to ration available medications in some cases. Read more...
Mild Strokes Appear More Serious; Efforts Needed to ID Depression, Vision, Mental Loss
Seventy-five per cent of severe strokes occur in senior citizens over age 65, mild strokes hit younger
people
Oct. 3, 2011 - On the surface they appear unaffected, but people who have mild strokes may live with hidden disabilities,
including depression, vision problems and difficulty thinking, according to a study released today. The authors call for new guidelines for
the treatment and management of mild strokes, which account for two-thirds of all strokes and usually involve a hospital stay of one to five
days. Read more...
Short-Term Death Rates Jump for Some Older Women After Hip Fracture
Association exists between age, health status (in those 80 and older) and short-term mortality after hip fracture
Sept. 26,
2011 - Hip fracture is associated with an increase in short-term mortality (death within one year) for women ages 65 to 79 years and healthy
women ages 80 years and older, although the risk returns to previous levels after one year for women ages 70 years and older, according to a
report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Read more...
New Models Predict Likelihood of Erectile Function Return After
Prostate Cancer Treatment
Problem still there but it helps men make better informed decisions with realistic expectations -
watch video report
Sept.
20, 2011 – The likely prospect of erectile dysfunction after treatment for prostate cancer is certainly one of the worst fears of men facing
decisions on their treatment. There is helpful news, however, from scientists who have developed a means of predicting erectile function two
years after treatment, which can help men in better understanding their recovery and making educated decisions.
Read more, watch video....
Ten Ways to Improve Communications, Make Better Decisions About Your Cancer Care
Michigan researchers outline how to improve communication about the risk
Sept.
20, 2011 - Talking with doctors about cancer and cancer treatments can feel like learning a new language, and people facing cancer diagnoses
often need help to understand their treatment options, and the risks and benefits of each choice.
Read more...
Aging News & Information
Signs of Aging Linked to Blocked Brain Blood Vessels Undetected by Current Technology
Shaky hands, stooped posture, slow walking - ‘We shouldn’t accept this as normal aging. We should try to fix it and
understand it’
Sept. 19, 2011 - Many common signs of aging, such as hands that shake, stooped posture and walking slower, may be due to
tiny blocked vessels in the brain that can’t be detected by current technology, according to a study in Stroke: Journal of the American
Heart Association. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Older Americans Most at Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease, But Least Aware
American Heart Association offers advice for seniors on avoiding risks, but some, like aging, cannot be fixed - PAD
Awareness Month
Sept. 17, 2011 - Awareness of peripheral artery disease is low among those at greatest risk for developing the condition,
according to the American Heart Association. Only 26 percent of older adults, - age 50 and older - are familiar with PAD, or know that becomes
more common with age. Read more...
|
Many Older Women Have Dense Breast Tissue That May Hide
Cancer
California has passed law ordering
patients be informed, but many doctors oppose it.
 9/16/11
- About 40 percent of women over 40 have breast tissue dense enough to mask or mimic cancers on mammograms, but many of them don't know
it. Mammogram providers in California will be required to notify those patients, and suggest that they discuss additional screenings with
their doctors based on their individual risk factors, if Gov. Jerry Brown signs a bill that the Legislature passed this month. Similar
laws have passed in Texas and Connecticut in the past two years but no data is available yet from either state on the effect of the
legislation.
AP/Yahoo News |
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Medicated Stents Reduce Heart Attacks by Delivering Medication Downstream
‘patients receiving drug-coated stents do better than patients receiving bare metal stents’
Sept.
15, 2011, Cardiac patients receiving medicated stents – a procedure that occurs often when blood vessels are blocked – have a lower likelihood
of suffering heart attacks or developing new blockages in the vessel downstream from the stent, according to researchers at Cleveland Clinic.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Long-Term Use of Nonaspirin Anti-inflammatory Drugs Linked to Renal Cell Cancer
Pain relievers popular with senior citizens for pain relief, cancer protection
Sept. 13, 2011 - Long-term use of nonaspirin anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with an increased risk of
renal cell cancer (RCC), according to a report in the September issue of Archives of
Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Concern Is Growing That the Elderly Get Too Many Medical Tests; Little Benefit
Growing skepticism about widespread, routine screening for cancer and other ailments of people in their 70s, 80s and 90s
By Sandra G. Boodman, Kaiser Health News
Sept.
13, 2011 - Every year like clockwork, Anna Peterson has a
mammogram. Peterson, who will turn 80 next year, undergoes screening
colonoscopies at three- or five-year intervals as recommended by her doctor,
although she has never had cancerous polyps that would warrant such frequent testing. Her 83-year-old husband faithfully gets regular
PSA tests to check for prostate cancer.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Brain Stenting Appears to Increase Strokes in Highest Risk Cases; Study Stopped
NIH clinical trial sees more deaths among those given stents than those using just medical management to ward off second
stroke
Sept. 8, 2011 – A study seeking life-saving help for patients at the highest risk of a second stroke was halted in April
because these patients treated with a brain stent were having more strokes and deaths than those in the other half of the study that received
just medical management. Read more...
Elderly 80+ Do As Well As Younger Patients After Open Skull Surgery for Hematoma
80-year-olds may be just as likely to return to their previous health state after surgery as those younger - with a little
more rehab
Sept. 6, 2011 –
Despite a popular belief that craniotomy – surgery requiring removal of part of the skull – should not be used on patients older than age 80,
a new study finds these elderly patients can, with a bit more rehabilitation and hospitalization, fare as well as younger ones treated for
removal of a hematoma following a head injury. Read more...
Senior Citizen Alerts
Aging News & Information
Menopause Does Not Increase Heart Deaths; Aging Alone is Culprit for Men and Women
John Hopkins study says older women and men have about same death rates from heart disease; each generation has better
longevity
Sept. 6, 2011 – John Hopkins researchers challenge long-held beliefs about cardiovascular death risks in men and women
with findings that menopause does not increase death rates for women and that older men and women have about the same rates of mortality risk from
heart disease starting after age 45. Read more...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements
Dieting Beats Exercise for Diabetes Prevention in Older Women, Combo Is Best
Strengthening exercise appears to have greater benefits for insulin resistance than aerobic exercise
By Carl Sherman, Health Behavior News Service
Sept. 2, 2011 - Lifestyle changes that include dieting to lose weight and exercise can help prevent type 2 diabetes, but
researchers were uncertain which element contributes more. A new study suggests that, in postmenopausal women at least, dietary weight loss
alone is effective while exercise alone is not effective, and both together are best of all.
Read more, see video
Senior Citizen Alerts
For Some Surgeries It Makes Difference if Hospital Has Performed Them Many Times
Hospitals doing most aortic aneurysm repairs, heart bypass surgeries or gastric bypass surgeries have less adverse events
Sept. 2, 2011 - Seniors scheduled for heart bypass surgery or weight loss surgery may want to find out just how frequently
different hospitals in their area are performing those procedures before deciding where to go. A new study finds that hospitals with higher
surgical volumes for certain procedures are less likely to cause unintentional serious injuries...
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Death Risk May Double for Senior Citizens with Highest Level of Blood Biomarker
Protein biomarker cathepsin S may be related to cardiovascular disease and cancer
Aug. 30, 2011 – Data from two studies of elderly men and women found those with high levels of the protein biomarker
cathepsin S in their blood had a much higher risk of death, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
In one study, the high level cathepsin people had double to risk of death compared to those with the lowest level.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Senior Citizens Facing Melanoma Should Worry More About Their Health Than Their Age
Patients with lower muscle density had much higher rates of their cancer returning – regardless of the tumor size or
patient's age
Aug.
30, 2011 – Don’t worry about your age, when diagnosed with deadly melanoma skin cancer, as thousands of senior citizens will be this year. New research finds older
people in good physical shape often fare better in treatment than younger patients in poor health.
Read more...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Beyond Pills: Cardiologists Examine Alternatives to Reduce High Blood Pressure
Growing number require a large number of drugs to control blood pressure and look for something to help
August
30, 2011 - An increasing number of people battling hypertension – many of them senior citizens - show up at their doctor’s office with a bag
full of “natural” products” that they hope will lower their high blood pressure. In an effort to help these patients and their doctors, two
physicians have published a wide review of products most often used in efforts to reduce blood pressure.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Older Men at High Risk of High Blood Pressure If Not Getting Ample Deep Sleep
Reduced level of dreamless, deep sleep is powerful predictor of hypertension; as important to
health as diet and exercise
Aug. 29, 2011 – Older men with low levels of slow wave sleep (SWS) - one of the deeper stages
of sleep – are at high risk of developing high blood pressure, according to new research in
Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association. Average age of the men in the study was 75.
Read more...
Unique Peripheral Arterial Disease Program Works for Older People in Michigan
University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center helps seniors with PAD leg pain get
back on track - see video
Aug. 29, 2011 - Henry Gibbs, 58, is a ballroom dance instructor, but he was
forced to hang up his dancing shoes when a circulation condition, common among older adults, caused severe leg pain and cramping.
Read more, see video
A Magic Wand That Detects Cancer: Michigan Researchers Hope Gene-Z Will Do It
Their objective is a low-cost way for poor countries to reduce cancer deaths
Aug. 26, 2011 – How about this for a magic wand – it’s passed over your body and detects if you have cancer. Well, that’s
what two University of Michigan researchers hopes the Gene-Z will do. They are trying to develop the low-cost, hand-held device for nations
with limited resources to help physicians detect and diagnose cancer. Read more...
Senior Citizen Longevity & Statistics
Longer Life Possible By Practicing One or More Health Lifestyle Behaviors, CDC Finds
Four keys to longevity - not smoking, eating well, regular exercise, limiting alcohol
Aug. 23, 2011 – It’s not a miracle cure for aging but a new study by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention pretty
much nails down what aging studies have been finding for some time – if you want to live longer don’t smoke, eat healthy, exercise and drink
alcohol moderately. If you do them all it makes a gigantic difference. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Great Gains: Almost All Heart Attack Victims Get to Angioplasty on Time
From 2005-2010, average time from hospital admission to angioplasty decreased from 96 to 64 minutes
Aug. 22, 2011 - Great news for senior citizens: nearly all heart attack patients who require emergency artery-opening
procedures are treated within the recommended 90 minutes from hospital arrival, compared with less than half the patients just five years
prior, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Read more, see video...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Senior Citizens Increase Risk of Cognitive Decline with Too Much Salt, Too Little Exercise
Believed to be first study linking benefits of a low sodium diet to brain health in healthy older adults
Aug. 22, 2011 – Senior citizens who lead sedentary lifestyles and consume a lot of sodium in their diet may be putting
themselves at risk for more than just heart disease. A new reports says it appears to also be detrimental to your mental health.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Longevity & Statistics
Compound SRT1720 Improves Health, Increases Lifespan of Obese Mice
Mice given the highest doses saw mean lifespan increase by 44 percent; improved heart, pancreas, liver function
Aug. 19, 2011 - Obese male mice were given a synthetic compound called SRT1720 and their lives become healthier and, more importantly,
they lived longer than obese mice that did not get the magical compound. Researchers say the treated mice experienced improvements in the
function of the liver, pancreas and heart. Read more...
Senior Citizen Alerts
Pap and HPV Tests for Cervical Cancer Screening Given Too Often; Conflict with Guidelines
Centers of Disease Control & Prevention investigators find physicians not close to national recommendations
Aug. 18, 2011 – Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have determined that the majority
of primary care providers continue to recommend annual cervical cancer screening, and less than 15% would extend the screening interval when
using the Papanicolaou test and human papillomavirus (HPV) test together, as some guidelines suggest.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Echocardiogram Before Elective Surgery Does Not Help Survival, Study Says
Echocardiography may actually cause harm, physicians should reconsider its role for elective surgery
Aug. 18, 2011 - A new study has found no evidence that patients who had a heart ultrasound, known as an echocardiogram,
before major surgery had improved survival rates one year or even one month after their operation. Some groups of patients actually had worse
survival rates. Read more...
Near-infrared Imaging System Shows Promise to Diagnose Pancreatic Cancer Early
FDA approves test in humans using an OCT probe small enough to be inserted into pancreas through a biopsy needle:
earlier study reports using targeted endoscopic ultrasound for early detection of pancreatic cancer
Aug. 17, 2011 – Pancreatic cancer is among the most deadly, especially if not discovered early. Researchers from four
Boston-area institutions think they have found something that may provide an edge in early diagnosis - optical coherence tomography (OCT), a
high resolution optical imaging technique that works by bouncing near-infrared laser light off biological tissue.
Read more...
Vitamin D Appears Linked With Risk of Skin Cancer, Although Relationship Complex
Study looked at vitamin D level in senior citizens with non-melanoma skin cancers
Aug. 15, 2011 – Skin cancer, like most other cancers, plague older people. Most seniors are well aware of the dangers of
the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation for increasing the risk. A new study, however, finds that a high level of vitamin D also may increase the
risk of the non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC). Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Cancer Killing Breakthrough with Leukemia May Lead to Gene Attacks on Other Cancers
‘Within three weeks, the tumors had been blown away’ - Watch Video
|
Watch video of researchers |
Aug. 10, 2011 - In a cancer treatment breakthrough 20 years in the making, researchers have shown sustained remissions of
up to a year among a small group of advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients treated with genetically engineered versions of their
own T cells, according to the
University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine.
The medical team reports the cancer-killing cells are still active. Read more, see
video...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Age and Severity of Heart Failure Associated With Impairment in Verbal Memory
Stable memory function was maintained in patients younger than 63 years
Aug. 8, 2011 - Older patients – those age 63 or older - with lower rates of left ventricular ejection fraction (a measure
of how well the left ventricle of the heart pumps with each contraction) appear more likely than younger patients to have significantly
reduced verbal memory function, according to a report in the August issue of
Archives of Neurology, one of the
JAMA/Archives
journals. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Senior Citizens Risk Pulmonary Embolism with Knee Replacement Surgery
Study finds 80+ elderly and those with three other common senior problems most at risk in hip, knee surgery
July 27, 2011 – Senior citizens - those 80 and over in particular - may not be the best candidates for knee replacement
surgery according to new research that found pulmonary embolism, an often fatal condition, was most common after replacement surgery in those
over 79 and those who had three other health problems common to the elderly. Read
more...
Add Lower Risk of Stroke to Many Benefits of an Optimistic Attitude
Protective effect of optimism may primarily be due to behavioral choices
July 21, 2011 - Previous research has shown that an optimistic attitude usually leads to
better heart health, a stronger immune-system and other health benefits. Now, we can add a lower risk of stroke as a result of a positive
outlook on life, according to a new University of Michigan study. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Broken Heart Syndrome May be Sudden Killer of More People Than Assumed
Stress cardiomyopathy often associated with older women who suddenly fall dead after loss of a loved one; new study says
this is problem for younger people and men, too - videos below story
July 19, 2011
– For generations we have just said people who collapsed and died soon after a severe personal loss just died of a “broken heart.” The cause
was probably stress cardiomyopathy, which is now often referred to as “broken heart syndrome.” New Research, however, indicates this acute
heart failure triggered by stressful events is more common than thought and includes younger people, men and even some without an identifiable
stress. Read more, see videos...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Prostate Cancer Patients Live Much Longer with Hormone Therapy Added to Radiation
ADT therapy works well with intermediate grade cancer, not so well with low grade; only two grades tested in this trial
|
 Larger
graphs of prostate cancer cases and deaths 1987-2007 below story |
July 15, 2011 – Adding short-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to radiation therapy for men with early-stage,
intermediate risk prostate cancer made a significant improvement in their overall survival after 10 years, according to a clinical trial
supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. Benefits of the combined treatment were not seen
for men with low-risk prostate cancer. Read more, info on prostate cancer...
Senior Citizen Alerts
CDC Releases New Outpatient Safety Checklist to Reduce Infections
Senior citizens most at risk of infections because they are most frequent patients
By Bara Vaida, Kaiser Health News
|
CDC Press Release below news report |
|
CDC Safety Checklist below press release |
July 14, 2011 - Just as airline pilots are required to use safety checklists before taking off, so should medical
facilities who are treating people on an outpatient basis, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Men More Likely to Get Cancer, Die from Cancer than Women
Gender not a major role in cancer survival; driving up the greater frequency of cancer deaths in men is the greater
frequency of cancer diagnosis
July 13, 2011 - Most
of the publicity war on cancer prevention in the U.S. seems to focus on cancer in women, breast cancer in particular, but a new study shows
cancer is a much bigger killer of men than women. The main reason that it kills more men than women, is that more men get cancer.
Read more...
Features for Senior Citizens
Family Cancer History Should be Updated to ID Need for More Screening
Study finds substantial changes occurring between ages 30 and 50 - see video
July 13, 2011 – First, everyone should accept the need to maintain a family cancer history, but a new study adds that we
should also commit to updating this history at least every five to ten years. Researchers found substantial changes occurring between the ages
of 30 and 50 for colorectal, breast and prostate cancer, which could result in recommendations for earlier or more intense cancer screening.
Read more, see video...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Regional System to Cool, Warm Cardiac Arrest Patients Saves Brain Function
‘… if you have a cardiac arrest 200 miles away or on our doorstep, the quality of the outcomes is identical’ - What is
cardiac arrest? - see below news story
July 12, 2011 - A broad, regional system to lower the temperature of resuscitated cardiac arrest patients at a
centrally-located hospital improved outcomes, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Cooling
treatment, or therapeutic hypothermia, is effective yet underused, researchers said.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Alerts
FDA Oks Boostrix for Senior Citizens to Prevent Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis
Whooping cough (Pertussis), increasing since 2007, is highly contagious; outbreaks among elderly in nursing homes and
hospitals
July 11, 2011 – Senior citizens – people age 65 and older – no longer have to get separate vaccinations to prevent
tetanus and diphtheria. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the Boostrix vaccine, which will prevent both of these diseases,
plus pertussis (whooping cough), which is increasing among the elderly. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Healthy Living by Women Dramatically Cuts Risk of
Sudden Cardiac Death
SCD kills within an hour and accounts for more than
half of all cardiac deaths; watch video below
July 7, 2011 - Adhering to a healthy lifestyle,
including not smoking, exercising regularly, having a low body weight
and eating a healthy diet, appears to dramatically lower the risk of
sudden cardiac death in women. Women abiding by all four lifestyles
lowered their risk by 92 percent, compared to women following none of
the four. Read
more, watch video...
Medicare News
Medicare Bites Bullet to Cover Expensive Provenge,
Prostate Cancer Drug for Bad Cases
CMS
also to continue expensive breast cancer drug, Avastin; Sipuleucel-T activates immune system to defend
against prostate cancer; first approved autologus cellular immunotherapy
July 1, 2011 - Medicare patients with metastatic
prostate cancer can get a first-of-its kind treatment approved by the
Food and Drug Administration in April, under a final coverage decision
issued yesterday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Provenge (sipuleucel-T) activates a patient’s own immune system to
defend him against prostate cancer. The majority of the men tested with
the drug were senior citizens - age 65 or older.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Study of Particular Importance to Older Women Shows
Long-Term Mammography Saves Lives
Twenty-nine-year study finds 30 percent fewer women
in screening died of breast cancer
June 28, 2011 - Results from the longest running
breast screening trial show that screening with mammography over a long
period of time reduces the number of deaths from breast cancer. The
results are new evidence of the long-term benefits of regular breast
screening.
Read more...
Cancer Death Rates Continue Decline That Began in
Early 1930s Says Cancer Society
Cancer Statistics 2011 shows among men the
reduction in lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers is nearly 80% of
decline; among women, almost 60% of decrease in breast and colorectal -
see chances of seniors getting cancer
June 17, 2011 – A steady decline in overall cancer
death rates appears to have saved 898,000 deaths from cancer between
1990 and 2007, according to the latest statistics from the American
Cancer Society. Good news for the primary targets of cancer - senior
citizens. This progress has not, however, benefitted all segments of the
population equally - cancer death rates for individuals with the least
education are more than twice those of the most educated.
Read more, see
chance of seniors getting cancer in 2011
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Bariatric Surgery Does Not Extend Life for Older
Men, But Many Still May Find It a Good Choice
Study tried to determine if bariatric surgery
reduced mortality among predominantly older male high-risk patients -
watch video
June 14, 2011 - The use of bariatric surgery among
older, severely obese men was not associated with a decreased risk of
death, according to a study in the June 15 issue of the Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA). The researchers add, however, that
many such patients may still choose the surgery, because of the strong
evidence of significant weight loss, illness reduction and better
quality of life.
Read more, see
video...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Shingles, a Disease Primarily Striking Senior
Citizens, Increases Risk of Multiple Sclerosis
A virus associated with MS is varicella zoster
virus, the cause of herpes zoster (shingles) - see video on shingles
June 8, 2011 – Shingles (herpes zoster), a painful
disease that primarily attacks senior citizens, has also been found to
significantly increase – by almost four times - the risk of multiple
sclerosis (MS) occurring in the year following the shingles attack,
according to a massive study from Taiwan.
Read more...
Older
Breast Cancer Patients Want Radioactive Implants, No Radiation for E+ Tumors
Women with estrogen negative tumors 91% more likely
to die if they did not receive radiation therapy after a lumpectomy,
finds second study
June 3, 2011 – More older women – 70 and older –
with stage I breast cancer are opting for radioactive implants, and
those with estrogen positive tumors are opting out of radiation therapy,
according to studies being presented Saturday at the American Society of
Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago. These are notable changes in past
patterns of radiation usage among senior citizens.
Read more
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Drug Approved to Treat Nail Fungus Found to Delay
Chemo in Advanced Prostate Cancer
Itraconzole slows prostate cancer progression but
has potential of serious side effects
June
3, 2011 - The oral antifungal drug itraconazole, most
commonly used to treat nail fungus, may keep prostate cancer from
worsening and delay the need for chemotherapy in men with advanced
disease, according to new research from John Hopkins.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Rising PSA
Levels May Sometimes Lead to Negative Biopsies But Usually Means Cancer
News study shows nearly 70 percent with rising PSA
eventually get prostate cancer
May
18, 2011 - A man's rising PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level over
several years – which had been seen as a possible warning sign of
prostate cancer – has recently come under fire as a screening test
because it sometimes prompts biopsies that turn out to be normal. That’s
true, the study shows, but most are headed for prostate cancer.
Read more...
New Surgery-Free Treatment for Enlarged Prostate
Avoids Sexual Dysfunction
Prostatic artery embolization as effective as popular
TURP surgical method; more than half of senior men have enlarged
prostate; also silodosin a new treatment for prostatitis
May 18, 2011 - A new radiology treatment that
limits blood flowing to a man’s enlarged prostate gland – an ailment
impacting over half of male senior citizens - appears to be as effective
as today’s most popular treatment, but without the risks, such as sexual
dysfunction, urinary incontinence, blood loss and retrograde
ejaculation, noted researchers...
Read more
Avastin and Lucentus Equal for Treating Age-Related
Macular Degeneration Says NIH Study
AMD is the leading cause of vision loss and
blindness in senior citizens
May 4, 2011 - Researchers are reporting results
from the first year of a two-year clinical trial that Avastin, a drug
approved to treat some cancers and that is commonly used off-label to
treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is as effective as the
Food and Drug Administration-approved drug Lucentis for the treatment of
AMD. AMD is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in senior
citizens.
Read more...
Man Without Pulse for 96 Minutes Survives after CPR
with Help of Capnography
Mayo Clinic researcher says this may be longest
duration of pulselessness cardiac arrest that ended with a good outcome
May 2, 2011 - By all counts, the 54-year-old man
who collapsed on a recent winter night in rural Minnesota would likely
have died. He'd suffered a heart attack, and even though he was given
continuous CPR and a series of shocks with a defibrillator, the man was
without a pulse for 96 minutes.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatment with Gene
Therapy Shows Promise
AMD results in a loss of sharp, central
vision; number one cause of visual impairment among Americans age
60 and older
April 29, 2011 — A gene therapy approach using a
protein called CD59, or protection, shows promise in slowing the signs
of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a new study
from Tufts University School of Medicine.
Read
more...
Low Health Literacy Associated With Higher Rate of
Death Among Heart Failure Patients
Low health literacy
patients were older, of lower socioeconomic status and less likely to
have a high school education; also more likely to have multiple chronic
diseases - watch video
April 26, 2011 – An examination of health literacy - such as
understanding basic health information - among managed care patients
with heart failure, a condition that requires self-management, found
that nearly one in five have low health literacy, which was associated
with a higher all-cause risk of death, according to a study in the April
27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Read more...
Older Diabetes
Patients with Very Low Glucose Have Slightly Higher Risk of Death
Well controlled
blood sugar level lowers risk of heart attack, amputation, kidney
disease
April 18, 2011 - A new study
of older diabetes patients has found that well-controlled blood sugar
levels were associated with a lower risk of major complications such as
heart attacks, amputation and kidney disease, but the very lowest blood
sugar levels were associated with a small but significant increased risk
of death.
Read more...
Senior Citizens Have Better Chance of Surviving a
Stroke Living in Sociable Neighborhoods
Seniors living in closely-knit, supportive
neighborhoods have significantly better stroke survival rates,
regardless of other health, socioeconomic factors
April 14, 2011 - The odds of
surviving stroke appear to be much better for seniors living in
neighborhoods where they interact more often with their neighbors and
count on them for help, according to research published in Stroke:
Journal of the American Heart Association.
Read
more...
New Injectable Gel Shows Promise for Treating
Millions with Arthritis
Half of senior citizens – aged 65 and over – suffer
with arthritis, one of most common causes of disability
April 13, 2011 - Some 25
million people in the U.S. suffer from rheumatoid arthritis or its
cousin osteoarthritis, diseases characterized by often debilitating pain
in the joints. At least half of all senior citizens suffer with some
form of arthritis. Now researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH)
report an injectable gel that could be a key to future treatment these
diseases. Read
more...
Senior Citizen Alerts
Senior Citizens Should Cheer Today’s Initiative to
Combat Deadly Infectious ‘Super Bugs’
Antibiotic-resistant infections kill nearly 100,000
U.S. hospital patients; but while 16 new antibiotics were approved
between 1983 - 1987, only two since 2008
April 7, 2011 – Senior citizens should be cheering
on this World Health Day. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)
is rolling out a multi-pronged plan today to combat deadly
antibiotic-resistant “super bugs.” The elderly, generally, are the most
likely to be attacked by these lethal “super bugs,” because they are the
most likely to visit hospitals and clinics where infections are most
often found. Older people also have less resistance to fight the infections.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Follow-Up to Estrogen Therapy Trial Finds Reduced
Risk of Breast Cancer, But...
Younger women achieved better health gains than older
women - 'need to counsel women about hormone
therapy differently depending on their age' - see video
April 6, 2011 - Among
postmenopausal women with a prior hysterectomy and who had used estrogen
therapy for about 6 years and then stopped, longer-term follow-up
indicates that the risk of breast cancer was reduced, regardless of age.
Health outcomes were, however, more favorable for younger compared with
older women for CHD, heart attack, colorectal cancer, total mortality,
and a global index of chronic diseases.
Read more,
see video...
|
Cancer
Primarily
A Disease of
Aging
"The actual number of people dying from cancer (sometimes called
the count) can be influenced by several factors, including the
growth in the number of older people in the United States
(cancer is primarily a disease of aging) and the increase in
size of the population.'" - Annual Cancer Report |
Cancer Rates
Continue to Decline Despite Booming Senior Citizen Population
First ever
decrease in death from lung cancer for women; men see small increase in
prostate cancer rate
April 1, 2011 – Senior citizens, the favorite
targets for a variety of cancers, should be pleased with news released
yesterday that rates of death from all cancers continued to decline for
men and women in the latest report on the period between 2003 and 2007.
And, despite the growth in the elderly population, the overall rate of
new cancers diagnosed decreased almost one percent a year during this
period. Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Senior Citizens Jumping Online to Monitor Personal
Health Records
Read all about personal health records below news
report , with key links
March 28, 2011 - Senior
citizens, for once, are not the age group lagging behind in an online
endeavor. A study to measure participation on adopting the use of online
personal health records finds those patients aged 65 and older are more
likely to get involved than young adults between the ages of 18 and 35.
Read more...
On World Kidney Day
U.S. Asked to Focus on Link with Heart Disease
National Kidney
Disease Education Program suggests at least 10 things people can do to
be kind to their kidneys - below news story more about kidney disease
March 10, 2011 -
More than 20 million adults, including millions of senior citizens, have
chronic kidney disease and an estimated 16.3 million or roughly 7
percent of adults — have heart disease. Over 7.1 million have
both. On World Kidney Day, Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., director of the
National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases is asking people to consider the link, and
what they can do to protect kidney health.
Read more...
Senior Women Who
Survive Breast Cancer Have a Greater Risk of Falling
Cancer therapies
may affect balance, says new study in Archives of Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation
March 10, 2011 –
Researchers have found that women who are senior citizens and survived
breast cancer appear to fall more often than their peers. They note that
the combined effects of chemotherapy and endocrine therapy may increase
the risk of bone fractures in breast cancer survivors.
Read
more...
Trauma Patients –
Especially Seniors - Have Higher Rate of Death for Years Following
Injury
Age strongly
predicted risk of death as did discharge to a skilled nursing facility;
Medicare on risk list, too. See video
March
8, 2011 – The headline from the new study of 120,000 adult trauma
patients is that 16 percent died within 3 years of their injury – with no injury the
expected mortality would be about 6 percent. But the study also notes
some key factors, including being a senior citizens, that increase this
risk of death following a trauma injury.
Read more...watch
video
High Blood Pressure
Meds Protect Cardiovascular Patients from Stroke, Death
Many studies show
persons with CVD can obtain significant
benefit from antihypertensive treatments
March
1, 2011 - Seniors citizens
battling cardiovascular disease may want to consider a prescription for
high blood pressure medications, even if their blood pressure is fine.
These hypertension drugs appear to reduce the risk of stroke, congestive
heart failure and death from all causes according to an analysis of more
than two dozen studies that appears in tomorrow's issue of
the Journal of the American
Medical Association (JAMA).
Read
more...
Seniors Not
Impressed by Evidence-Based Solutions; Want to Know Medications are Safe
Study says elderly
patients only willing to take medications to prevent cardiovascular
disease if benefits far greater than risks
Feb. 28, 2011 –
Senior citizens think a little differently about health and medications
than younger people who are not so encumbered by chronic disease. A new
study finds these elderly patients also have views that differ with the
guidelines for medical care that are scientifically prepared to enhance
patient treatment.
Read more...
Melanoma Skin Cancer a Chronic Disease Causing
Long-Term Problems for Women
Women need additional care, including follow-up and
possibly counseling to optimally cope with melanoma
Feb. 21, 2011 – Melanoma, the most deadly skin
cancer, is considered a chronic life-threatening disease and a source of
significant stress. Women, however, seem to experience more
health-related quality of life issues than men for up to 10 years after
being diagnosed with melanoma, says a new report.
Read more...
CDC Releases 34th Annual Report on the Nation’s
Health; Feature Section on Dying
Data from state and federal health agencies as well
as an in-depth feature section on death and dying
Feb. 16, 2011 -
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released the 34th
annual report on health in the U.S. "Health, United States, 2010" was
prepared by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics includes a
compilation of health data from state and federal health agencies as
well as an in-depth feature section on death and dying.
Read
more...
New Risk Factor for Heart Disease Death Found in
Healthy Senior Citizens
Older people not
expected to die of cardiac causes found in danger by abnormal heart rate
turbulence - appear healthy but they're not
Study author, Phyllis K. Stein |
Feb. 16, 2011 -
Abnormal heart rate turbulence is associated with an increased risk of
heart disease death in otherwise low-risk senior citizens, finds a new
study. The research indicates that an abnormal response to an early beat
in the left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber, can identify
high-risk patients even when they have no other evidence of
cardiovascular disease.
Read more...
CyberKnife
Tested for Treatment of Breast Cancer in Clinical Trial at UT
Southwestern
CyberKnife focuses
multiple beams of radiation with millimeter precision, while leaving
surrounding healthy tissue unharmed; painless treatment
Feb.
15, 2011 – Breast-cancer patient Kristin Wiginton is the first to be
treated at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, with high-beam
radiation using the Accuray CyberKnife System, which doctors say offers
improved cosmetic results, less radiation exposure to surrounding tissue
and a shorter treatment period.
Read more...
Limited Lymph Node Removal for Breast Cancer
Patients Does Not Result in Poorer Survival
Important contribution to the surgical management of
sentinel lymph node metastasis in breast cancer: says JAMA editorial -
watch video
|
 Bobbie Saunders
has been cancer free for eight years. |
Feb. 9, 2011 –
One of the most unpleasant aspects of breast cancer treatment may be
coming to an end. A new study finds certain patients with early-stage
breast cancer that had spread to a nearby lymph node, and who received
treatment removing lymph nodes from the armpit, had no better chance of
survival than women who just had the sentinel lymph node removed (the
first lymph node to which cancer is likely to spread from the primary
tumor). Read
more, watch video...
Avodart Not Cost
Effective Way to Prevent Prostate Cancer in Some Men
For average man,
dutasteride provides minimal survival benefits, reduction on
treatment-related complications does not offset the high costs
Feb. 8, 2011 –
The popular drug Avodart (dutasteride) may not be a cost-effective way
to prevent prostate cancer in men who are at elevated risk of developing
the disease, according to findings by a UT Southwestern Medical Center
researcher. Prior research has shown the drug lowered the risk of
prostate cancer over a four-year period by 22.8 percent, but questions
have remained about its cost-effectiveness.
Read
more...
Another
Study Points to Increase in Cancer Risk from Low-Dose Radiation Scans
Study looked at
senior heart attack patients; questions enthusiasm for imaging after
acute myocardial infarction; exposure should be tracked
Feb.
7, 2011 - Exposure to low-dose radiation from cardiac imaging and other
procedures after a heart attack is associated with an increased risk of
cancer, found a new study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal
(CMAJ). The study is another in a growing list raising concern about
the cancer risk of common medical scans.
Read
more...
Study Finds Way to
ID Aggressive Prostate Cancers; Save Men from Aggressive Therapy
Many prostate cancer
patients treated unnecessarily; vast majority would not become
life-threatening, even if left untreated
Feb. 3, 2011 – A
new discovery lays the ground work for the first gene-based test for
determining whether a man's prostate cancer is likely to remain dormant
within the prostate gland, or spread lethally to other parts of the
body. Today, many men, mostly senior citizens, endure drastic procedures
that are used unnecessarily on unaggressive cancers.
Read more...
Study Finds
Treatment of Senior Citizens with Rheumatoid Arthritis is Unacceptable
Wide variations
found in Medicare Managed Care patients receipt of recommended drug
therapy: see video
Feb. 1, 2011 - An
analysis of data from more than 90,000 Medicare managed care enrollees
who received care for rheumatoid arthritis finds that more than
one-third did not receive the recommended treatment with a
disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug, and that receipt varied by
demographic factors, socio-economic status, geographic location and
health plan, according to a study in the February 2 issue of the Journal
of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Read more,
watch video...
Senior Citizens
Lead the Way as Diabetes Spreads to 26 Million in New U.S. Estimate
Estimates in U.S.
have risen since CDC estimated in 2008 that 23.6 million (7.8) had
diabetes and 57 million adults had prediabetes
Jan.
27, 2011 - Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes but about 42 percent of them
are senior citizens aged 65 or older, according to new estimates from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Among all seniors
living in the U.S., 10.9 million, or 26.9 percent had diabetes in 2010.
Read more...
Admission to
Designated Stroke Centers Appears to Be Helping Save Lives
Nearly 700 of the
5,000 acute care hospitals in the United States are now Joint
Commission-certified stroke centers - watch video
Jan. 25, 2011-
Since 2003 many hospitals have been focused on achieving recognition as
a certified stroke center, an idea pushed by the Brain Attack Coalition
that envisioned a reduction in deaths from this third leading cause of
death in the U.S. A new study finds the stoke centers are lowering the
stroke death rate, but only modestly.
Read more,
watch video...
Stress Therapy
Prevents Repeat Heart Attacks, Saves Lives of Heart Patients
Those in program
had 41% fewer fatal and non-fatal heart events and a 28% lower death
rate
Jan. 24, 2011 -
A cognitive behavioral therapy program focusing on stress management
appears to decrease the risk of recurrent heart attacks by 45 percent
and other cardiovascular events in patients with heart disease,
according to a report in the January 24 issue of Archives of Internal
Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Read more...
Smoking Before
Menopause Increases Breast Cancer Risk, Post Menopause May Lower Risk
‘Never smoking and
passive smoking in childhood or adulthood were not associated with an
increase in breast cancer risk’
Jan. 24, 2011 -
Smoking before menopause, especially prior to giving birth, may be
associated with a modest increase in the risk of developing breast
cancer, says a new report. The study also found a possibility that
smoking after menopause my reduce the risk.
Read
more...
Cost to Treat Heart
Disease in U.S. to Triple by 2030 as Boomers Flood Senior Citizen Ranks
By 2030,
approximately 116 million people in the United States (40.5%) will have
some form of cardiovascular disease: American Heart Association
Jan. 24, 2011 -
The cost to treat heart disease in the United States will triple by
2030, according to a policy statement published in Circulation:
Journal of the American Heart Association. The $545 billion increase
will be due in part to the growth of the senior citizen population. AHA
says it’s urgent to implement effective strategies to prevent heart
disease and stroke.
Read
more...
A Positive Attitude
is Good for the Health of Senior Citizens, Research Proves
One way is it
reduces stress, which is a source of many ailments for seniors
Jan. 20, 2011 –
Feeling good and having a positive attitude has often been associated
with good health. A new review of existing research seems to prove this
is true for senior citizens – positive emotions do influence healthy
outcomes for older people.
Read more...
Incontinence Following Radical Prostatectomy Reduced
by Behavioral Therapy Program
Editorial writers ask if limited benefits are worth
the patient and clinician time and effort;
researchers say 'yes' do to significant, durable improvement in
incontinence and quality of life,
Jan. 12, 2011 - Men who
suffered with incontinence – lack of bowel control - for at least one
year following radical prostatectomy, achieved a significant reduction
in
the number of incontinence episodes after participating in a behavioral
training program that included pelvic floor muscle training, bladder
control strategies and fluid management.
Read more....
Books for Senior Citizens
New Book Targets Better Nutrition for Heart Attack Survivors:
Prevent a Second Heart Attack
Author Janet Bond
Brill inspired after her father dies from
second heart attack; focus is on 8 foods, includes recipes
Jan. 12, 2011 - Each year, roughly 1.5 million
Americans have a heart attack -- and most of them survive. But research
shows that just one year after their diagnosis, the vast majority of
these 13 million American heart attack survivors fail to adhere to the
dietary changes that could prevent a second heart attack.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Herpes Zoster Vaccine
Associated With Lower Risk of Shingles in Most Older Adults
Confirms other
studies showing more than half of seniors will be protected by shot but
they are still not getting it (not covered by Medicare)
- link to video in story
Jan. 11, 2011 –
A new study confirmed what previous research has shown about the
effectiveness of the shingles vaccination for senior citizens – it
protects slightly more than half who get the shot from the painful rash
that can be disabling. This study looked at a large group of older
adults and found the vaccination reduced the risk of shingles,
regardless of age, race or the presence of chronic diseases.
Read more...
Pancreatic Cancer
Stopped in Early Stages by University of Oklahoma Scientists
‘This is one of the
most important studies in pancreatic cancer prevention’ – clinical
trials underway
Jan. 11, 2011 –
The most dangerous of cancers – pancreatic – has been eliminated in a
research model by the use of an old treatment in a new way during the
early stage of the cancer. The researchers at the Peggy and Charles
Stephenson Oklahoma Cancer Center say the discovery has far-reaching
implications in chemoprevention for high-risk patients.
Read
more...
Major
Cause of Blindness in Senior Citizens, Age-Related Macular Degeneration,
Appears in Decline
U.S. study says AMD
in those over 40 drops to 6.5% from 9.4% in 1994 - watch videos
Jan.
10, 2011 – In a rare bit of good news for senior citizens about their
health, a new study has found a significant decline in the rate of the
eye disease known as AMD or age-related macular degeneration, the
leading cause of blindness in senior citizens around the world.
Read
more...
Mayo Clinic
Researchers Determine Your Lifetime Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Also calculate
risk for five other autoimmune rheumatic diseases for women and men -
watch video
Jan. 6, 2011 – A
popular pastime for many older people is to try and figure out their
chances of getting one ailment or another. Mayo Clinic researchers have
simplified it – they have figured out the lifetime risk of developing
rheumatoid arthritis and six other autoimmune rheumatic diseases for
both men and women.
Read
more...watch video...
Senior Citizen Longevity & Statistics
How Fast Senior Citizens Walk Found to be Good
Predictor of How Long They Will Live
Large study of older Americans says prediction most
accurate for those 75 and older; works for men and women - watch video
Jan. 5, 2011 –
How fast senior citizens walk appears to be a better gage of how long
they will live than trying to do a more complicated analysis using age,
sex, chronic conditions, smoking history, blood pressure, body mass
index, and hospitalization. This study of senior citizens found walking
gait is especially accurate for predicting remaining life for those age
75 and older.
Read
more...Watch Video...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Top Research
Advances to Fight Heart Disease and Stroke Selected for 2010
American Heart
Association/American Stroke Association 2010 select two lists
Jan. 3, 2011 -
Research on reducing risks, improving medical treatment and improving
lifestyle behaviors to fight the battles against heart disease and stroke
are among the key scientific findings that make up last year’s top
cardiovascular and stroke research recognized by the American Heart
Association/American Stroke Association.
Read more...
Older Women with Diabetes and Depression Have
Twice the Risk of Death
Both
problems linked to unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, poor diet and a
sedentary lifestyle
Jan. 3, 2011 – Older women suffering with diabetes and depression have a
significantly increased risk of death from heart disease, as well as an
increased death risk from all causes, over a six-year period, according
to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry,
one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Read
more...
Nearly
Two-Thirds of Medicare Stroke Victims Return to Hospital or Die Within
One Year
Death or rehospitalization rates for Medicare
beneficiaries with acute stroke didn’t improve from 2003 to 2006
Dec.
20, 2010 – Although the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention shows the number of deaths caused by strokes has
dropped from third to fourth place among causes of U.S. deaths, a new
study finds nearly two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries -primarily
senior citizens - discharged from hospitals after ischemic stroke die or
are readmitted within one year.
Read more...
FDA Takes Action to
Stop Use of Avastin for Breast Cancer: Not Proven Safe, Effective
No studies showed
patients receiving Avastin lived longer, but some did experience a
significant increase in serious side effects
Dec. 16, 2010 -
The Food and Drug Administration announced today that the agency is
recommending removing the breast cancer indication from the label for
Avastin (bevacizumab) because the drug has not been shown to be safe and
effective for that use. In July, after reviewing all available data an
independent advisory committee, composed primarily of oncologists, voted
12-1 to remove the breast cancer indication from Avastin’s label.
Read
more...
Substantial
Improvement in Prostate Cancer PSA Testing Discovered by Genetics Firm
Better results will
prevent unnecessary biopsies, catch more cancers, says deCODE
Dec. 16, 2010 – PSA (prostate specific antigen) testing is the best tool available for
prostate cancer screening but is far from a perfect detective. A high
reading often prompts a biopsy, which too often was not needed, because
no cancer is found. Many of these biopsies may be avoided with a new
discovery by deCODE genetics that improves the accuracy of PSA
tests.
Read more...
Biological
Diversity Found in Ovarian Cancer Complicates Quest for Effective
Screening
Ovarian cancer has
been regarded as a single disease: now studies show two distinct
subtypes, a slow-growing and a more aggressive variety
Dec.
13, 2010 – The frustration with the lack of solid, meaningful way to
screen women for ovarian cancer will apparently continue. New research
confirms annual screening is likely to result in only a modest reduction
in mortality from the disease and one of the reasons for the lack of
success is the conclusion that there are two subtypes of this cancer –
one much more aggressive than the other.
Read more...
Just a Few Steps
Could Lead to Big Gains for Hospitalized Senior Citizens
New study says
active elderly patients leave the hospital faster than those who are not
Dec. 10, 2010 -
"You'll be back on your feet in no time" is a phrase familiar to anyone
who's ever had to spend time in a hospital. Now, a new study has shown
that hospitalized elderly patients who literally "get back on their
feet" by taking even short walks around a hospital unit tend to leave
the hospital sooner than their more sedentary peers.
Read more...
Senior Women are
Least Likely to Get Annual Mammogram Although Covered by Medicare
Majority of
women in the ages targeted by breast cancer not getting preventive exams
Dec. 10, 2010 -
Only half of eligible women in the U.S. – and even less than half of
senior citizens - are getting their annual mammograms, even if they have
Medicare or other insurance to pay for the procedure, according to data presented at the
33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Researchers
are puzzled why participation is so low.
Read more...
Researchers
Jump-Start Nerve Fibers to Significantly Reverse Stroke Damage
Dramatic results
of anti-Nogo therapy in rats that had medically induced strokes:
findings "of great clinical importance”
Dec. 7, 2010 - A
new technique that jump-starts the growth of nerve fibers could reverse
much of the damage caused by strokes, researchers report in the Jan. 7,
2011, issue of the journal Stroke.
Read
more...
Deaths from Many
Common Cancers Reduced Significantly by Daily Low-Dose Aspirin
A daily low-dose
aspirin known to fight heart disease, now proven as a powerful weapon
against cancer in Oxford study
Dec. 7, 2010 –
Results from a study at Oxford University is published today showing
that researchers found a 20 percent drop in cancer deaths among patients
taking a low-dose aspirin daily. It adds new fuel to the debate about
whether healthy older people should consider taking a low
dose of aspirin each day. In the U.S. it is recommended with caution for
those age 80 and older.
Read more...
Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis Appears to Cause Big
Jump in Heart Attack Risk
Average age at diagnosis was just under 57 and 71%
of the patients with RA were women
Dec. 6, 2010 -
The risk of having a heart attack is 60 percent higher just a year after
a patient has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a
large research project published in the December issue of the Journal
of Internal Medicine.
Read more...
Drop in Breast Cancer Rates in Older
Women Directly Tied to Reduced Hormone Therapy
Women 50 to 69 had the
highest hormone use and the biggest reduction in
breast cancer when they stopped; women over 70 had parallel drop in
cancer
Nov.
30, 2010 – In a massive study of over 2 million mammograms performed on
almost 700,000 U.S. women, scientists found a direct link between
reduced hormone therapy and declines in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
as well as invasive breast cancer. The researchers saw such a striking
decrease they believe they also have uncovered indirect evidence that
hormones promote breast tumor growth.
Read more...
Popular Prostate
Cancer Staging Does Not Predict Recurrence, Study Finds
Clinical stage was
assigned incorrectly in 35.4% of 3,875 men in a multi-institutional
national disease registry
Nov. 22, 2010 -
A new study challenges the current staging system that determines the
extent or severity of prostate cancer that has not metastasized.
Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the
American Cancer Society, the study found that there is no link between
localized prostate cancer's clinical stage and a patient's risk of
cancer recurrence after having his prostate removed.
Read more...
Gerontological
Society Hears That Parental Divorce in Childhood Doubles Risk of Stroke
Adjusting for age,
race and gender, odds of stroke were 2.2 times higher for those who had
experienced parental divorce
Nov. 22, 2010 –
Having experienced the divorce of your parents when you were a child
appears to more than double the odds that you will suffer a stroke at
sometime in your life, according to new research presented in New
Orleans today at The Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA) 63rd Annual
Scientific Meeting.
Read
more...
Senior Citizens at
Risk of Heart Attack Gain New Hope from Powerful Anti-Cholesterol Drug
‘Anacetrapib has a
knock-your-socks-off effect on HDL and a jaw-dropping effect on LDL’ -
Dr. Christopher P. Cannon, senior investigator
Nov. 18, 2010 –
Exciting new hope for senior citizens at risk of a heart attack was
introduced yesterday. The experimental drug more than doubles the level
of good cholesterol and cuts the bad kind nearly in half, without the
blood pressure increase linked to another agent in its class, according
to late-breaking clinical trial results presented at the American Heart
Association’s Scientific Sessions 2010.
Read
more...
New Therapy Beats
Implanted Defibrillator in Extending Life for Heart Failure Patients
Large study in
New England Journal of Medicine says cardiac resynchronization
therapy can boost a fading heart beat - new hope for many senior
citizens
Nov. 14, 2010 –
One of the largest worldwide studies into heart failure offers the
promise of life-saving treatment for patients with symptoms of mild to
moderate heart failure – an increasingly common condition among an aging
population that can lead to sudden cardiac death.
Read more...
Too Many Patients Having Heart Attacks Still Wait
More than Two Hours to Go to the Hospital
Long delays between
developing heart attack symptoms and going to hospital are common -
learn about heart attack warnings below this news report.
Nov. 8, 2010 - Long delays between developing symptoms and going to the
hospital are common among patients with a certain type of heart attack,
and this lag time – deadly in some cases - has not improved in years,
according to a report in the November 8 issue of Archives of Internal
Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Read more...
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