http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. The UK's healthcare system faces unprecedented challenges. Britain is the most obese nation in Europe and the country's ageing population is especially at risk from isolation, depression, strokes and fractures caused by falls in the home. A pioneering new collaboration hopes to address these issues by developing a 24/7 digital home health assistant. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-high-tech-future-healthcare-digital-health.html Health Thu, 09 May 2013 04:26:11 EST news287292363 They identified blood-based biological markers that are associated with the build up of a toxic protein in the brain which occurs years before symptoms appear and irreversible brain damage has occurred. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-scientists-closer-screening-early-alzheimer.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Wed, 01 May 2013 08:22:40 EST news286615351 Due to its ageing population, the Netherlands is seeing an explosive growth in the number of dementia patients. This is expected to increase from 250,000 in 2013 to 500,000 in 2050. Cost cutting in the healthcare sector, together with a worsening shortage of care workers, means that solutions are needed if dementia sufferers are to be provided with good quality care. The University of Twente's eHealth Research Center is exploring the use of technological aids, like sensors, touch screens or games, to help such patients. PhD student Nienke Nijhof analysed the use of various tools in dementia sufferers. Ms Nijhof asserts that "Technology can offer patients safety and support. I attempted to determine whether the use of these tools might enable patients to live independently for longer. This could save the health service as much as 800 to 2800 euros per patient per month. I advocate the inclusion of technological aids in the health insurance package, to facilitate their large scale use." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-technology-dementia.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:46:24 EST news285929178 A ground-breaking trial that hopes to discover if a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure could slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) will begin shortly. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-common-blood-pressure-drug-alzheimer.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:20:01 EST news281624540 A study by Queen's University Belfast has found that the dispensing of psychotropic drugs to older people in Northern Ireland increases on entry to care homes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-psychotropic-drug-entry-homes.html Health Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:20:03 EST news280605304 Recent natural disasters illustrate vulnerability of older people: majority of deaths from the Great East Japan Earthquake (2011) and Hurricane Katrina (2005) occurred among older people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-highlights-impact-environmental-older-people.html Health Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:05:06 EST news278852700 A physiotherapy service based on initial telephone assessment has the ability to provide faster access to the service and cut waiting times, a study published today in BMJ suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-physiotherapy-equally-good-patient-results.html Health Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:30:01 EST news278676630 A major new report on joint commissioning in health and social care has found the perceived benefits of collaborative working, such as efficiency savings and improvements to services, often lagged behind the reality. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-benefits-joint-commissioning-lag-reality.html Other Wed, 09 Jan 2013 06:23:42 EST news276935013 Feeling lonely, as distinct from being/living alone, is linked to an increased risk of developing dementia in later life, indicates research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-lonely-linked-dementia-life.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:30:01 EST news274381812 Many people will be much poorer than they had expected in their older age and this has profound implications for the health of our ageing population claims an editorial published today in Age & Ageing, the scientific journal of the British Geriatrics Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-poverty-older-age-adverse-health.html Health Fri, 30 Nov 2012 10:33:00 EST news273493894 Taxpayers will be spending over $700m annually to treat Australia's most common skin cancers by the year 2015, with over-65s making up the bulk of patients, a new study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-skin-cancer-bill-skyrocket-australian.html Cancer Mon, 19 Nov 2012 08:40:02 EST news272533556 Improved home care resources for people with conditions such as dementia, who would prefer to die at home, are key to providing better end of life care and reducing the strain of the UK's ageing population on the NHS, according to researchers at King's College London. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-palliative-experts-home.html Health Tue, 25 Sep 2012 09:44:18 EST news267785051 (Medical Xpress)—The vast majority of the post-war baby boomers have had at least one medical condition requiring regular GP visits in the run-up to retirement, and just one in six was completely condition free, according to the latest findings from the UK's oldest birth cohort. Diseases affecting more than 10 per cent of those studied included cancer, osteoporosis, chronic respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-baby-boomers-doctor.html Health Fri, 21 Sep 2012 07:22:51 EST news267430964 A study has uncovered a growing drink problem among older people and researchers are now urging the Government to review its UK health strategy to support society's "invisible addicts". http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-unveils-hidden-alcohol-abuse-older.html Addiction Sat, 08 Sep 2012 05:24:07 EST news266300613 (Medical Xpress)—People aged 85 years and over have a high burden of respiratory disease, according to new findings from Newcastle University. The research has shed light on the health problems likely to be encountered by the ageing population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-high-respiratory-burden-ageing-population.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 04 Sep 2012 06:40:01 EST news265958460 A new treatment from a University of Queensland start-up company, Spinifex Pharmaceuticals, could bring hope to shingles sufferers experiencing nerve pain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-positive-news-shingles-pain.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:22:03 EST news265443710 Over recent decades, we have seen a growing tendency for including more single rooms in hospital ward design. Single rooms are often favoured by patients, are highly sought after and rarely empty.  Infection control guidelines mandate single rooms for patients who are infectious to others or immune-compromised, and the deeply ingrained cultural norms in hospitals result in nurses also lobbying for single rooms for particular patient groups, such as those who are dying. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-hospital-rooms-good-death.html Health Tue, 28 Aug 2012 07:06:32 EST news265356382 When an elderly person suffers a fall it is in their best interests that help arrives as soon as possible, and for this reason most elderly people wear some form of alarm system that lets them contact emergency services directly when the worst happens. Therefore, with an ever ageing population, taking care of the elderly is a huge societal challenge and a priority for the EU, particularly considering injuries suffered by the elderly put a huge burden on heathcare services. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-social-media-fall-prone-elderly.html Health Mon, 16 Jul 2012 04:59:28 EST news261633557 (Medical Xpress) -- A new study from the University of Reading has established that a prosthetic cornea made from human cells is the best model for testing how irritants and toxins cause eye injuries. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-cornea-resistant-chemical-injury.html Ophthalmology Mon, 28 May 2012 06:32:16 EST news257405520 The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), in cooperation with medical and patient societies from throughout Latin America, has today published a landmark report which compiles osteoporosis-related data on 14 countries and the region as a whole. The report shows that fragility fractures due to osteoporosis are predicted to more than double in some countries in the coming decades. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-fragility-fractures-latin-america.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 24 May 2012 12:05:21 EST news257079915 Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other types of dementia are most common in the very elderly, and are associated with huge health costs. With a rapidly ageing population throughout the world, factors that affect the risk of cognitive decline and dementia are of great importance. A review paper by Kim JW et al published in Psychiatry Investigation on the association between alcohol consumption and cognition in the elderly provides an excellent summary of the potential ways in which alcohol may affect cognitive function and the risk of dementia, both adversely and favourably as alcohol may have both a neuro toxic and neuro protective effect, depending on the dose and drinking pattern. Longitudinal and brain imaging studies in the elderly show that excessive alcohol consumption may increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction and dementia, but regular low to moderate alcohol intake may protect against cognitive decline and dementia and provide cardiovascular benefits. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-alcohol-intake-elderly-affects-cognitive.html Health Tue, 22 May 2012 10:48:40 EST news256902506 Barcelona, Spain: New research showing that almost half of 13,000 patients with head and neck cancers had other health-related problems at the same time is one of the presentations in a special session at the 31st conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 31) [1] today (Friday). The session will highlight the effect of the demographic time bomb caused by an increasingly ageing population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-cancer-elderly-demographic.html Cancer Fri, 11 May 2012 09:26:06 EST news255947153 (Medical Xpress) -- Scientists at University of Queensland's Brain Institute are one step closer to developing new therapies for treating dementia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-closer-dementia.html Neuroscience Thu, 10 May 2012 06:27:08 EST news255850017 A new technique involving the use of an artificial scaffold into which a patient's own stem cells are inserted, turning it into a fully functional organ, could offer a potential solution to the donor shortage crisis, according to the second paper in this week's Lancet Series on stem cells. This pioneering approach to regenerating and transplanting organs requires no human donors, has no problems with rejection, and has no need for immunosuppressive drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-potential-solution-donor-shortage.html Medical research Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:30:04 EST news250445974 The disco beat of 'Stayin' Alive' pulses through the room as Lennart Zetterqvist heaves dumbbells out to his side, zipping through the paces of a workout class with a twist: it's for seniors aged 90 and up. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-seniors-sweden-stayin-alive.html Health Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:30:03 EST news242885452 (Medical Xpress) -- Patients who monitor their own treatment with warfarin or other blood-thinning drugs reduce their risk of developing blood clots by half, an Oxford University study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-blood-clot-halved-patients-warfarin.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:50:10 EST news241952023 Productivity Commission recommendations to keep Australia's ageing population at home instead of in aged care facilities will put further pressure on informal, unpaid and mostly female carers, a University of Sydney professor in employment relations says. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-aged-overhaul-carers.html Health Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:50:04 EST news232019283 The post-war trend of falling birth rates has been reversed across Europe, according to a new study. However, despite an increasing emphasis on family and fertility policies in Europe, this recent development involves social, cultural and economic factors more than individual policy interventions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-fertility-europe-.html Health Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:57:54 EST news227530530