Stroke Associated With Decline in Cognitive Function
Stroke Associated With Decline in Cognitive Function In a study that included nearly 24,000 participants, those who experienced a stroke had an acute decline in cognitive function and also accelerated and persistent cognitive decline over 6 years, according to an article in JAMA. Each year, approximately 795,000 U.S. residents experience a stroke. In 2010, almost 7 million adults were stroke survivors. Cognitive decline is a major cause of disability in stroke survivors. Deborah A. Levine, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Michigan Medical School and Ann Arbor VA Health System, and colleagues examined the changes in cognitive function among survivors of stroke. The study included 23,572 U.S. participants 45 years or older without cognitive impairment at study entry (2003-2007), and followed up through March 2013. Over 6.1 years, 515 participants survived a stroke and 23,057 remained stroke free. The researchers found that stroke survivors had a significantly faster rate of cognitive impairment after stroke compared with the pre-stroke rate, controlling for the odds of developing cognitive impairment before or acutely after the event. Stroke was associated with accelerated and persistent declines in cognition and function. The authors noted that “as adults increasingly survive stroke, cases of post-stroke cognitive impairment will multiply. Given that post-stroke cognitive impairment increases mortality, morbidity, and health care costs, health systems and payers will need to develop cost-effective systems of care that will best manage the long-term needs and cognitive problems of this increasing and vulnerable stroke survivor population.Û
Low Scores on Memory and Thinking Tests May Signal AlzheimerÛªs Earlier than Thought
Low Scores on Memory and Thinking Tests May Signal AlzheimerÛªs Earlier than Thought A study suggests that errors on memory and thinking tests may signal AlzheimerÛªs up to 18 years before the disease can be diagnosed. The research was published in the online issue of Neurologyå¨, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ÛÏThe changes in thinking and memory that precede obvious symptoms of AlzheimerÛªs disease begin decades before,Û said study author Kumar B. Rajan, PhD, with Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. ÛÏWhile we cannot currently detect such changes in individuals at risk, we were able to observe them among a group of individuals who eventually developed dementia due to AlzheimerÛªs.Û For the study, 2,125 European-American and African-American people from Chicago with an average age of 73 without AlzheimerÛªs disease were given tests of memory and thinking skills every three years for 18 years. Twenty-three percent of African-Americans and 17 percent of European-Americans developed AlzheimerÛªs disease during the study. Those who scored lower overall on the memory and thinking tests had an increased risk of developing the disease. During the first year of the study, people with lower test scores were about 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with AlzheimerÛªs disease than people with higher scores. Based on tests completed 13 to 18 years before the final assessments took place, one unit lower in performance of the standardized cognitive test score was associated with an 85 percent greater risk of future dementia. ÛÏA general current concept is that in development of AlzheimerÛªs disease, certain physical and biologic changes precede memory and thinking impairment. If this is so, then these underlying processes may have a very long duration. Efforts to successfully prevent the disease may well require a better understanding of these processes near middle age,Û Rajan said. I’m not exactly sure how you “prepare” for memory and thinking tests so that you score better and perhaps reduce your risk. A study like this, which needs further study (don’t they all) just serves to scare more people than help I think.
Two-thirds of Americans Overweight or Obese
Two-thirds of Americans Overweight or Obese New estimates suggest that more than two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine. Overweight and obesity are associated with a variety of chronic health conditions, which could potentially be avoided by preventing weight gain and obesity. Graham A. Colditz, M.D., Dr.P.H., and Lin Yang, Ph.D., of the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2012 to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity. They collected data for 15,208 men and women 25 or older, a sample that was representative of more than 188 million people. The study, which was reported in a research letter, estimates that 39.96 percent of men (36.3 million) and 29.74 percent of women (almost 28.9 million) were overweight and 35.04 percent of men (31.8 million) and 36.84 percent of women (nearly 35.8 million) were obese. åÊ
Tablet Computers Most Effective for Seniors in Bridging Digital Divide
Tablet Computers Most Effective for Seniors in Bridging Digital Divide New Michigan State University research has found that the use of tablets does make it easier to bridge the “digital divide”, breaking down some of the barriers that keep seniors from getting connected. In addition to being smaller, lighter and more portable, tablets allow people to maneuver online without having to move and click a mouse. ÛÏThe dexterity required to control a mouse is really hard for some older adults,Û said Shelia Cotten, an MSU professor of media and information who led the research. ÛÏA certain level of muscle control is needed. And some older adults have shaking issues, in addition to muscle-control issues in their hands and arms.Û Cotten also said that in most cases, tablets are just easier to use, especially for people who donÛªt have a lot of computer experience. ÛÏFor the most part they are pretty easy to operate,Û she said. ÛÏYou donÛªt have to click on 12 different things to do what you want to do. It helps to ease their tech anxiety.Û The researchers also found that when an elderly personÛªs family recommended a certain type of tablet and helped them learn how to use it, that contributed to their computer-use confidence as well. They learned how to use tablets by watching others use them and also by playing around on the tablets themselves. ItÛªs a fact that getting online can help the elderly feel more connected to family and friends, as well as providing them with useful information. ÛÏFor example, it allows them to be more proactive in their health care,Û Cotten said. ÛÏThey have access to health information, electronic medical records and so on.Û Last year, Cotten and colleagues published research that found Internet use among the elderly can help ward off depression. ÛÏItÛªs all about older persons being able to communicate, to stay in contact with their social networks and just not feel lonely,Û she said.Û Cotten said tablets will be increasingly used by older adults, noting the recent announcement of collaboration between Apple, IBM and Japan Post to disseminate 5 million tailored iPads to older adults in Japan. Vitamin D Supplementation Not Associated with Lower Blood Pressure (Video)
Vitamin D Supplementation Not Associated with Lower Blood Pressure (Video)
