The latest in Dementia

Mental 'exercise' linked to faster dementia progression

2010-09-01T22:31:43Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While staying mentally active in old age has been linked to a delayed onset of dementia, seniors who engage in such brain "exercise" may actually have a faster rate of decline once Alzheimer's is diagnosed, researchers reported Wednesday. The findings, published online in the journal Neurology, do not mean that a mentally stimulating lifestyle is a bad thing. Instead, t...

Spinal-fluid biomarkers accurately predict Alzheimer's: study

2010-08-10T05:15:22Z

Alzheimer's disease can be predicted with up to 100 percent accuracy several years before its onset using biomarkers found in spinal fluids, a study published Monday showed. Geert De Meyer of Ghent University in Belgium and colleagues in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) analyzed data from 114 older adults who were cognitively normal, 200 who had mild cogniti...

Sorting when early memory loss signals big threat

2010-08-09T11:45:09Z

Doctors cannot tell if Leif Utoft Bollesen's mild memory loss will remain an annoyance or worsen, but experimental checks of the man's aging brain may offer clues. About 1 million Americans a year begin a mental slide called mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, with forgetfulness that is somewhere between healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease. Now this gray zone is undergoing an evolution, with growing study of techniques to help predict whic...

Educated people cope better with dementia

2010-07-26T04:15:14Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Educated people are better able to cope with the physical effects of dementia, and even one extra year of education can significantly cut the risk of developing the brain-wasting disease, scientists said on Monday. The findings by scientists from Britain and Finland could have important implications ...

Early diagnosis can cut Alzheimer's costs: study

2010-07-14T16:16:38Z

HONOLULU (Reuters) - Identifying dementia early can cut the cost of care by nearly 30 percent, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday, a finding that may reduce the heavy financial burden of the disease on the health care system. They said routine screening that identified patients with early signs of dementia helped cut average healthcare costs by nearly $2,000 per patient in th...

Police: 3 locked demented woman in room for months

2010-05-28T11:16:44Z

Police: 3 locked Ind. woman with dementia in tiny room for months to steal her monthly checks

Police in Indiana say three people kept a 65-year-old woman with dementia locked in a tiny room for months while they lived off of her monthly checks. Police in the city of Anderson freed Anna Turner on Thursday from the 8-foot-by-6-foot utility room where she was forced to...

Scientists find clues in search for dementia drugs

2010-05-06T12:17:18Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have identified changes in mouse brains that impair learning, and say the findings mean drugs being developed for some cancers may also help fight age-related diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's. German researchers studying mice at difference ages found that older mice had changes in proteins regulating the genes in their brains -- specifically in a process called histone H4K12 acetylation ...

Dementia boosts risk in spouse too: study

2010-05-05T11:16:33Z

Older adults whose spouses have dementia are on average six times more likely to develop the condition than seniors whose partners are not afflicted, according to a study released Wednesday. The danger is several-fold higher for men than women, found the study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Dementia is not a disease, but covers a group of symptoms -- including memory loss,...

Vision problems linked to higher dementia risk

2010-04-16T06:59:16Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Elderly adults with poor vision, particularly untreated vision problems, may have a higher risk of developing dementia than those with better vision, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among 625 older Americans with initially normal cognition, those who said they had poor vision even with corrective lenses were more likely to develop dementia over the next 8.5 years. During the study p...

Feeding tubes may be overused in demented patients

2010-06-11T21:24:48Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Whether or not a person with advanced dementia winds up with a feeding tube inserted down their throat may have more to do with economic concerns than his or her wishes, suggests a new study out in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association). In fact,

British dementia costs seen rising, research urged

2010-04-16T07:13:08Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Dementia costs Britain 23 billion pounds ($37 billion) a year, more than cancer and heart disease combined, and the number of sufferers is expected to rise nearly 20 percent to over a million by 2025, experts said Wednesday. A study for the Alzheimer's Research Trust...

Exercise protects and improves the aging brain

2010-04-16T07:36:40Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Two new studies provide more evidence that regular aerobic exercise not only staves off the problems with thinking and memory that often come with age, but it can actually help turn back the clock on brain aging. In one study, researchers found evidence that engaging in moderate physical activity such as brisk walking, swimming, or yoga in midlife or later may cut the risk of developing mild thi...

Diabetes ups risk of dementia for mildly impaired

2010-04-16T07:38:17Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Diabetes may hasten progression to dementia in older people with mild thinking impairment, new research shows. So-called mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, increases a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. But aside from a person's severity of mental impairment, there is currently no way to predict which peopl...

Report blasts dementia care failings

2010-04-16T07:38:51Z

Care for dementia patients is still not receiving the "urgency and priority" it needs almost a year after the government unveiled a national strategy, a spending watchdog said on Thursday. A lack of basic training and "patchy" joined-up working meant many older people faced unnecessary hospital stays or were put into care homes too early, the National Audit Office found. The highly critical report also said there w...

Common blood-pressure drug also combats dementia

2010-04-16T07:41:44Z

A widely-prescribed drug to tackle high blood pressure and heart disease also appears to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, according to a large US study published on Wednesday. US military veterans who took angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) were between 19 and 24 percent less likely to develop dementia over a four-year period compared wi...

Some blood pressure drugs may cut risk of dementia

2010-04-16T07:41:43Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Medicines commonly used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease may cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia, U.S. scientists said on Wednesday. Researchers from Boston found that older people taking a certain type of blood pressure medication known as angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) were significantly less likely to develop the b...

FDA warnings cut antipsychotic use 19 pct: study

2010-04-16T07:43:57Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Strong warnings about the dangers of giving antipsychotic drugs to patients with dementia have reduced use of the drugs in these patients by a "modest" 19 percent, U.S. researchers said on Monday. Studies have shown that using antipsychotic drugs shortens the lives of elderly patients with dementia. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) said. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh analyzed data in an eight-year randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial called t...

Ginkgo extract doesn't slow cognitive decline

2010-06-11T21:25:12Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The widely used herbal supplement Ginkgo biloba does not appear to slow the rate of cognitive decline in healthy older people or those with mild cognitive impairment, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. Their study involved 3,069 people age 72 or older from four U.S. communities who were tracked for an average of six years. Half of them took twi...

Alzheimer's may guard against cancer and vice versa

2010-04-16T08:09:23Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with Alzheimer's disease may be less apt to get cancer and people with cancer may be less apt to get Alzheimer's disease, new research hints. "Discovering the links between these two conditions may help us better understand both diseases and open up avenues for possible treatments," Dr. Catherine M. Roe of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that scientists in the northeastern state of CHICAGO (Reuters) - People who have higher levels of an appetite-suppressing hormone produced by fat cells may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease or dementia than others, U.S. researchers said Tuesday. They said people in a study who had the highest levels of leptin were far less likely to develop Alzheimer's ...

Dementia big threat for elderly in poorer nations

2010-04-16T08:50:56Z

* Dementia threat growing in low and middle income nations * Study says costs "enormous," will grow as populations age By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - Dementia is the biggest cause of disability in old people in poorer countries and the problem and its costs for society will grow rapidly as populations age, doctors said on Friday. British researchers studied 15,000 elderly people in seven low- and middle-income countrie...

Health issues in middle age can lead to dementia

2010-04-16T09:01:26Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who smoke or who have high blood pressure or diabetes in middle age are more likely to develop dementia, a new study has found. The good news is that people who take steps to curb these risk factors in their 50s and 60s might have a better shot at avoiding Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in their 70s and 80s. "People need to know that quitting smoking or controlling high b...

Dementia drug use linked to 1,800 patient deaths

2010-04-16T09:10:42Z

Health professionals have called for a change in the treatment of dementia patients after an official report warned that wrongly prescribed anti-psychotic medicines are causing the deaths of an estimated 1,800 each year. As many as 144,000 out of an estimated 180,000 people suffering from the disease are unnecessarily given powerful "chemical cosh" drugs, the Department of Health-ordered review reveal...

Dementia drug use linked to UK patient deaths

2010-04-16T09:10:42Z

British health professionals have called for a change in the treatment of dementia patients after an official report warned that wrongly prescribed anti-psychotic medicines are causing the deaths of an estimated 1,800 each year. As many as 144,000 out of an estimated 180,000 people suffering from the disease are unnecessarily given powerful "chemical cosh" drugs, the Department of Health-ordered revie...

BRAIN WORKOUTS

2010-04-16T09:11:32Z

BRAIN WORKOUTS

Can games prevent cognitive decline? Several companies think they might. Posit Science sells the Brain Fitness Program for PCs for $395, and there's Brain Age for Nintendo's DS handheld system (about $20 for the game, $130 for the device). The newest entrant is Dakim BrainFitness, which sells [m]Power Cognitive Fit...

Advanced dementia viewed as terminal illness

2010-04-16T09:50:18Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Advanced dementia is a terminal illness and should be viewed as such, researchers conclude in a report released Wednesday. Infections and eating problems are common and often herald the final states of life for these patients. Unfortunately, many of patients with advanced dementia suffer through burdensome medical interventions of questionable benefit as they approach the end-of-life. What they ...

NY socialite guilty of defrauding millionaire mother

2010-04-16T09:55:26Z

The son of millionaire philanthropist Brooke Astor was found guilty Thursday of defrauding his late mother while she suffered from dementia in New York's biggest society trial in years. Anthony Marshall, 85, was found guilty of stealing and conspiring to steal millions of dollars from Astor when the New York heiress and ch...

Coffee does little to protect the aging brain

2010-04-16T09:57:41Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Sorry coffee lovers -- downing a few cups of coffee throughout the day may spark alertness, but it's unlikely to protect the aging brain from mental decline or dementia, according to researchers from Finland. Some studies have suggested that coffee has a protective effect on brain function in old age, while others have not shown this association. One...

Millions with dementia "struggle to get support"

2010-04-16T10:03:22Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Millions of people suffering with dementia are often left without care or support until their illness reaches crisis point, according to a report on Thursday on the ethical dilemmas of the brain-wasting disease. The report by a British medical ethics group criticized health authorities for failing to take a broader view of dementia and called for more focus on easing the daily problems it poses for those...

Keeping the aging mind active cuts dementia risk

2010-06-12T04:28:45Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Elders who work crossword puzzles, play cards, partake in artistic and organizational activities, and attend movie or theater productions may halve their risk for dementia, report researchers from France. Over 4 years, dementia risk was 50 percent lower among community-living elders who reported such mentally stimulating activities at least twice weekl...

Problems managing money may foreshadow Alzheimer's

2010-04-16T10:12:23Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Problems with basic money management may serve as a sign that an older adult with mild memory impairment will soon progress to Alzheimer's disease, researchers reported Monday. The investigators found that among older adults with mild mental impairment, difficulty with routine financial tasks -- like balancing a checkbook or using a bank statement -- seemed to foretell a greater likelihood of pr...

As world population 'grays,' Alzheimer's cases soar: report

2010-04-16T10:12:41Z

Cases of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are expected to soar in the next few decades, due largely to a spike in cases in developing countries, a report said Monday. Usually, dementia affects the elderly, and as improved healthcare helps more people live longer, the world population has a greater proportion of older people and the challenges that come with that. Just under 36 million people will be living with dementia in 2010, an increase of around 12 million from how ma...

Report: 35 million-plus worldwide have dementia

2010-04-16T10:13:13Z

Report finds Alzheimer's, dementia afflict more than 35 million worldwide and rising rapidly

More than 35 million people around the world are living with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, says the most in-depth attempt yet to assess the brain-destroying illness — and it's an ominous forecast as the population grays. The new count is about 10 percent higher than what scientists had predicted just a few years ago, because earlier research underestimate...

More than 35 million globally have dementia: report

2010-04-16T10:13:12Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 35 million people globally will suffer from Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia in 2010, and few will get any treatment at all, according to a report released on Monday. The problem is worsening especially fast in low- and middle-income countries, where there are few facilities to diagnose or help dementia patients,

2010-04-16T10:23:20Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - How could something that feels so good - a long night's sleep - have negative consequences? Unfortunately, that is one possibility that results of a new study suggest: Older adults who sleep nine or more hours each day may have a higher risk of developing dementia than those who spend fewer hours in bed. Spanish researchers found that among nearly 3,300 older adults they followed for three years...

Infections may speed Alzheimer's memory loss

2010-04-16T10:26:24Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Catching a cold or the flu could speed memory loss in people with Alzheimer's disease, researchers reported Tuesday. In a study of patients with mild to severe Alzheimer's disease, they found that people who suffered acute or chronic infections, or even bumps and bruises from a fall, were much more likely to have high blood levels of a protein involved in inflammation and also experienced faster...

Dementia to quadruple in Australia by 2050: report

2010-04-16T10:33:31Z

Dementia rates in Australia will increase four-fold as the population ages, affecting more than one million people by 2050, with "dire consequences" for the health system, a report warned Tuesday. The forecast, prepared for the Alzheimer's Australia lobby group by consulting firm Access Economics, warned 2010 would signal the beginning of the trend, with t...

Moderate drinking late in life can ward off dementia: study

2010-08-11T12:24:13Z

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - Elderly people who drink light to moderate amounts of alcohol are less likely to develop dementia than teetotallers, an Australian study shows. The study, led by Dr. Kaarin Anstey of the Center for Mental Health Research at the Reuters Health) - Older adults in developing countries who regularly eat fish seem to have a lower risk of dementia, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among nearly 15,000 older adults living in China, India or one of five Latin American countries, the odds of having dementia generally declined as fish consumption rose. ...

Keep cholesterol in check to ward off dementia

2010-04-16T10:58:49Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High cholesterol levels in midlife -- even cholesterol levels considered only borderline elevated -- significantly increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease 30 years later, results of a large study indicate. "This is the first study, to our knowledge, to show that not only high cholesterol, but also borderline high cholesterol, is associated with dementia," Reuters Health) - A new study in Bronx seniors provides yet more evidence that keeping your brain active for fun can keep dementia at bay. Dr. Charles B. Hall of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York...

A crossword a day may keep memory loss at bay: study

2010-04-16T11:00:56Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Doing crossword puzzles, reading, and playing cards daily may delay the rapid memory decline that occurs if people develop dementia, according to a U.S. study. Researchers from New York's Albert ...

Caregiver closeness may slow Alzheimer's decline

2010-04-16T11:04:34Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Alzheimer's patients who have a close relationship with their caregivers show a slower decline in their mental and physical function over time, new research hints. In fact, the effect of having a close relationship with one's caregiver approached the impact of taking medications that can slow the progression of the disease, Dr. Maria Norton...

Dementia rates mostly stable in Europe

2010-04-16T11:20:31Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In the last two decades, most gender and age groups in Europe have shown little change in the rate of dementia, according to study findings presented Monday at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 Reuters Health) - Having one or two alcoholic drinks per day may help prevent dementia in the elderly, according to study findings presented Monday at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease ...

Middle-aged singletons at higher dementia risk: study

2010-04-16T11:31:44Z

People who live alone in middle age face nearly double the risk of developing cognitive problems in later life compared with married or cohabiting counterparts, according to a study published Friday. Researchers interviewed 2,000 people selected randomly in the Kuopio and Joensuu regions of eastern Finland in the 1970s and 80s, when their average age was 50.4 years. A total of 1,409 of the volunteers were then re-examined in 1998 for cognitiv...

Alzheimer's prognosis not dependent on race

2010-04-16T11:40:12Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Alzheimer's disease and milder forms of dementia are associated with an increased risk of death, but contrary to some earlier reports, the risks are similar for blacks and whites, according to findings in the Archives of Neurology. Whereas two national surveys have suggested that life expectancy in patients with Alzheimer's disease may be greater for African Americans than for whites, other stud...

Britain's Thatcher in hospital with broken arm

2010-04-16T11:50:29Z

Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher was kept in hospital for observation on Friday after breaking her arm in a fall, a spokesman said. The 83-year-old, who has suffered from dementia for a number of years, tripped at her London home and was taken to the Chel...

House Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing On Football Head Injuries

2010-03-30T15:21:56Z

WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 28: National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell (R) greets Pro Football Hall of Fame player Willie Woods (green cap) before a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee a...

UK News - January 20, 2009

2010-04-08T19:16:11Z

19.1.09: Collect picture of Dione Priddy with husband Mark when they retook their wedding vows after he was diagnosed. Now Mark is in a home with Dementia, aged 39

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Roy Wilson

2010-04-13T03:24:24Z

20090212; ON; News; GT2 -- A large note helps Roy Wilson, who suffers from dementia, remember his daily routine at his apartment in the Oakville Seniors Citizens Residence

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Gordie Howe at Baycrest Int Pro-Am Hockey Tournament presser

2010-04-15T17:02:11Z

20090402;ON;Sports;S1 -- Gordie Howe is comforted by son Marty at press conference yesterday to announce the Gordie and Colleen Howe Fund for Dementia Research

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