More and more dementia patients hospitalized

2011-11-16T14:31:05Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new analysis of elderly dementia patients has found that by 2050, between three and seven million may be hospitalized each year, up from just over one million a few years ago.

That's worrisome both because the health care system is already strained, researchers say, and because the aggressive care given in hospitals might not be the best option for those patient...

Most cases of dementia are not diagnosed: report

2011-09-13T07:30:13Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - About 28 million of the nearly 36 million people living with Alzheimer's and other dementias have not been diagnosed, robbing them from the benefit of treatments and the chance to have a say in their future care, according to a report released Tuesday.

It found that many people are not diagnosed with dementia until the disease...

Extra weight linked to dementia risk: study

2011-05-02T14:30:19Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Carrying around extra pounds during middle age was associated with a higher risk of dementia later in life in a new study that followed twins in Sweden for 30 years.

The research was not set up to prove that dementia was caused by the added weight, but Dr. Weili Xu, the study's lead author from ...

Scientists closing in on Alzheimer's tests

2011-01-18T13:30:26Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. researchers are closing in on tests that can detect biological signs of Alzheimer's disease, an advance that would improve diagnosis and help in the search for treatments for the mind-robbing disease.

A team at Eli Lilly and Co

Experts call for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's in Asia

2010-10-22T04:00:15Z

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Health authorities in Asia should diagnose Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients early so that drugs may be given to stabilize symptoms and relatives, or caregivers, can be better prepared, experts said on Friday.

AD is set to explode in Asia in coming decades wit...

Walking may keep brain from shrinking in old age

2010-10-13T16:30:27Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Walking at least six miles a week may be one thing people can do to keep their brains from shrinking and fight off dementia, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

A study of nearly 300 people in Pittsburgh who kept track of how much they walked each we...

Memory problems not a normal sign of aging: study

2010-09-15T17:02:44Z

CHICAGO (Reuters Life!) - Mild memory problems in older people are often excused as "senior moments," but a new study has found the same changes in the brain that cause severe dementia may also be responsible for those memory lapses.

The findings contradict a long-held notion that memory loss is a normal part of aging, the U.S. team ...

Men have more "senior moments" of memory loss than women

2010-09-06T18:20:19Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Lost the car keys? Forgot someone's name? Many elderly people suffer slight cognitive problems but men are more likely than women to suffer momentary memory lapse or senior moments, according to a U.S. study.

Researchers from the Mayo Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in Rochester

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...

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 mi...

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...

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 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 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 contro...

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.

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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 associatio...

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...

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...

"Long sleepers" show higher dementia risk

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...

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

More evidence that fish is brain food

2010-04-16T10:50:25Z

NEW YORK (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 ...

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 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 A...

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 ...

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, othe...

Seeing video firms up end-of-life care decisions

2010-04-16T11:58:31Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pictures beat words, at least when it comes to making advance care decisions. Older people who see a video of a person with advanced dementia, rather than hearing a verbal description, are more likely to say they would choose "comfort care" over life-extending treatment if they themselves developed dementia, new research shows.

Furthermore, those who see the video are less likely to change...

New tool can help predict Alzheimer's risks: study

2010-06-26T05:32:22Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. researchers have developed a checklist that can accurately predict whether a person over 65 is at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease within six years.

The checklist of risk factors like slowness of mind or movement predicted about half the cases of dementia that developed in a grou...

STOCKS NEWS UK SMALL-ReNeuron jumps on dementia hopes

2010-10-21T09:58:24Z

...

Wikileaks Berkeley

2010-12-14T22:31:11Z

Beverly Dove holds a sign as she speaks during a city council meeting in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010. The council in this famously liberal city is considering a resolution Tuesday night bestowing hero status on Pfc. Bradley Manning, the soldier at the center of the

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