Review of elderly on statins needed
ELDERLY patients on statins should be frequently reassessed due to an increased risk of myopathy and other adverse events, experts believe.
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elderly
The following articles have the tag elderly
Frailty increased in elderly on statins
ELDERLY patients on statins should be frequently reassessed due to an increased risk of myopathy and other adverse events, experts believe.
Chewing ability a test for dementia
THE ability to bite into an apple may be taken as a sign that an elderly person is less likely to experience dementia, researchers say.
Specialist ‘access block’ causing elderly ED visits
ELDERLY patients with low clinical urgency are turning to hospital emergency departments to bypass a perceived block to primary or specialist care, research highlights.
The young shouldn’t have all the fun, oldies want to be gamers too
ELDERLY people are open to the idea of integrating video games into their daily lives to boost brain power and keep active, research shows.
Gout cases highest down under
GOUT cases are on the rise in Australia, where the prevalence of the condition in elderly males is the second highest in the world, according to a systematic review.
Tricyclic antidepressants safer in the elderly
TRICYCLICS are the safest class of antidepressants for older people with depression, UK researchers have found after analysing a large general practice database.
Palliative care in hospital a ‘waste of money’
THE majority of elderly Australians spend their final days in a hospital, but that’s just “bad care” and a waste of money, according to an editorial in the Medical Journal of Australia . The editorial pointed to a WA-based study that showed of 1000 elderly patients living in the community with a condition “amenable to palliative care”, all but 4% spent some time in hospital during their final year of life. Seventy per cent had at least one emergency presentation during the year, while almost two-thirds (61.5%) were in hospital the day they died. “Palliative ...
Five tips to keep patients hydrated
Sunshine, sweating and air-conditioning in summer, and wind and heating in winter, can cause fluid loss in children, the elderly and athletes. Here are five tips to prevent dehydration. 1. Keeping children cool in the summer months Children’s temperature regulation and sweat glands are still developing, so they are more likely to overheat.1 Kids aged 4–18 need about 1.4–1.9 litres of fluids a day depending on gender.2 Water is best, but if they are playing sport outside on a hot day, an electrolyte sports drink will provide energy, fluids, sodium and potassium which is lost through ...
Low zinc levels linked to risk of pneumonia in the elderly
ELDERLY patients with low serum zinc levels are more likely to develop pneumonia, researchers have found. A US observational study of 600 elderly residents from 33 nursing homes found those with normal serum zinc levels were about 50% less likely to develop pneumonia. They also had shorter bouts of pneumonia, less antibiotic use and lower mortality rates compared with residents with lower zinc levels. But the authors also found that a high proportion of the residents had abnormally low zinc concentrations at baseline. Zinc supplementation in deficient elderly patients could be an important, low-cost intervention ...
Risks may outweigh benefits of elderly antipsychotic use
NEW Australian research may have tipped the scales against prescribing antipsychotics for the elderly, with researchers saying the risks may have overtaken the benefits. As concern continues to mount over rising atypical antipsychotic use in Australia, an analysis has found substantial increases in hip fractures and pneumonia in the first 12 weeks of treatment in over-65s. For every 2-4 people who benefited from atypical antipsychotics, one would be hospitalised with pneumonia, said lead author Nicole Pratt, senior research fellow at the University of South Australia’s Sansom Institute. And for every 5-13 patients who benefited, one would be ...
The dark side of energy-efficient light bulbs
WHILE energy-efficient light bulbs are a positive step in reducing household carbon emissions, their widespread use may actually be endangering the health of elderly Australians. Professor Stephen Dain (PhD), an optometrist from the University of NSW, says people older than 65 face an increased risk of vision problems and greater risk of falls due to the widespread adoption of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). A recent study conducted by Professor Dain and colleagues found as many as two-thirds of CFLs failed to meet their advertised intensity of light. The researchers tested 33 CFLs of different brands and ...
Hip fractures escalate risk of premature death in elderly
ELDERLY people who fracture their hip have an increased risk of dying from any cause for up to 10 years afterwards, a meta-analysis shows. A review of 25 cohort studies assessing post-hip fracture survival in people older than 50 years – including one study from Dubbo, NSW – found that the risk of death was markedly increased in the first three months after the fracture. In women, the increased risk was nearly six-fold and in men it was nearly eight-fold compared to people of the same age with no fracture. Importantly, the excess mortality risk persisted ...
Swine flu: still a looming threat?
Was the threat of swine flu over-estimated, and do we really need to vaccinate everyone now? Rada Rouse reports. HYPE or hoax? Whatever the swine flu pandemic was, a lot of people believe it was never a deadly threat. Earlier this year, the chair of the Council of Europe’s health committee, Dr Wolfgang Wodarg, forced an inquiry into the continent’s multibillion dollar expenditure on swine flu vaccine, saying governments had been hoodwinked by pharmaceutical companies wanting to make big bucks. Worse, he accused the WHO of being in cahoots with Big Pharma ...
Anaemia and mortality risk in the elderly
THE Leiden 85-plus study is a study of elderly residents of Leiden in the Netherlands. It enrolled 562 people who had their 85th birthday between 1997 and 1999 and followed them up annually for five years. At each visit the participants had a blood test. This revealed the prevalence of anaemia in the community. A low initial haemoglobin concentration was found in 150 people, mostly men and those living in residential care. People with anaemia had problems with the activities of daily living, and had lower scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination. These findings remained significant ...
Gaming toy has serious medical application
THE Nintendo Wii Balance Board might have started life as the latest tech toy, but Australian researchers say it might have a serious role to play in assessing and preventing falls. Researchers from the University of Melbourne compared balance assessments using a Wii Balance Board with data on the same volunteers collected with a laboratory force metal plate system typically costing more than $20,000. The 30 volunteers performed a combination of single- and double-leg standing balance tests with eyes open or closed on two separate occasions on both measuring devices. Lead author Dr Ross Clark (PhD), ...
Doctor-shopping alert on fitness to drive
FITNESS-TO-DRIVE guidelines have once again been thrown into the spotlight, following an incident in North Queensland where an elderly man with dementia went ‘doctor-shopping’ until he was cleared as able to hold a licence. The incident prompted the Mackay Division of General Practice to send letters warning GPs about the practice, and division CEO Mr Christian Grieves voiced concerns it could become more prevalent as the population aged. A long-awaited Federal Government review of fitness-to-drive guidelines is expected to be released later this month, with consultation to follow. Adelaide GP Dr David Tye, a former RACGP ...
More elderly hospitalised for falls
THE number of elderly Australians hospitalised following a fall is rising. There was a 10% increase in fall-related hospitalisations among people aged 65 and over from 2003-04 to 2005-06, according to the latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. After adjusting for increasing numbers of elderly, this was still a greater than 5% increase, and occurred despite lower numbers of femur fractures due to falls. The majority of the injuries occurred in women, with one third classified as hip and thigh injuries and most cases resulting in at least one fracture. The ...
A stitch in time saves mind
LIKE many children of my generation, I grew up to the sound of clacking needles and the mutter of “knit one, purl one; knit one, purl one...” I thought it was a lost art until my son started high school and emerged from a home economics class with a mess of wool he claimed was destined to become a scarf. Well, I thought, at least the boys get to do it as well as the girls these days. And perhaps more of us should take it up. Research presented to an American Academy of Neurology meeting ...
A need for needles?
A new study questions the benefits of influenza immunisation for the elderly. Rada Rouse investigates. DEBATE over the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in the elderly has again flared, following the publication of a study that appears to challenge the foundation on which public health immunisation programs in Australia and other developed countries have been built. Washington epidemiologist Dr Michael L. Jackson recently demonstrated that, after adjusting for comorbidities, influenza vaccination did not reduce the rate of pneumonia in immunocompetent elderly people during the flu season ( The Lancet 2008;372:398-405 ). And it ...
Vaccinating frail elderly questioned
MORE evidence is needed to support the benefits of vaccinating the frail elderly, a leading geriatrician says. Professor Richard Lindley, professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Sydney, said most clinical trials excluded this population group, leaving unanswered questions about preventive health as the population aged. As people with co-morbidities were excluded from clinical trials, “we haven’t got good evidence in the really frail elderly about their immune response”, he said. Professor Lindley was due to tell the Public Health Association of Australia’s 11th National Immunisation Conference on the Gold Coast this week that, with ...
Intradermal flu vax promising
INTRADERMAL administration of the influenza vaccine in the elderly may produce superior immunogenicity compared with intramuscular injection, an Australian GP trial shows. A phase II study, using a new intradermal micro-injection needle with pre-filled syringe, suggested this could be the method of choice in the future, investigator Professor Robert Booy said. “With this system you can get reliable injection of product into the skin, and because the skin has highly reactive dendritic cells... they cause the production of higher levels of antibody than an injection given under the skin,” he said. The study, sponsored by Sanofi ...
Moderate exercise cuts AF risk in elderly
REGULAR walks at moderate pace may significantly reduce the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in elderly patients. US researchers have completed the first analyses of the relationship between undertaking regular light to moderate physical activities and its effect on AF incidence. Among more than 5400 adults aged 65 years or older, 1061 new-onset AF cases were identified over a 12-year period. Adults who engaged in moderate exercise such as walking had a 28% reduced risk of AF, compared to those who did not exercise. Increased exercise, walking distance and pace were also associated with a ...
Fall prevention in osteoporosis
Q: Is preventing a fall more important than drug therapy for older people with osteoporosis? A: Falls are an important risk factor for fracture among older people, in whom they cause 90% of hip fractures and 50% of vertebral fractures. 1 There are no data on the effect of fall-prevention strategies on fracture risk reduction. 2 However, studies have found that certain interventions reduce the incidence of falls, 2-4 and their use could feasibly prevent fractures. Falls often have many causes in older people. 5 It is important ...
Managing scabies
An elderly woman presents with pruritus and a rash during a hospital stay. CASE HISTORY A 72-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with a fractured neck of femur after a fall at home. The patient was admitted for insertion of a hip screw and rehabilitation. Two weeks later, she developed widespread, generalised pruritus interfering with sleep, and a rash, with sparing of the head and neck. On examination, there were multiple widespread papules, burrows and excoriations, mainly on the fingerwebs, hands, chest, wrists, elbows, back and around the ...
A common response to the cold
An elderly woman presents with burning, itching fingers during winter. CASE HISTORY AN 86-year-old Caucasian lady complained of tender, dark blue-violet lesions on her fingers. Her main symptom was a sensation of burning and itching. The lesions appeared during the winter months and resolved spontaneously within a few weeks. She had had them for years. On examination, she had violaceous macules and papules on an erythrocyanotic background on the fingers of both hands (pictured). She was otherwise well. In particular, she had no rash elsewhere, no fevers and no arthralgias. ...