Geriatrics News and Research

RSS

Losing weight through calorie cutting won't lead to increased disability in older women

Unintentional weight loss in older adults often leads to frailty, a decline in physical function and even death.

8 May 2007

Hypertension drugs offer a double whammy

Researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in the U.S. suggest that some medications taken for high blood pressure may have other uses.

7 May 2007

One out of four people don't know they have hypertension

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, and renal failure, but one out of four people don't even know they have it.

2 May 2007

How your food is cooked may be as important to your health as the food itself

Researchers now know more about a new class of toxins that might soon become as important a risk factor for heart disease and metabolic disorders as trans fats.

25 Apr 2007

Steam, boil, stew for food preparation

How your food is cooked may be as important to your health as the food itself. Researchers now know more about a new class of toxins that might soon become as important a risk factor for heart disease and metabolic disorders as trans fats.

25 Apr 2007

Extended bed rest leads to substantial muscle deterioration in older adults

Extended bed rest – often necessary during hospitalization – leads to a substantial amount of muscle deterioration in older adults, researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) report in the April 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association .

25 Apr 2007

Low vitamin D levels linked to poor physical performance in older adults

Older adults who don't get enough vitamin D - either from their diets or exposure to the sun - may be at increased risk for poor physical performance and disability, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.

24 Apr 2007

Tai chi helps seniors avoid shingles

According to recent research the ancient Chinese martial art of Tai chi offers benefits beyond improving fitness and balance for older adults.

8 Apr 2007

Number of certified geriatricians in U.S. on the decline

The older population may soon be facing a medical care crisis as numbers of students studying geriatric medicine continue to decrease rapidly, say researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC).

5 Apr 2007

New way to identify which men need a second prostate biopsy

A researcher in the Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute and Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center has found a way to identify which men need a second prostate biopsy because they may be harboring life-threatening prostate cancer even though they were given a clean bill of health after their first biopsy.

22 Feb 2007

Despite aging U.S. population, few physicians specialize in treatment for the elderly

Even as the "population ages and more people ... need them ... geriatricians are in short supply," the New York Times reports.

19 Oct 2006

Older patients with atrial fibrillation have higher rates of major hemorrhage in the brain

Older patients with atrial fibrillation have higher rates of major hemorrhage in the brain whether or not they are using a common blood thinning therapy, according to a new study.

3 Aug 2006

Likelihood of hemorrhage on warfarin is relatively small

Older patients with atrial fibrillation have higher rates of major hemorrhage in the brain whether or not they are using a common blood thinning therapy, according to a new study.

2 Aug 2006

First study to demonstrate IVIg effective longer than a year

A purified mixture of human antibodies called intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) provides lasting benefits to patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to researchers at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

25 Jul 2006

Long, healthy life tends to run in some families

Long, healthy life tends to run in some families, and researchers on a project supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) want to learn more about the factors that contribute to it.

13 Jul 2006

External catheters reduce risk of urinary tract infection in men

It's one of the things about a hospital stay that men loathe, and that infectious bacteria love: the urinary catheter. Now, a new study shows that a less-unpleasant option for male hospital patients is also a much safer one.

3 Jul 2006

Study identified characteristics of caregivers that may increase symptoms in dementia patients

Troublesome symptoms that accompany dementia - including wandering, hallucinations and restlessness - may increase if the patients' caregivers are young, less educated, over-burdened or depressed.

23 May 2006

Unnecessary urinary catheters - study

A study of 1,586 hospitalized patients age 70 and older at two Ohio hospitals indicates that 24 percent were given medically unnecessary urinary catheters, according to investigators led by a researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

23 May 2006

Calorie counting may lessen the effects of aging

A lifelong habit of trimming just a few calories from the daily diet can do more than slim the waistline - a new study shows it may help lessen the effects of aging.

8 May 2006

Alcohol use, comorbidity, and mortality

Older men who drink as few as two drinks twice a week and also have diseases that could be worsened by alcohol or cause problems with medications taken while drinking alcohol have higher death rates, as compared to men who either drink less or may drink more but don't have such comorbidities.

11 Apr 2006