Chronic Disease News and Research

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Helping seniors in times of trauma

As Hurricane Ivan pummels the U.S. Gulf Coast, Saint Louis University continues to study what we need to do to ensure Grandma’s safety in case of a disaster.

16 Sep 2004

Growing up in polluted towns and cities increases risk of lung health issues

Children who grow up in towns and cities with high pollution levels are at increased risk of lung health issues or low functioning lungs. New research suggests that pollutants from vehicle emissions and fossil fuels have an adverse effect on a child's lung development and can also lower childrens lifetime breathing capacity.

8 Sep 2004

More than one billion people will be over 60 years old by 2025

To help tackle the public health implications of ageing, the World Health Organization today launched Towards Age-Friendly Primary Health Care, new general principles that will serve as guidelines for community-based Primary Health Care (PHC) centres.

6 Sep 2004

First step in using gene therapy to treat glaucoma

Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated they can permanently transfer a functioning gene to targeted tissues within the eye.

2 Sep 2004

Friendly bacteria the key to ulcerative colitis treatment

Affecting an estimated fifty thousand people in the UK, with a particularly high incidence rate in north east Scotland, ulcerative colitis is an acute and chronic disease that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the lining of the large bowel.

17 Aug 2004

Rats as well as humans can become addicted to drugs

The voluntary consumption of drugs is a behavior found in a number of species of animal. But until now it was thought that drug-addiction was a specific behavior of humans.

13 Aug 2004

Clinical benefit for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis patients treated with Raptiva for 30 months

Genentech and XOMA have announced preliminary 30-month (120 weeks) results from an open-label study evaluating the safety and efficacy of long-term continuous treatment with RAPTIVA® (efalizumab) in adults with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis.

2 Aug 2004

Tablets which help recovering alcoholics stay off the drink

The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved Campral (acamprosate calcium) tablets which help recovering alcoholics to stay of the drink. Campral is manufactured by Forest Laboratories and Merck of Darmstadt, Germany.

29 Jul 2004

Botox for the treatment of severe underarm sweating

Botox, or botulinum toxin type A, is commonly known as a wrinkle treatment, but recently the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also approved it for the treatment of severe underarm sweating, a debilitating condition called primary axillary hyperhidrosis.

29 Jul 2004

New remote home care monitoring system

People who suffer from chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma and heart problems should benefit from a new remote, home care monitoring system that could also bring an end to overcrowded waiting rooms.

22 Jul 2004

Blacks receive transplants at disproportionately low rates

Black people in the United States have reduced access to many medical therapies and liver transplantation is one area where such disparity is suspected to exist.

15 Jul 2004

Adults with asthma may have an increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

According to a 20-year study published in the July issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), patients with asthma were 12 times more likely than nonasthmatics to develop COPD later in life.

13 Jul 2004

TUNA therapy results in significantly reduced erectile dysfunction

Comparing five-year results of Medtronic TUNA® Therapy (transurethral needle ablation) to surgery for 121 men in their mid-60s with lower urinary tract symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate, a team of urologists found that “for appropriately selected patients with bothersome voiding symptoms, TUNA is an attractive treatment option.”

1 Jul 2004

$1.6 million ecological stoichiometry grant to study how certain nutrients affect the development of disease in humans and animals

Two University of Kansas and four Arizona State University researchers have received an almost $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study how certain nutrients affect the development of disease in humans and animals.

29 Jun 2004

New Harvard website recommendations could help prevent over half of all chronic disease in the U.S.

Your Disease Risk offers users the chance to find out their risk of five of the most important diseases in the United States and get personalized tips for preventing them.

29 Jun 2004

Can ginger increase metabolic rate and improve circulation in the hands and feet?

A pilot trial to discover whether ginger root can increase metabolic rate and improve circulation in the hands and feet is getting under way at The University of Reading.

23 Jun 2004

Local NHS bodies show lack of vision

Primary Care Organisations, responsible for running the NHS at local level, have in some areas failed to grasp the opportunities given to them in the new national GP contract and displayed instead a timid short-termism, GP leader Dr John Chisholm told the annual conference of family doctors today.

17 Jun 2004

Serious deficiencies in the healthcare provision for people with arthritis / rheumatism

More than 100 million people in Europe are affected by arthritis / rheumatism, making it Europe’s most widespread chronic disease. The condition can have serious consequences, ranging from severe pain to loss of mobility, and delays in diagnosis and treatment have been shown to increase the risk of further joint damage.

15 Jun 2004

Better co-ordination needed to manage chronic diseases

A working party report released today calls for the co-ordinated management of chronic disease across primary and secondary care in the UK.

7 Jun 2004

Chronic diseases are the largest cause of death in the world

The rising global burden of chronic diseases needs a coordinated effort from policy makers, advocates and health professionals, according to a special communication in the June 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), a theme issue on Global Health.

1 Jun 2004