Category: Senior Health News

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 25, 2020 (HealthDay News) — New research out of France suggests that untreated sleep apnea could raise your odds for developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Evidence linking the two is based on a series of neurological assessments, brain scans and sleep analyses conducted between 2016 and 2018.

“This is further support of Alzheimer’s as a lifestyle chronic condition that results from a lifetime of experiences,” said George Perry, chairman of neurobiology at University of Texas at San Antonio, who reviewed the findings.

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 25, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Millions of Americans pop a low-dose aspirin each day to help ward off heart issues, but a new study finds that protection may not extend to dementia.

Although the anti-inflammatory effects of aspirin have been touted as protection against thinking and memory (or “cognitive”) problems from Alzheimer’s and other dementias, a large, randomized trial suggests aspirin won’t slow mental decline.

“The findings are very relevant to the care of older people and indicate that aspirin should not be prescribed solely on the basis of potential cognitive benefits,” said lead researcher Joanne Ryan, of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

WEDNESDAY, March 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Brain inflammation may be more of a factor in dementia than previously believed, a new British study suggests.

“We predicted the link between inflammation in the brain and the buildup of damaging proteins, but even we were surprised by how tightly these two problems mapped on to each other,” said co-author Thomas Cope of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge.

The findings could lead to new treatments for several types of dementia, his team said.

FRIDAY, March 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Certain combinations of cholesterol and blood pressure drugs may do more than help the heart — they might also lower a person’s risk of dementia, a new study finds.

The drugs in question include two common types of blood pressure medications — ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) — as well as cholesterol-lowering statins.

It’s long been known that keeping blood pressure and cholesterol under control is important for a healthy heart. But “this study tells us there might be certain combinations of drugs that have additional benefits for Alzheimer’s and other dementias beyond the management of those targeted conditions,” study co-author Douglas Barthold said in a University of Southern California news release.

THURSDAY, March 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Poor physical function, dementia and depression all raise seniors’ risk of death after a major operation and should be factored into their pre-surgery assessments, researchers say.

In a new study, investigators analyzed data on more than 1,300 U.S. patients, aged 66 and older, who had one of three types of major surgery (abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, coronary artery bypass graft or colectomy) between 1992 and 2014.

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Many U.S. primary care doctors worry they aren’t ready to care for the growing ranks of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease, a new report suggests.

In a Alzheimer’s Association survey, half of primary care doctors said the U.S. medical profession is unprepared for the coming surge in Alzheimer’s cases.

Right now, it’s estimated that more than 5 million Americans age 65 and older have the disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. That figure is expected to almost triple by 2050.

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, March 5, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Take a walk, weed your garden, go for a swim or dance — it could keep your brain from shrinking as you age, a new study suggests.

Being physically active may keep your brain four years younger than the rest of you, which might help prevent or slow the progression of dementias like Alzheimer’s disease, researchers say.

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, March 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Why are two out of three people struck by Alzheimer’s disease women?

That’s the question that drove journalist and author Maria Shriver to start the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM). The group is dedicated to raising awareness that women face a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and aims to fund women-based research for Alzheimer’s disease.

“Women’s research is way behind men’s research, and the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement sits there pushing. Because we can’t close the knowledge gap unless we do the research. And we can’t help women on the front lines of this disease without that research,” Shriver said at a WAM luncheon this week honoring new research grant recipients.

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Losing a spouse can be a heartbreaker, and new research suggests it’s also tough on the brain.

The study found that when a husband or wife dies, the surviving mate’s mental acuity could start to decline.

In fact, people who are widowed and have high levels of beta-amyloid plaque, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, appear to experience cognitive decline three times faster than similar people who have not lost a spouse, the researchers added.

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