Alzheimer's disease

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Nursing Homes Misuse Meds to Control Patients

'Off label' antipsychotic use drives up costs, sparks concern

(Newser) - Understaffed US nursing homes are increasingly turning to antipsychotic drugs to control elderly residents, even though most display symptoms of dementia rather than the psychotic disorders the drugs are intended to treat, the Wall Street Journal reports. Such “off-label” usage defies FDA warnings that elderly patients using the drugs...

O'Connor Embraces Husband's New Flame

Retired justice supports Alzheimer's romance

(Newser) - Sandra Day O'Connor, who retired from the Supreme Court last year to care for her ailing husband, is now supporting his romance with another woman at the Alzheimer's center where they both live. In a poignant development experts say is common, John O'Connor no longer remembers his wife of 52...

Alzheimer's Less Prevalent Than Suspected

Study finds 10% of Americans over 71 afflicted

(Newser) - A new study estimates that 2.4 million people, or 9.7% of Americans over age 71, have Alzheimer's disease, fewer than originally suspected. Unlike prior studies, which have focused on a small region or select cities, researchers assessed seniors in 42 states to arrive at the "best" estimates...

Education Staves Off Alzheimer's
Education Staves Off Alzheimer's
Oct 23, 2007 4:17 AM CDT

Education Staves Off Alzheimer's

But seems to speed progress of disease once it sets in

(Newser) - Higher levels of education help delay the onset of Alzheimer's, but once the disease takes hold, mental decline is faster among those with more schooling, researchers have found. Each year of  education is linked to a 2.5 month delay in accelerated memory loss, according to the study in Neurology....

Blood Test Predicts Alzheimer's
Blood Test Predicts Alzheimer's
Oct 15, 2007 3:24 AM CDT

Blood Test Predicts Alzheimer's

Breakthrough diagnosis could aid treatment

(Newser) - A new blood test not only diagnoses Alzheimer's, but it can predict with 91% accuracy who will suffer from the disease in the future, reports the San Jose Mercury News. The test, developed by San Francisco company Satoris, identifies the disease by detecting unusual activity in 18 proteins associated with...

'Conscientious' Folks Face Lower Risk of Alzheimer's

Dependability appears to reduce threat: study

(Newser) - "Conscientious" people appear to be less likely to get Alzheimer's, researchers have found. Participants whose personality tests pegged them as extremely self-disciplined, goal-oriented and dependable were 89% less likely to get Alzheimer's than those at the opposite end of the diligence spectrum, according to a new study in the...

Top 10 Incurable Diseases
Top 10 Incurable Diseases
Sep 14, 2007 10:21 AM CDT

Top 10 Incurable Diseases

Medicine marches on, leaving behind some ailments that defy understanding

(Newser) - Doctors have successfully performed a face transplant, but the cure for the common cold still eludes them. LiveScience ponders the diseases that got away.
  1. AIDS
  2. Alzheimer's disease
  3. The common cold

US Life Expectancy Hits Record
US Life Expectancy Hits Record
Sep 12, 2007 4:58 PM CDT

US Life Expectancy Hits Record

Americans expected to live almost 78 years, but country still places 42nd

(Newser) - Americans can expect to live longer than ever before, according to figures out today, thanks to falling rates of deaths from heart disease, cancer, and stroke. In 2005, US life expectancy increased to almost 78 years, the country’s highest number ever—but only 42nd in the world. The news...

Brits Approve Experiments on Human-Animal Embryos

Hybrids to be created for stem cell research

(Newser) - Controversial experiments with embryos that are part human, part animal will be approved by a British commission tomorrow, the Guardian reports. Researchers hope to create the hybrid embryos to extract stem cells for use in potential treatments of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, and possibly motor neuron problems and spinal cord...

Smoking Linked to Alzheimer's
Smoking Linked to Alzheimer's
Sep 3, 2007 4:21 AM CDT

Smoking Linked to Alzheimer's

Smoking 'rusts' blood vessels, researchers find

(Newser) - If lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease and social ostracism aren't enough, here's another good reason to stop smoking: a new study links smoking to Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The study, published in the journal Neurology, says that smoking alters the cells of arteries much the same way that metal rusts.

Heart Meds May Work Against Alzheimer's

Anti-cholesterol drugs appear to combat brain disease

(Newser) - The best medicine for Alzheimer's disease may be a heart drug, researchers say, and the discovery may shed light on the way the devastating disorder acts on the brain. Subjects taking popular statin-based cholesterol meds developed fewer protein deposits in their brains, reports Time, possibly confirming suspicions that Alzheimer’s...

Coffee May Stall Memory Loss in Women

Drink up, and maybe you won't forget where you set your cup down

(Newser) - The world’s most popular stimulant may slow age-related memory loss in older women, Reuters reports. Drinking three or more cups of coffee per day reduced verbal memory loss in French women aged 65 and up by 33% compared to women who drank a cup or less, researchers say. The...

Feds OK Alzheimer's Skin Patch
Feds OK Alzheimer's
Skin Patch
Jul 9, 2007 4:58 PM CDT

Feds OK Alzheimer's Skin Patch

New treatment gives patients, caregivers some peace of mind

(Newser) - A patch to treat symptoms of Alzheimer's disease cleared its final federal hurdle today, offering new hope to patients with the memory-sapping disorder—and the caretakers who worry about whether they're taking their meds. Exelon, which treats mild to moderate dementia, enters the bloodstream directly, regulating dosage and reducing the...

Drinking Slows Dementia
Drinking Slows Dementia
May 22, 2007 2:03 PM CDT

Drinking Slows Dementia

Add another item to list of alcohol-related miracles: It curbs cognitive decline

(Newser) - Score a victory for the nightcap: Booze may help halt dementia in the elderly, a new study suggests. The Italian research, published in the journal Neurology, concludes that a one-drink-a-day habit can slow the progression of dementia by 85% in those in people 65 and older who already show mild...

Research Gives Alzheimer's Patients Hope

New study suggests disease-related memory loss may be reversible

(Newser) - Alzheimer's patients may be able to recover some memory by using a combo of drugs and mental stimulation, a new study in the journal Nature concludes. Mice with an Alzheimer's-like condition were more likely to remember an electric shock if they had taken a drug stimulating brain-cell growth or lived...

Alzheimer's Patients Dying In Prescription Scandal

Sedatives shown to double death rates

(Newser) - Sedatives commonly prescribed to Alzheimer's and dementia patients are leading to their premature death, new research reported in the Guardian concludes.  The drugs, called neuroleptics, combat the diseases' more alarming symptoms, including agitation and hallucinations. Their widespread off-label use in the U.K.—where they're licensed only for...

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