Latest Senior Health News

22Dec
2020

First 10 Days After Hospital Discharge Especially Risky for COVID Survivors

First 10 Days After Hospital Discharge Especially Risky for COVID SurvivorsTUESDAY, Dec. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Being discharged from the hospital following a serious bout of COVID-19 is far from a clean bill of health, new research warns, and the risk of rehospitalization or death peaks early. In the study, more than one-quarter of such patients ended up back in the hospital or died in the weeks after discharge. The researchers tracked almost 2,200 U.S. veterans discharged at 132 VA hospitals this past spring and summer. All had been hospitalized for COVID-19, and their post-hospital experience was compared with 5,300 peers who had been released following hospitalization for either non-COVID-related pneumonia or heart failure.The findings showed that COVID-19 patients were 40% to 60% more likely to be rehospitalized or die within 10 days following...

Cataract Surgery in Infancy May Raise Glaucoma Risk in...

22 December 2020
Cataract Surgery in Infancy May Raise Glaucoma Risk in Childhood TUESDAY, Dec. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Infants who have cataract removal surgery are at increased risk for sight-threatening glaucoma later in childhood, researchers say. Glaucoma damages the optic nerve -- the connection between the eye and brain -- and can lead to vision loss. Fewer than 2,500 infants are born with a cataract (clouding of the eye's lens) each year in the United States. Surgery is used to remove the affected lens. Some infants receive a lens implant while others go without a lens and use a contact lenses (for one eye) or glasses (for two eyes) to help them focus properly.This long-term study included 110 children who were born with a cataract in one eye and had the cataract removed when they were aged 1-6 months. They were randomly assigned to receive an...

Older and Getting Surgery? Get Fit Beforehand

22 December 2020
Older and Getting Surgery? Get Fit BeforehandTHURSDAY, Dec. 24, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Getting fit before surgery can limit the amount of muscle older adults will lose during their recovery, researchers say.Strength training before a scheduled operation ("prehabilitation") helps counteract muscle wasting during bed rest after a procedure. But it needs to be a long-term, targeted exercise program to be effective, according to the new report.For the study, British researchers had a group of older adults lift weights four times over one week. But participants exercised one leg, and not the other.Participants then rested in bed for five days, which is the duration of a typical hospital stay for an older patient after surgery.The researchers expected that the exercised leg would have less muscle loss, but it was about the same in...

How Are 'Super Agers' Protected From Alzheimer's and...

21 December 2020
How Are `Super Agers` Protected From Alzheimer`s and Mental Decline?TUESDAY, Dec. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Some older folks are still sharp as tacks and dementia-free well into their 80s and beyond. Now German researchers have uncovered a possible reason why: Their genes may help them fend off protein build-up in the brain. The finding is based on a study of brain images of 94 participants, all aged 80 or older. They were characterized by the amount of tau protein tangles and beta-amyloid protein plaques found in their brains.Those who scored highest on memory tests — so-called "super agers" — had brain protein profiles similar to those of healthy folks who were much younger. In other words, they had very little build-up of tangles and plaques.But those who were aging normally and scored lower on memory tests had more tangles than younger...

How to Talk to Your Doctor About Arthritis Pain

20 December 2020
How to Talk to Your Doctor About Arthritis PainSUNDAY, Dec. 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) – Chronic pain can be excruciating, debilitating and hard to describe. Yet the best way to get the right treatment for the exact pain you're experiencing is to put those symptoms into words, so your doctor can pinpoint a diagnosis and help you find relief. The Arthritis Foundation created a guide with suggestions for communicating your discomfort. Included are questions ranging from, "What does the pain feel like?" to "How does the pain affect your life?" and specific details to share.When describing what the pain feels like, be as specific as possible. If you describe it as aching or dull, that may point to muscle strains or arthritis. A description of shooting, tingling or burning might point to nerve pain as the cause. Sharp or stabbing pain...
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