Latest Senior Health News

18Dec
2020

COVID-19 Is Far More Lethal, Damaging Than Flu, Data Shows

COVID-19 Is Far More Lethal, Damaging Than Flu, Data ShowsFRIDAY, Dec. 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- COVID-19 is far more harmful and deadly than the seasonal flu, new studies confirm.Researchers analyzed U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs data on more than 3,600 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between Feb. 1 and June 17 of this year, and more than 12,600 hospitalized with the flu between Jan. 1, 2017 and Dec. 31, 2019. The average age of patients in both groups was 69.The death rate among COVID-19 patients was 18.5%, while it was 5.3% for those with the flu. Those with COVID were nearly five times more likely to die than flu patients, according to the study published online Dec. 15 in the BMJ. COVID-19 patients with the highest risk of death included those aged 75 and older who also had chronic kidney disease or dementia, and Blacks who...

High Blood Pressure in Middle Age Can Harm Your Brain

15 December 2020
High Blood Pressure in Middle Age Can Harm Your BrainTUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- High blood pressure can begin to take a toll on memory and thinking skills as early as middle age, new Brazilian research warns.And you won't be spared simply by keeping high blood pressure at bay until you hit your golden years, because the study found that even those who hadn't developed high blood pressure until becoming seniors still experienced a faster decline in thinking skills than those who continued to remain heart-healthy in their golden years."As a practical matter, this suggests that we must prevent hypertension at any age in order to avoid its deleterious effect on cognitive [thinking] decline," said study author Dr. Sandhi Barreto, a professor of medicine at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte,...

Body Temperature Higher in Patients With Rheumatoid...

15 December 2020
Body Temperature Higher in Patients With Rheumatoid ArthritisTUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Rheumatoid arthritis patients who are in remission have significantly higher body temperatures than people without the joint disease, new research shows.The study included 32 rheumatoid arthritis patients who were in remission and a healthy "control" group of 51 people without rheumatoid arthritis, who all had thermal scans of different areas of their feet."These tests demonstrated a significant difference in temperatures in all the regions of the forefoot between rheumatoid arthritis patients in remission and healthy patients. This provides the basis of future studies to assess whether thermographic patterns change with disease activity," said study leader Alfred Gatt. He's a visiting fellow at Staffordshire University's Center for...

High-Dose Vitamin D Won't Prevent Seniors' Falls: Study

11 December 2020
High-Dose Vitamin D Won`t Prevent Seniors` Falls: StudyFRIDAY, Dec. 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- High doses of vitamin D may increase seniors' risk of falls, rather than reduce it, according to a new study.Preliminary studies suggested vitamin D may increase muscle strength and improve balance, so Johns Hopkins researchers investigated whether high doses of vitamin D might reduce the risk of falls in people aged 70 and older.But the investigators found that large doses of vitamin D supplements were no better at preventing falls in this age group than a low dose."There's no benefit of higher doses but several signals of potential harm," study author Dr. Lawrence Appel said in a Hopkins news release."A lot of people think if a little bit is helpful, a lot will be better. But for some vitamins, high-dose supplements pose more risks than...

329 Americans Are Injured by Guns Every Day: Study

11 December 2020
329 Americans Are Injured by Guns Every Day: StudyFRIDAY, Dec. 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Firearm injury is a major health crisis in the United States and new research sheds more light on how many of those who are injured survive and the circumstances of their shootings.For the study, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University analyzed nationwide data from death certificates and emergency room visits.Between 2009 and 2017, the United States recorded an average of nearly 85,700 ER visits a year for nonfatal firearm injuries and an annual average of more 34,500 deaths. Overall, that added up to an annual average of just over 120,200 firearm injuries -- or 329 per day.The researchers divided injuries and deaths into five categories: unintentional, self-harm, assault, legal intervention, or of undetermined...
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