Mediterranean diet and physical activity could prevent hospitalization-associated disability in older people
Hospitalized older people who do not follow a Mediterranean diet could benefit from a physical exercise program to prevent hospitalization-associated disability, that is, loss of skills in daily-life activities. Therefore, if the factor of following a Mediterranean diet is included among the variables assessed on the hospital admission of elderly patients, more precise and personalized […]
Dementia Tied to Fluctuations in Blood Lipids Over Time
Fluctuations in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in people 60 and older were tied to a higher risk of incident dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, a longitudinal study showed. Over a median follow-up of 12.9 years, participants in the highest quintile of total cholesterol variability versus the lowest quintile had a 19% increased risk of incident […]
Daily Low-Dose Aspirin Upped Incidence of Anemia in Older Adults
Daily low-dose aspirin increased incident anemia among otherwise healthy older adults, a secondary analysis of the randomized ASPREE trial showed. Over a median of 4.7 years, the incidence of anemia was 51.2 events per 1,000 person-years in the aspirin group compared with 42.9 events per 1,000 person-years in the placebo group (HR 1.20, 95% CI […]
Treating Early Hospitalization Blood Pressure Deemed a No-No for Patient Safety
For older people hospitalized with noncardiovascular diagnoses, intensive lowering of asymptomatic inpatient blood pressures (BPs) may constitute overtreatment and lead to harm, observational data suggested. U.S. veterans acutely treated for elevated systolic BP in the first 48 hours of hospitalization — without evidence of acute end organ damage — suffered more adverse events when counting […]
Older Men Still Overscreened for Prostate Cancer, Survey Says
Older men are being overscreened for prostate cancer, despite U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines against prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in men ages 70 and up, a survey study showed. Among a cohort of over 30,000 men, recent PSA screening rates were 55.3% for men ages 70 to 74, 52.1% for those ages 75 […]
Paxlovid May Lower Long COVID Risk, VA Study Suggests
Use of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) in older adults with risk factors for severe disease was associated with a roughly 25% lower risk of a post-COVID condition (PCC), a retrospective study of Veterans Affairs data showed. In the cohort of over 280,000 patients with a confirmed COVID case, 13% of those prescribed nirmatrelvir-ritonavir went on to develop […]
Take Risk Into Account Before Repeat Surveillance Colonoscopy, Study Says
A majority of older adults undergoing surveillance colonoscopy were invited to return for a subsequent colonoscopy, even when no significant polyps were detected and they had a limited life expectancy, a study using Medicare claims data found. Of nearly 10,000 adults 65 and up undergoing surveillance colonoscopy due to a prior polyp, colonoscopy turned up […]
First Treatment Approved for Rare Genetic Neurologic Disorder
The FDA approved trofinetide (Daybue), the first drug to treat adult and pediatric patients age 2 and older with Rett syndrome, drugmaker Acadia Pharmaceuticals announced Friday. “Now, for the first time after decades of clinical research, healthcare providers finally have a treatment option to address a range of core behavioral, communication, and physical symptoms for […]
Memory Decline Tied to Lifestyle Factors
Memory decline was slower for older adults who had a healthy lifestyle, even for people with high genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease, data from a Chinese study showed. People 60 and older who had at least four of six favorable lifestyle factors — healthy diet, exercise, social contact, cognitive activity, and no smoking or drinking […]
Older People With Type 2 Diabetes See Growing Cancer Burden
Older people with type 2 diabetes faced a higher burden of cancer mortality in recent years, according to a U.K. study. In a cohort of over 137,000 individuals with type 2 diabetes, all-cause mortality rates dropped among all age groups from 1998-2018, reported Suping Ling, PhD, of the University of Leicester in England, and colleagues. […]