People with multiple diseases have faster brain decline

A new research has found that multi-morbidity scores can help doctors understand their patients' overall prognosis and can help researchers identify risks 

faced by people with multiple chronic illnesses such as arthritis, diabetes or heart disease.
In fact, the study shows that people with higher multi-morbidity weighted index or MWI scores had a much faster decline in their thinking, and memory abilities than those with lower scores.
Even though most of the chronic conditions included in the index have no direct relationship to brain health, the higher a person's score, the faster they declined over a 140year period in their ability to recall words and do simple math.

Also, the study revealed that people with higher scores were no than twice as likely to die by suicide as those with lower scores and that they had the worse mental health related quality of life in general.
Assessing the total impact of a person's health conditions is important because 80% adults over the age of 65 have more than one conditions, and 53 % of all adults have more than one, says the researcher.

The research that they have done on the impacts of high MWI scores across groups of patients could also help guide care.

For instance, the finding that suicide risk rose sharply as MWI score rose could help clinicians think about which patients might be most in need of depression and suicide screening. As patients develop more conditions with age, physicians may want to monitor their mental health more closely, and offer appropriate lifestyle advice and treatment,

As clinicians, we're more likely to added suicide risk in people with known depression or other mental health or substance use issues, bit we may not automatically consider that those with more physical conditions only could also be at higher risk, he said.

Multi morbidity has several downstream consequences. Physical impairments are just the beginning. As conditions accumulate and physical functioning deteriorates, we've found this is closely linked to worse mental health, social health and eventually premature mortality.

Using scores clinically could also help providers ensure that patients with high scores receive care management services or other support to help them live their best life and keen on top of the tests, treatments and lifestyle changes that can help them  do so.

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BP pill has potential to slow down Alzheimer's

A high blood pressure drug has the potential to slow down Alzheimer's disease by improving the flow of blood to parts of the brain linked to memory, a study suggests.

Researchers found the drug nilvadipine increased blood flow to the brain's memory and learning centre among people with Alzheimer's without affecting other parts of the brain.

The findings indicate that the known decrease in cerebral blood flow in patients with Alzheimer's can be reversed in some regions.

However, an important question is whether this observed increase in cerebral blood flow translates to clinical benefits, the researchers said.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia.

The risk for the disease increases with age and the causes are largely unknown.

Previous research has shown that blood flow to the brain declines in early Alzheimer's disease.
Nilvadipine is a calcium channel blocker used to treat high blood pressure.

Researchers sought to discover whether nilvadipine could help treat Alzheimer's disease by comparing the use of nilvadipine and a placebo among people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

They randomly assigned 44 participants to receive either nilvadipine or a placebo for 6 months.

Neither researchers nor the participants knew who received the drug or the placebo that was evenly divided among the 2 groups.

At the study's start after 6 months, researchers measured blood flow to specific regions of the brain using a unique magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique.

Results showed that blood flow to the hippocampus- the brain's memory and learning center-increased by 20 % among the nilvadipine group compared to the placebo group.

Blood flow to other regions of the brain was unchanged in both groups.

This high BP treatment holds promise as it doesn't appear to decrease blood flow to the brain, which could cause more harm than benefit, said an associate Prof.

Even though no medical treatment is without risk, getting treatment for high BP could be important to maintain brain health in patients with Alzheimer's disease, said the Prof.

Researchers note that sample sizes were too small and follow-up time too short to reliably study the effects of this cerebral blood flow increase on structural brain measures and cognitive measures.

Study participants were screened between 2013 and 2015 as part of a larger research project comparing nilvadipine to placebo among more than 500 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

In that larger project, effects on cerebral blood flow were not measured . Overall, no clinical benefit was noted with the use of nilvadipine.

However, a subgroup of patients with only mild symptoms of disease did show benefit, in the sense of a slower decline in memory.

Previous studies have hinted high blood pressure could reduce the risk of developing dementia.

The researchers think that beneficial effects on brain  blood flow could explain part of this effect.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                      FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                     https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

A high blood pressure drug has the potential to slow down Alzheimer's disease by improving the flow of blood to parts of the brain linked to memory, a study suggests.

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/bp-pill-has-potential-to-slow-down-alzheimers-study-741185.html

A high blood pressure drug has the potential to slow down Alzheimer's disease by improving the flow of blood to parts of the brain linked to memory, a study suggests.

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/bp-pill-has-potential-to-slow-down-alzheimers-study-741185.html

Drinking orange juice could slash risk of dementia by 50 per cent

A new study now suggests that drinking a glass of orange juice every day could significantly lower one’s risk of getting dementia.

Researchers tracked almost 28,000 men for two decades to examine how their fruit and vegetable consumption affected their brain power.

Study found men who drank a small glass of orange juice were 47 per cent less likely to have difficulty remembering, following instructions or navigating familiar areas.

Lapses in memory, understanding and episodes of confusion can be early signs of brain decline which can ultimately lead to life-threatening dementia.

While there is no cure for the condition, scientists have been trying to find a cure for the memory-robbing disorder for years.

This new evidence reiterates the importance of a healthy diet in staving off the degeneration of the brain which comes with old age.

Lead study author  said long-term intake of veg, fruit and orange juice 'may be beneficial' for maintaining cognitive function.

Participants in the study answered questionnaires about what they ate every four years.

Overall, 6.6 percent of men who ate the most veg developed poor cognitive function and performed badly on the tests, compared with 7.9 percent of men who ate the least.

Fruit consumption, overall, didn't appear to influence the risk of moderate cognitive problems but drinking orange juice did, according to the research published .  

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                             https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                       FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com