One in three older adults has Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia at the time of death. As the nation’s population ages, the number of people with the progressive neurological disorder could triple in the next 40 years, said a study published online Feb. 6 in Neurology.
via 1 in 3 Americans has dementia at time of death – amednews.com.
The study shows that in 2010, one in three adults age 20 and older (an estimated 79 million people) had prediabetes. In that condition, a person’s blood sugar level is higher than normal but is not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis, the CDC said.
Of those adults with prediabetes, only 11% were aware that they had the condition. Although that figure marks a slight improvement from 2005-06, when 7% of people reported knowing they had prediabetes, awareness of the condition is too low, researchers said.
People with prediabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those without the condition, according to the American Diabetes Assn. If action is taken early, however, risk of type 2 diabetes can be significantly reduced by losing weight and exercising moderately, the ADA said.
via Teaching adults about prediabetes an uphill battle – amednews.com.
Eat less. Move more. Good luck.
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased incidence of diastolic dysfunction, which may further raise their already high risk for congestive heart failure, a meta-analysis suggested.
Patients with RA have double the incidence of heart failure compared with the larger population, and this finding has prompted interest in determining the origins of heart failure in these patients.
Pilot ejected when small airplane dove near Chattanooga; body recovered – U.S. News.
EAA – EAA Experimenter – FAA’s Zodiac 601/650 Aircraft Report.
This post is for diehard underwriters only. How unusual is it for a pilot to be ejected from his/her aircraft while aloft? According to various news reports, the plane dove, the canopy came off, and the pilot ejected. The first link is to a short story covering the accident. The second link takes you to an eye-opening, well researched article on accidents involving the Zodiac 601. Plenty of information for the next phone call from a life insurance agent who asks,
“Why did you rate him $5.00 per thousand?”
Answer: He wasn’t wearing a seat belt and the plane he flies has a tendency to break apart while in flight.
An increasing number of parents are taking out life insurance policies on their college graduates in an effort to avoid being left tens of thousands of dollars in debt if their child dies and can’t repay the loans, The Financial Times reports.
via Parents to Students with Debt: ‘We’re Buying Insurance in Case You Die’.
Energy drinks may raise blood pressure and interfere with the heart’s electrical system, increasing the risk of sudden cardiac death, a meta-analysis found.
Conclusions: In this large cohort study, serum 25(OH)D concentrations were inversely associated with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. In particular, vitamin D deficiency [25(OH)D concentration
ISSUE: FDA is warning the public that azithromycin (Zithromax or Zmax) can cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the heart that may lead to a potentially fatal irregular heart rhythm. Patients at particular risk for developing this condition include those with known risk factors such as existing QT interval prolongation, low blood levels of potassium or magnesium, a slower than normal heart rate, or use of certain drugs used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias. FDA has issued a Drug Safety Communication today as a result of our review of a study by medical researchers as well as another study by a manufacturer of the drug that assessed the potential for azithromycin to cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the heart.
Patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder are more likely to develop insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome compared with those that are not diagnosed with the disorder, increasing their risk for developing cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
Ebrahimi and colleagues utilized VA electronic medical data to identify the incidence of insulin resistance (defined as triglyceride over HDL cholesterol ratio ≥3.8) and metabolic syndrome in 207,954 patients (mean age 60 years; 14.93% men).
via Patients with PTSD at risk for developing CVD, diabetes | Endocrinology.
Epidemiologic data suggest that individuals at all stages of CKD have a higher risk of developing cognitive disorders and dementia. This risk is generally explained by the high prevalence of both symptomatic and subclinical ischemic cerebrovascular lesions.
via Cognitive Disorders and Dementia in CKD: The Neglected Kidney-Brain Axis.
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