|
| Andhra Pradesh ~ India ~ International ~ City ~ Entertainment ~ Business ~ Bullion ~ Forex ~ Sports ~ Technology ~ Health ~ Features |
| Lung Cancer ~ Lung Cancer ~ Breast Cancer ~ Heart attack ~ All Health Topics |
|
Home
/ Health News / 2007 / November 2007 / November 6, 2007 Chest pains, high blood pressure speed up memory loss in Alzheimers patients |
Diabetic men have similar long-term mortality risks as males with heart disease
Childhood disease unlikely to have killed Travoltas son, say docs
Indian-origin researcher identifies gene that predicts heart attack risk
A special type of collagen may provide protection against Alzheimers disease
Author Terry Pratchett flabbergasted to receive knighthood
Structure of key breast cancer target enzyme unraveled
A researcher at Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute has moved a step closer to a cure, and possibly the prevention, of the most common type of breast cancer. ANI
Smoking claimed 673,000 Chinese lives in 2005
A multinational research team, led by scientists at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, has lent more force to the suggestion that smoking is a significant risk factor for mortality and disease. ANI
Genetic mutations can predict childhood leukaemia relapse
A collaborative study by American researchers has revealed that changes in a gene called IKAROS can help predict a high likelihood of relapse in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). ANI
A recent study has found that Alzheimers patients suffering from problems like high blood pressure, chest pains or irregular heart beat often tend to loose their memories faster in comparison to those with only the disease.
Washington, Nov 6 : A recent study has found that Alzheimer's patients suffering from problems like high blood pressure, chest pains or irregular heart beat often tend to loose their memories faster in comparison to those with only the disease.
The study, which was conducted at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. involved 135 elderly people with newly diagnosed Alzheimer's disease who had annual cognitive tests for an average of three years.
At the beginning of the study, 62 percent of the participants reported one or more of the following vascular factors: irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, chest pains, coronary artery bypass surgery, heart attack, diabetes, use of medications to treat high blood pressure, and stroke.
According to the study cognitive decline accelerate twice as fast among patients who reported high blood pressure at the time of the Alzheimer's diagnosis as compared to those Alzheimer's patients who did not have high blood pressure.
Irregular heartbeats and chest pains due to a lack of blood supply in the heart were also associated with a more rapid decline on cognitive tests.
The researchers also revealed that the Alzheimer's patients who had a history of heart bypass surgery, diabetes, or taking medications to treat high blood pressure had a slower rate of cognitive decline. "The good news is that vascular factors can be modified, so these results may suggest strategies for slowing the progression of Alzheimer's," said study author Michelle Mielke, PhD, with The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.
"Many studies suggest that vascular factors are associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease; these findings suggest that vascular factors also affect rate of cognitive and functional decline after a diagnosis and further research is clearly warranted.
He further said: "Our findings further suggest that medications used to treat high blood pressure may be important in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's once a person is diagnosed.
"However, the findings that show heart bypass surgery and diabetes are associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline are counterintuitive and more research is clearly needed before recommendations can be made."
The study is published in the November 6, 2007, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
ANI
