Month: June 2013

Older diabetics who have a sharp drop in blood sugar may be more likely to develop dementia, a new study suggests. And low blood sugar may occur more often in those with dementia, the study also found. Diabetes medicines are used to lower blood sugar. Medicines must be kept in balance with what people eat. If they don’t eat enough or take too much medicine, they can get very low blood sugar. This is called hypoglycemia. It can lead to confusion, fainting or even a trip to the hospital. The new study included 783 adults with diabetes. They were in their 70s and did not have dementia when the study began. Researchers kept track of them for 12 years. In that time, nearly 8% had hypoglycemia at least once. Nearly 19% of people in the study developed dementia. People who had an episode of hypoglycemia were twice as likely as others to develop dementia later.

Three low-cost blood tests may help to predict flare-ups of a serious lung disease, a new study finds. The study focused on a medical database of 61,000 people. All had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disease is a combination of chronic (long-lasting) bronchitis and emphysema. The vast majority of COPD patients are smokers or ex-smokers. Some people with the disease have flare-ups. These are periods of more intense symptoms. People in the study were not having flare-ups at the time the study began. They were given blood tests that looked for 2 proteins: fibrinogen and C-reactive protein. Another test measured a type of white blood cell called leukocytes. People who had increased levels of all 3 were more likely to have frequent flare-ups during a follow-up period. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study.

Children who have had a concussion before may take a much longer time to get well after a second concussion, a new study finds. And the more recent the first concussion was, the longer the recovery time. The study included 280 children and young adults who came to a hospital emergency room with concussion symptoms. Their ages ranged from 11 to 22. About 60% were injured playing sports. Researchers kept track of them during recovery. Those who had a prior concussion took about 24 days to recover. That was twice as long as the average of 12 days for other patients. If the earlier concussion was in the last year, recovery took even longer — about 35 days. Average recovery was 28 days for those with 2 or more prior concussions. The journal Pediatrics published the study online. HealthDay News and USA Today wrote about it June 10.

An expert panel has recommended loosening restrictions on the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia). The panel based its advice on a new analysis of a study about the drug’s effect on heart attack risk. Avandia was a huge seller before researchers raised questions about its effects on heart health. One major study pooled results of 42 previous studies. It concluded that people taking Avandia had a higher risk of heart attack than people taking other diabetes drugs. A later study directly compared heart attack rates for people taking different diabetes drugs. That study found no increased risk with Avandia. But critics questioned how well it was done. In 2010, the FDA sharply restricted access to the drug. Both doctor and patient must acknowledge they know the risks and cannot lower blood sugar enough with other drugs. Prescriptions plummeted.

Older adults with one type of abnormal heart rhythm may be more likely to develop problems with memory and thinking, a study suggests. The study used information on 5,152 people in a long-term health study. All were age 65 and older when the study began. Each year, they took a 100-point test of memory and thinking ability. Researchers kept track of people for an average of 7 years. In that time, 552 developed a heart rhythm problem called atrial fibrillation. This condition involves the heart’s upper chambers, the atria. They beat fast and in a chaotic way instead of a regular pattern. Thinking and memory scores tended to fall faster for those with atrial fibrillation than for other people in the study. Test scores below 78 are linked with dementia. The average score for people with atrial fibrillation dropped below 78 at age 85.