Health news 22nd June 2011

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Northerner

Northerner

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
High doses of statins could increase risk of diabetes
High doses of cholesterol-lowering pills can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers warn. They have found that patients taking intensive courses of statins were 12 per cent more likely to get the disease. But experts pointed out that that the risk was far outweighed by the substantial benefits ? the pills were shown to reduce the likelihood of heart attacks by 16 per cent. Diabetes UK Clinical Advisor Libby Dowling quoted.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2006604/Diabetes-High-doses-statins-increase-risk.html

Guidance advises same day hip operations for fractures
Patients with a broken hip should be offered surgery as soon as they are admitted to hospital, recommends new guidance that criticises current NHS waiting times in England. Currently, half of patients wait over 36 hours and some wait several days before hip surgery, and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence says this is too long.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13839070

People over 65 should drink less, a report says

Recommended safe limits for drinking alcohol by older people should be drastically cut, according to a report. The Royal College of Psychiatrists says people over 65 should drink a maximum of only 1.5 units of alcohol a day.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13863196

More new mothers are opting to breastfeed UK data shows

More new mothers are opting to try breastfeeding their babies, latest UK figures reveal. The NHS Information Centre data shows more than eight out of 10 newborns are now breastfed at least once after birth, up from six out of 10 in 1990.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13863887
 
I suspect the reason a number of old people drink to much is that they are either lonely and/or depressed. These are the things that need to be tackled rather than telling them to stick to no more than half-a-pint. Probably written by someone who is anti-alcohol!

Agree about the hip operations. It makes no sense to leave people. You never see documentarys where people arrive in an ambulance and are left. One of my mother's friends was left for five days and died a few days later. Linked - I think so!
 
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They're not telling anyone to do anything. It is a guideline that, on average, is worth sticking to for best health. Clearly, some people can tolerate more or less alcohol depending on their medical history.

Andy 🙂
 
I can think of one occasion when delaying an operation to fix a broken hip was essential - when an elderly Chilean man with type 2 diabetes fell onboard his cruise ship near South Georgia and had to be transferred to an HMS for the 3 day passage back to near enough to Falkland Islands for helicopter transfer. During the passage, a woman who happened to have type 1 diabetes, nursing experience and ability to speak Spanish proved quite useful to the RN doctor, the casualty and his wife - interpretting and applying skin traction, with the help of male medical assistant who shaved casualty's leg and ship's carpenter who rigged a pole to end of bed to hold weight borrowed from weight training machine.
 
StephenM said:
I suspect the reason a number of old people drink to much is that they are either lonely and/or depressed. These are the things that need to be tackled rather than telling them to stick to no more than half-a-pint. Probably written by someone who is anti-alcohol!

Agree about the hip operations. It makes no sense to leave people. You never see documentarys where people arrive in an ambulance and are left. One of my mother's friends was left for five days and died a few days later. Linked - I think so!
Click to expand...

My dear old dad, age 87, has always been a drinker. I remember way back when I was growing up as a teenager, he had a good job, good money, a nice home and everything that went with it. He still likes a drink, but I haven't seen him 'so bad' for a quite a while now. It's a big worry to me and I know it's not just getting older, there are lots of other things in life other than Alcohol, everyone has a choice at the end of the day.
I'm glad to say he is still here, and he will be 88 in a couple of months :D Sheena
 
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