About 30 per cent of people have reported some form of alcohol use disorder at some point in their life, including 17.8 per cent who abuse alcohol and 12.5 per cent who are alcohol-dependent, according to a new US study. In the study, doctors analysed data from interviews conducted between 2001 and 2002 with 43,093 [...]
Regulatory warnings regarding the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours appear to be associated with reductions in the number of antidepressant medication prescriptions among children and adolescents, according to a new report. In December 2003, the UK Committee on Safety of Medicines declared the risk-benefit profile of all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants (as [...]
Eating about 30 calories a day of dark chocolate was associated with a lowering of blood pressure, without weight gain or other adverse effects, according to a new study. Previous research has indicated that consumption of high amounts of cocoa-containing foods can lower blood pressure (BP), believed to be due to the action of the [...]
The Health Promotion and Care of Patients with Type II diabetes community pharmacy project was established by a Co-Operation and Working Together (CAWT) cross-border working group with senior pharmaceutical services representatives from the Southern and Western Health and Social Services Boards in Northern Ireland and the Health Services Executive (HSE) in the Republic. CAWT is [...]
Alcohol dependence is a major public health concern in Ireland today. Data from Health Statistics- Key Data on Health 2002, a report compiled by Eurostat, suggested that Ireland has the highest level of regular drinkers, with 51 per cent of the population being regular drinkers compared with an EU average of 25 per cent. On [...]
Most patients who have survived severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) make a good physical recovery, but they or their caregivers often report a decline in mental health, according to a new report. Severe Acute Respiratory syndrome (SARS) reached global epidemic stage in 2003. Previous investigations of the disease had focused on lung function, distance walked [...]
A leading doctor has warned colleagues to advise caution in prescribing the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) against influenza. His concern follows advice by the Japanese authorities in March 2007 against prescribing oseltamivir to adolescents after the separate suicides of two 14-year-olds who jumped to their deaths while taking the drug. So far, oseltamivir has been [...]
Taking the herbal product echinacea could reduce the chances of catching a cold by 58 per cent, according to a new review. The review found that echinacea could reduce the duration of colds by an average of 1.4 days. For the review, US-led researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 14 studies into the use of echinacea [...]
Giving mothers and children in developing countries twice the WHO recommended doses of vitamin A, as suggested by an international vitamin group, does not have a beneficial effect, including protection against Helicobacter pylori infection. According to background information supplied with the study, providing vitamin A supplementation in countries where there is a deficiency of the [...]
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