Older adults with low blood levels of vitamin D and high blood levels of parathyroid hormone have a higher risk of depression, according to a new report. The report followed a study by Dutch doctors of the connection between blood levels of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone and symptoms of depression among 1,282 community residents [...]
Physically active women are 25 per cent less likely to get breast cancer, but certain groups are more likely to see these benefits than others, new research has found. The type of activity undertaken, at what time in life, and the woman’s body mass index (BMI) will determine how protective the activity is against the [...]
The expression ‘medical model’ is often used as a term of disparagement. This particular phrase is thrown about with abandon and is sometimes used as a professional attack, with the aim appearing to be to discount an approach to patients by doctors that is perceived to be narrow, inhuman and, worst of all, paternalistic. As [...]
Prof Fergus Gleeson on the importance of managing nocturnal GORD, a condition which can have serious complications if left untreated. Gastro-oesophage-al reflux disease (GORD) is the most common chronic disorder of the oesophagus. Population studies in the USA estimate that 20 per cent of the population experience GORD symptoms at least once per week It [...]
Dr Orla Buckley explains the problems faced by radiologists when it comes to imaging patients who are obese – and outlines ways to minimse the risks involved. It is estimated that at least 30 per cent of the population of Europe is now obese and imaging the obese patient poses a great challenge to the [...]
The ‘SLÁN 2007 Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition in Ireland’ has just been published (www.slan07.ie). This is the most comprehensive survey of the state of Ireland’s health, involving face-to-face interviews with over 10,000 adults, along with a sub-study on the body size of approximately 1,000 younger adults (aged 18-44) and a more detailed physical [...]
Education on screening programmes, diet and smoking could tackle higher mortality rates among indigenous peoples, researchers have claimed. That claim follows revelations that native residents of Hawaii and New Zealand have much higher mortality rates for many cancers than the people of European origin who live there. In New Zealand, the researchers noted that cancer [...]
Women who quit smoking have about a 20 per cent lower risk of death from smoking-related cancers within five years of quitting, according to a new study. In the study, American researchers assessed the relationship between cigarette smoking and smoking cessation on total and cause-specific mortality in women by analyzing data from the Nurses’ Health [...]
Seven in ten girls are likely to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) when the UK’s vaccination programme comes into effect in the autumn, according to researchers there. The Manchester-based pilot study is the first to look at whether the vaccine will be accepted by enough parents to ensure the success of a national [...]
Dr Lizzy Smyth, winner of the 2007 Roche/Irish Medical Times Lung Cancer Medical Bursary, examines lung cancer care in Ireland today and future treatment options. Lung cancer is not the most common cancer Ireland, but it is responsible for the most deaths. One fifth of all cancer deaths are due to this disease. Each year [...]
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