the study analysed the effectiveness and safety of warfarin use compared with warfarin non-use and non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients aged ≥65 years.. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
The history of the standard management of acute coronary syndrome in older people, particularly unstable angina (UA) and non-ST segment elevation MI (NSTEMI), is littered with examples of age discrimination and alleged ageism. A Department of Health commissioned report by the Centre for Policy in Ageing into ageism in NHS hospitals concluded that ‘there is clear and widespread evidence of age discrimination in the hospital based investigation and treatment of heart disease and in the instigation of secondary prevention regimes following treatment’ [1]. The report also commented that the differences were so marked that they were unlikely to be accounted for by co-morbidity or frailty.. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
In August 2015, Archivist reported on trials of what are now known as CFTR modulator drugs, which offer new hope for treating and preventing the progression of cystic fibrosis (CF) (doi:10.1136/archdischild-2015–309089). These drugs work at an intracellular molecular level, and can improve deficient functioning of the abnormal CFTR protein. Among other things they can improve chloride transport across the respiratory epithelial cell membrane, and hence reduce the problematic viscosity of mucus. Which drug works depends on what CF mutation the patient has. . To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
The report warns that a failure to address a predictable and obvious seasonal variation in respiratory admissions is at the heart of our A&E winter crisis. It's potentially causing patients needless harm.
Temperatures this weekend are forecast to plummet across the UK which is why local health chiefs are encouraging residents who suffer from asthma to wear a scarf by wrapping it around their nose and mouth to help prevent asthma attacks.
NHS England warned that heart attacks increase almost immediately after a cold snap and that accounts for two in five winter excess deaths, as well as the same proportion of NHS excess winter admissions. Hospitals also see a rise in the admission of stroke patients five days after the cold weather begins and peak respiratory admissions go up 12 days after the temperature drops.
People with respiratory illnesses also suffer during the cold weather. For every one degree that the temperature drops below 5 degrees, there is a 10% rise in elderly people presenting with breathing problems and almost a 1% increase in emergency admissions. Therefore if the temperature drops 5 degrees there will be a 4-5% increase in people being admitted to A&E.
Among disease-modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis, natalizumab (NTZ) is highly effective, well tolerated and generally safe. Major concerns regard the risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), and the occurrence of rebounds or disease activity after its discontinuation. The aim of this study was to explore the efficacy of dimethyl fumarate (DMF) in preventing disease reactivation after NTZ discontinuation. . To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
The article presents an evidence-based medical review of the use of pulmonary rehabilitation for the treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and it mentions various interventions for COPD such as smoking cessation, supplementary oxygen, and palliative care. Efforts to improve a person's health-related quality of life are addressed, along with exercise training and the British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's pulmonary rehabilitation guideline.
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It's World COPD day this month, and at a conference convened to mark it, one of the questions for debate was 'Is it possible to eliminate exacerbations in COPD?" Probably not, but there is much that can help to reduce the risk.
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NICE is recommending objective tests, which include spirometry and FeNO, to help confirm a diagnosis of asthma. This can achieve more accurate diagnosis and therefore more effective treatment, says NICE.
Patients are receiving significantly improved NHS stroke care, an independent report published today has revealed.
The fourth annual report, commissioned by NHS England, states that patients are getting much quicker access to the vital tests and treatment they need when they have a stroke, greatly improving their chances of recovery.
The use of virtual reality to help with the exercise programme for patients has been introduced as part of the Better Care Together strategy, and has already been well-received amongst the patients who have used it.
As well as being able to take part in breathing exercises from the comfort of their own homes - helping to avoid visits to hospital or community facilities, the trailblazing use of new technology also allows health professionals to securely monitor the exercise programme people are using, ensuring that they can be tailored as required.
Umeclidinium bromide reduces symptoms and exacerbations compared with placebo, without apparently increasing the incidence of adverse events, for adults with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
It could be that regularly taking a vitamin D supplement may prevent rheumatoid arthritis developing in the first place, but this is pure speculation at the moment.
The Mail Online accurately reported there were 190,798 new cases of heart failure in the UK in 2014, but failed to explain that this figure is partly the result of an increase in population size and an ageing population.
When these factors were taken into account in the statistical analysis, the proportion of the population with heart failure (incidence) actually decreased by 7% for both men and women.
People with certain metabolic risk factors who are obese are two and a half times as likely to develop heart disease as healthy people of normal weight. But those who are obese without these other risk factors still have a 28% increased risk of heart disease compared with healthy people of normal weight.
Open access. Pain is a very common symptom of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Disease activity alone cannot explain symptoms of pain in all children, suggesting other factors may be relevant. The objectives of this study were to describe the different patterns of pain experienced over time in children with JIA and to identify predictors of which children are likely to experience ongoing pain.
To evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive intervention led by primary care nurses for lifestyle modification among subjects with intermediate cardiovascular risk. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
More than 5,000 people are expected to benefit from a pilot project which will see five companies and eight areas of the country test drive a range of apps, gadgets, wristbands and other innovative digital products, which starts this month.
Bury Stroke Team, part of Pennine Care, has been using the software known as OmniJoin with a select number of patients to provide consultations over the internet via a webcam.
OmniJoin, by technology services provider Brother UK, is a secure web conferencing tool which allows video and audio calls to be made online.
Initial feedback from patients has been positive, and the time saved from travelling means four service users can be seen per session instead of three.