A heart to remember
It seems like every disease is linked to an increased risk for a different disease. Well, heart failure is no different. In fact, a recent study has linked heart failure to an increased risk of dementia in elderly patients. (Previous studies have found an association between heart failure and mental impairment, but few -- if any -- have directly linked heart failure to dementia.)
During the study, researchers examined a group of 1,301 people living in nursing home communities. All of the participants were 75 years old or older, and none had dementia when the study began, but 205 did have heart failure.
The researchers monitored the patients for nine years. By the time the study was over, 440 people had developed dementia (333 of those patients had Alzheimer's disease). And researchers had found an 84 percent increased risk of dementia and an 80 percent increased risk of Alzheimer's disease among patients with heart failure.
The study suggests the poor blood circulation to the brain (a problem often caused by heart failure) deprives it of oxygen and could be the reason why patients are more likely to suffer dementia or Alzheimer's. They also noted that patients who took medications for high blood pressure had a significantly lower risk of dementia (38 percent).
Drug options aside, one of the most important things a heart failure patient can do is monitor and preferably decrease his or her sodium intake. Sodium causes your body to retain fluid. To circulate that extra fluid, your hearts has to pump harder. People with heart failure -- whose hearts are struggling to pump fluid as it is - shouldn't put all that extra strain on their hearts.
For more information on cutting back on salt and fighting back against heart failure, check out the May 4th edition of House Calls. Go to www.AmericasCountryDoctor.com, and click on "House Calls" to view the archive of previous editions.
Don't forget your sunscreen
We're in the dead of summer, and, chances are, you're spending a lot of time at the beach, lake, or pool. Now, I know you already know how important sunscreen is, especially when you're out on the water. But a recent study has shown that some sunscreen manufacturers are forgetting to target the highest risk people when they advertise their products.
In the study, researchers examined 24 magazines that are popular among people who face the greatest risk for skin cancer -- a group that includes teens, parents, travelers, athletes, and outdoorsy folks.
What was so interesting is that the magazines geared towards middle-aged and older men -- who are the least likely to use sunscreen, but the most likely to die of melanoma --contained the fewest number of sunscreen advertisements. Parenting and family magazines also contained very few of sunscreen ads. (And that's troubling, since parents should be covering their young 'uns in sunscreen on hot sunny days.)
Unfortunately, this leads me to think that sunscreen manufacturers think those kinds of readers -- especially men -- aren't likely to purchase their products. And that's not good.
I know a lot of men who think that slathering on SPF 30 just isn't manly. But I'll tell you what I tell them: If you think SPF isn't masculine, try walking around in a backless hospital gown when it's time to get a cancerous growth removed from your back or face.
Guys, you have to wear the sunscreen.
Now, you do need some time in the sun each day without sunscreen, in order to get enough vitamin D (which your skin produces when it's been exposed to UV rays from the sun). But you don't need to go overboard - 30 minutes a day is plenty. After that, go ahead and put on your sunscreen.
Until next time,
Dr. Alan Inglis
House Calls
