In Hypertension, Strong Men Live Longer

By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Hypertensive men with the most muscle strength appear to have a lower risk of dying than their weaker counterparts, researchers found.

Even after controlling for cardiorespiratory fitness level and other potential confounders, men in the upper third of muscle strength were 34% less likely to die during an average follow-up of about 18 years (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.98), according to Enrique Artero, PhD, of the University of Granada in Spain, and colleagues.

More

AoA November Newsletter

Table of Contents

Top Story

November Is National Family Caregivers Month

AoA News

AoA’s National Family Caregiver Support Program Celebrates 10 Years

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month

Message from Assistant Secretary Kathy Greenlee on Veterans Day 2010

AoA Recognizes Native American Heritage Month

Population Data on Older American Indian Adults Featured in AoA’s November
Widget

Eldercare Locator Takes on a New Look for a Rapidly Aging Population

2010-2011 Influenza Campaign

Other HHS News

Medicare Open Enrollment

AHRQ Launches New Website for Men

Hospitalizations for Medication and Illicit Drug-related Conditions on the Rise
among Americans Ages 45 and Older

More News

Scholarship Opportunity for Graduate Students

NCOA to Sponsor Webinar on Vision and Aging

Additional National Observances in November

Men's Group Gets Men Talking - NYTimes.com

Image via CrunchBaseby Paula Span

“What’s on your minds today, gentlemen?” Paul Heron, a social worker, asked the circle of men. That’s the way he convenes most Wednesday afternoon gatherings of the Riverdale Senior Services center’s men’s group.

Joe Asher, at 94 the eldest at this day’s session, had the war in Afghanistan on his mind. “They don’t want us there,” he declared. “Our nation is going bankrupt. I say, cut the cord now. Leave, like we did in Vietnam.”

“Vietnam did not bomb the World Trade Center,” Dave Roskind responded.

And they were off.

The center, housed in a Bronx apartment building, introduced this antidote to isolation two years ago. Women who came here for meals and activities seemed to naturally fall into impromptu discussions, the center’s director, Julia Schwartz-Leeper, had noticed. Men either clung to their wives or, if they arrived solo, sat by themselves.

The men themselves observed that uncommunicative pattern, though they didn’t quite know how to alter it. “The average woman has about six friends,” explained Dr. George Kaufman, one of those attending the Wednesday session. “The average man has one, a wife or girlfriend, and if he loses her, he’s up a creek.”

“Women have a network,” Mr. Asher agreed. “Someone gets on the phone with my wife and they talk for half an hour. Men don’t do that.”
Full Article

Related articles by Zemanta

• Old Guys Need Friends, Too [Circle Of Friends] (jezebel.com)

USPSTF Expands Osteoporosis Guidelines from MedPage Today

By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Postmenopausal women of any age with a 10-year fracture risk equal to or greater than that of a 65-year-old woman and no other osteoporosis risk factors should be screened for the disease, according to draft guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

The 2002 USPSTF guidelines recommended routine screening only for women ages 65 and older, as well as women ages 60 to 64 with an increased risk for osteoporotic fractures. The current guidelines contain no recommendation for or against screening in younger women.

An additional change from the 2002 guidelines is a mention of men, albeit only to say that evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening in older men. The updated guidance is still in draft form and will be available on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's website for four weeks to receive public comments. After consideration of feedback, the final recommendations will be released.
Continue Reading

Vital Signs: Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Adults Aged 50--75 Years --- United States, 2008

ABSTRACT  Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and the leading cause of cancer deaths among nonsmokers. Statistical modeling indicates that, if current trends in health behaviors, screening, and treatment continue, U.S. residents can expect to see a 36% decrease in the CRC mortality rate by 2020, compared with 2000.

Methods: Every 2 years, CDC uses Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to estimate up-to-date CRC screening prevalence in the United States. Adults aged ≥50 years were considered to be up-to-date with CRC screening if they reported having a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) within the past year or lower endoscopy (i.e., sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy) within the preceding 10 years. Prevalence was calculated for adults aged 50--75 years based on current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations.

Results: For 2008, the overall age-adjusted CRC screening prevalence for the United States was 62.9% among adult respondents aged 50--75 years, increased from 51.9% in 2002. Among the lowest screening prevalences were those reported by persons aged 50--59 years (53.9%), Hispanics (49.8%), persons with lower income (47.6%), those with less than a high school education (46.1%), and those without health insurance (35.6%).

Conclusions: CRC screening rates continue to increase in the United States. Underscreening persists for certain racial/ethnic groups, lower socioeconomic groups, and the uninsured.

Implications for Public Health Practice: Health reform is anticipated to reduce financial barriers to CRC screening, but many factors influence CRC screening. The public health and medical communities should use methods, including client and provider reminders, to ensure test completion and receipt of follow-up care. Public health surveillance should be expanded and communication efforts enhanced to help the public understand the benefits of CRC screening.
Read More

Related articles by Zemanta

• 10,000-plus in U.S. die for lack of cancer screens: CDC (reuters.com)
• Colon Cancer Screening Rates Improve (online.wsj.com)
• Colon cancer screenings up, breast rate stalled (msnbc.msn.com)
• Patient Hand-Holding Boosts Colon Cancer Screenings (abcnews.go.com)

In Elderly Men, Age, Ethnicity And Environment Impact On Risk Of Falls

from Medical News Today

Falls and fall prevention are a major concern for the elderly and people with osteoporosis, a common chronic disease which causes weak and fragile bones. People with osteoporosis are at increased risk of fracture, even after a minor fall from standing height. A study presented at the World Congress on Osteoporosis 2010 (IOF WCO-ECCEO10) shows that among elderly men the risk of falling, and thereby breaking a bone, is influenced by age. Most significantly, it also suggests that ethnicity and environment play a role in the risk of falling.


Continue Reading

Related articles by Zemanta

• Age, ethnicity and environment impact on risk of falls in elderly men (physorg.com)
• Age, ethnicity and environment impact on risk of falls in elderly men (scienceblog.com)

Premature Adult Mortality Falls but Gender Gap Widens from MedPage Today

(Editor's note: US specific information is at the end of this post)

By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Although worldwide adult mortality rates have been dropping overall for the past four decades, the gap between men and women, who have lower mortality risk, has widened, researchers found.

From 1970 to 2010, the probability that a 15-year-old would die before turning 60 dropped by 19% for men and 34% for women, according to Christopher Murray, MD, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues.

During that period, the difference between mortality risk in men and women grew from 63 per 1,000 to 80 per 1,000, the researchers reported online in The Lancet.

"I think the widening gap between males and females is brought about to a large extent by the bigger impact of the Soviet Union collapse -- social dysfunction, high alcohol use -- on males than females," Murray told MedPage Today.

Also contributing is the HIV epidemic's disproportionate effect on males in certain parts of the world, he said.

Murray and his colleagues set out to evaluate worldwide trends in premature adult mortality from 1970 to the present, a topic that has not received as much attention as child health.

They argued, however, that "the prevention of premature adult death is just as important for global health policy as the improvement of child survival," noting that declining child mortality and aging populations lead to a larger proportion of deaths occurring among adults.

The researchers compiled 3,889 measurements of adult mortality for 187 countries using vital registration data, census data, and information on deaths in the household and among siblings.

Using the data, the Murray and his colleagues calculated yearly estimates of the probability of a 15-year-old dying before reaching 60.

Aside from the widening gap between male and female mortality, Murray said one of the most dramatic findings was the growing disparity between the best-off and worst-off countries since 1970.

Mortality probabilities for men ranged from 182 to 413 per 1,000 in 1970 and from 77 to 579 per 1,000 in 2010, an increase in the intercountry spread of 117%. A similar phenomenon was seen among women as well.

The drivers, Murray said, were worsening mortality risks in eastern Europe, central Asia, and many parts of Africa, accompanied by dramatic improvements in other parts of the world.

In southern Africa in particular, the mortality risks in 2010 for men (578 per 1,000) and women (446 per 1,000) exceed those seen in Sweden in the middle of the 18th century (493 per 1,000 for men and 437 per 1,000 for women).

Differing trends in tobacco and alcohol use, the spread of HIV, and the prevalence of key risk factors for noncommunicable disease, such as obesity and physical inactivity, are the main factors contributing to the disparity between nations.

Among high-income countries, in the U.S. the rate of decline in mortality risk was less than 1.5% per year from 1970 to 2010, much slower than in many other developed countries.

In 1990, the U.S. ranked 34th in female mortality and 41st in male mortality. Those ranks dipped further in 2010, to 49th for women and 45th for men, trailing all of Western Europe and several other countries.

Read More

Americans Have Sex into Their 60s and Beyond from MedPage Today

By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Thirty-somethings can expect to enjoy at least another 30 years of sex, researchers have found.

At age 30, men will be sexually active for another 35 years, while women will be active for another 30, Stacy Tessler Lindau, MD, and Natalia Gavrilova, PhD, of the University of Chicago, reported online in BMJ.

The results are even better for fifty-somethings: "At age 55, most folks can expect 10 to 15 more years of sexually active life," Tessler Lindau told MedPage Today. That's 15 years for men, and 10 for women.

The researchers also found that people who were healthier reported more and better sex.
Continue Reading

Related articles by Zemanta

• Sex drive 'lasts longer in men', research suggests (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Even in Old Age, Men Want Sex More Than Women (time.com)
• Older men more interested in sex than older women: Study (canada.com)
• Healthier men want more sex for more years (cnn.com)
• Sex Ends at 70 for Most People as Health Declines, Study Says (businessweek.com)
• Sexuality and Health Among Older Adults (slideshare.net)

Medical News: PSA Debate Hashed Out in Congress - in Urology, Prostate Cancer from MedPage Today

Image via Wikipedia

By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today

A day after the American Cancer Society (ACS) released updated prostate cancer screening guidelines, the group's chief medical officer was before Congress urging the government to fund research into alternative screening methods for prostate cancer.

Otis Brawley, MD, an oncologist and chief medical officer for the ACS, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that the country needs to move beyond PSA tests and discover new screening modalities that can better detect only cancers that will turn deadly.
Continue Reading

Related articles by Zemanta

• Screening for prostate cancer? Patients should decide (cnn.com)
• Should Men Get Routine Prostate Screenings? (huffingtonpost.com)
• Let men decide on prostate screening, cancer society says (cnn.com)
• Health Dialog Offers Decision Aids for Men Considering Prostate Cancer Screening (eon.businesswire.com)
• Prostate Cancer Screening Guidelines Warn of Risks (Update1) (businessweek.com)
• PSA Remains an Important Tool for Fighting Cancer Says Prostate Cancer Foundation (eon.businesswire.com)
• Health Buzz: New Prostate Cancer Screening Guidelines (usnews.com)
• Prostate tests may cause more harm than good (healthzone.ca)
• New Prostate Cancer Guidelines: Routine Screening Still Unneeded (blogs.wsj.com)

Proximity To Physical Activity Resources Found To Benefit Older Men

from Medical News Today

A new study points to the health benefits of living in neighborhoods with built-in physical activity resources.

Researchers conducted a study among community-dwelling men age 65 years or older from the Portland, Ore., metropolitan area. They sought to discover whether older men who live within one-eighth, one-quarter, or one-half mile of physical activity resources, including parks, trails and recreational facilities, are more likely than men who live farther from these resources to maintain or increase the amount of time they spend walking. Participants were enrolled from March 2000 through April 2002 at six U.S. clinical centers and were followed an average of 3.6 years to assess changes in time spent walking. The results of the study revealed a positive association among urban-dwelling older men between living within one-eighth mile of parks and one-half mile of trails and maintaining or increasing time spent walking, although the association was limited to men living in high-socioeconomic status neighborhoods.

Continue Reading

Older Women May Sleep Better Than Men - Forbes.com

(HealthDay News) -- Older women sleep longer and better than older men, even though many women believe they have worse sleep, researchers in the Netherlands have found.

Continue Reading

Related articles by Zemanta

• Sleep Perception Different in Men and Women (blisstree.com)

Prostate Cancer Overdiagnosis in the United States: The Dimensions Revealed

Image via Wikipedia

More than 1 million additional men have been diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer since the introduction of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in the 1980s. And the "vast majority of these additional 1 million men did not benefit from early detection," write the authors of a new study published online August 31 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

"Prostate cancer screening has resulted in substantial overdiagnosis and in unnecessary treatment," Otis W. Brawley, MD, medical director of the American Cancer Society, writes in an editorial that accompanies the new study.

Read More

Related articles by Zemanta

• Men overdiagnosed for prostate cancer: Study (canada.com)
• Study: PSA test leads to needless diagnoses (cnn.com)

HPV Vaccine Could Prevent Many Penile Cancers - Forbes.com

Image via Wikipedia

(HealthDay News) -- The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes about half of penile cancer cases in the world, and giving vaccines to males could greatly reduce the incidence of the disease, a new study suggests. Read More

Sex Hormone Levels Linked to Fractures in Men - Forbes.com

Testing for estradiol, testosterone and SHBG could predict those at risk, expert says. (HealthDay News) -- Sex hormone levels affect the risk of broken bones in older men, says a new study. The finding comes from a study that included 1,436 men age 65 and older who had their sex hormone levels measured periodically for about five years. The researchers found that men with low levels of estradiol or high levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were more likely to suffer osteoporotic fractures. Read More

Bipolar Disorder Tied to Age of Fathers

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR Published: September 9, 2008, New York Times Paternal age seems to be tied to the likelihood of having children who develop bipolar disorder as adults, a large study reports. After statistically adjusting for the age of the mother, family history of psychotic disorders, education level and other factors, they found consistently increasing risk as fathers aged. The highest risk was in fathers 55 and older.