Inhalers for Asthma and COPD Sufferers May Bring On Diabetes

Sufferers of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who use inhaled corticosteroids may be at increased risk of developing or progressing diabetes.

In a study at McGill University in Montreal involving 380,000 participants it was found that inhaler use was associated with a 34% increase in new diabetes diagnoses and diabetes progression (intensifying therapy to the point including insulin).

Other researchers suggest that steroids could not be fully responsible for the risk. More concentration must be devoted to lifestyle choices especially diet and nutrition.

Risks For Early Dialysis

It used to be that people with 1-2% of kidney function were put on dialysis.

More and more people with up to 15% kidney function are currently receiving dialysis and that number is increasing.

Dr. Steven J. Rosansky, senior research fellow at Dorn Research Institute of the William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia, South Carolina, "found that there is a remarkably higher risk of death in healthy people that are being put on dialysis at higher levels of kidney function". "People who started dialysis early, based on their kidney function were more likely to die in the first year than were those who started dialysis at a later stage of their disease: about 20 percent vs. 5 percent."

A recent study has shown that putting people on dialysis earlier has no beneficial effect and it may be harmful.

Physicians need to reexamine their recommendations.

What You Can Do To Decrease Your Risk For Dementia

In an article by Robert Preidt for MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, a new study has shown that "it may be possible to lower the incidence of dementia by reducing rates of diabetes and depression, boosting education, and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption."

The exact cause of dementia is still unknown but scientists in the study believe that their are greater risks when you have a history of depression, a diet rich in sugar, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, less of an education and vascular problems. The study of 1,433 healthy people over 65 living in the south of France showed that reducing or eliminating any of the above significantly reduced their chances of contracting dementia.

Eliminating depression decreased your risk by 10%. Increasing education improved your odds of having dementia by 18%.