Having a parent with dementia may affect midlife memory

If your parents have been diagnosed with dementia  or Alzheimer’s disease (AD), you may be more likely to have memory loss yourself in middle years, according to a Boston University study presented this week at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st annual meeting in Seattle.

In this report, three generations of participants in the Framingham Heart Study were followed by researchers to study risk factors of Alzheimer’s and other diseases. Scientists tested 715 people belonging to the second generation with an average age of 59. One group of 282 had one or both parents who had dementia; the other group of 433 people had parents without dementia.

Among people who had the risk factor (ApoE gene), those who had parents with AD or other dementia had two to three times the chance of having low verbal and visual memory performance than those with unaffected parents.  Author Stephanie Debette, M.D., Ph.D., likened the effect to 15 years of brain aging. It is notable that despite their poorer performance on the tests, all the individuals functioned normally.

FDA orders warning on Botox

The FDA today ordered a black box warning on Botox, Botox Cosmetic and Myobloc, products that contain botulinum toxin, due to potentially dangerous side effects that include death in children. 

The risk comes from the fact that once the botulinum toxin is injected into a patient, it can spread in the body and cause botulism.  The symptoms include difficulty breathing and swallowing, muscle weakness, trouble talking or saying words clearly, loss of bladder control, double or blurred vision and drooping eyelids.  Patients should seek immediate medical attention if they develop any of these symptoms.  The FDA noted that these side effects can develop only hours after treatment or as long as several weeks later.

The drugs are approved to smooth wrinkles and treat muscle spasm conditions, including eyelid spasms, neck muscle spasms and excessive sweating (Botox), smoothing facial frown lines (Botox Cosmetic) and neck muscle spasms (Myobloc).  

Uninsured but need flu treatment?

There is a very good piece by Jeffery Levi in the Huffington Post discussing how our fragmented public health care system may not be able to serve the unemployed if the flu outbreak spreads.  “If large numbers of Americans start getting very sick and start flooding into hospitals and health care facilities, our system will really be in for a test. Our health system could be overrun in a very short period of time,” writes Levi. The risk to individuals without health coverage becomes a risk to everyone if the uninsured can’t get prompt treatment.
 
If you are uninsured and either you or a family member has symptoms of the flu contact your local health department for further information and be assertive about getting treatment if you need it.
 
—Reggie James, Director of Consumer Union’s Southwest Office

Swine flu: Photos from the vault

We've posted some vintage photos here from the 1976 swine flu scare. These photos capture moments from the nationwide vaccination campaign and give us a peek into some of the similarities and differences of the swine flu threat then, and now. Take a look.

 

An adult receives a vaccination with a jet injector during the swine flu nationwide vaccination campaign, which began October 1, 1976.

A public health scientist draws blood from an elderly woman, to be tested the swine flu vaccination campaign.

 

New Jersey Influenza (swine flu) Immunization Campaign.

Health insurance savings—check up before you buy bad health insurance

Health-care costs are a serious concern for many Americans and according to our latest health poll, nearly two-thirds worry about going bankrupt from medical costs due to an illness or accident. But having insufficient health insurance it can be financially devastating too. So, take the time to investigate an insurance company before you buy a policy.

One way to check up on health insurance companies? Do some Web research. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners posts complaint information online. Also, enter the name of the company and policy in a search engine like Google. You might find something that raises your eyebrows such as law suits or customer reviews. You might even find a perfectly sound insurance company.

—Ginger Skinner

Read our full report on junk health insurance and be sure to check out our 7 ways to avoid it.

Swine flu: Today’s news from the CDC

Richard Besser, M.D., Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Glen Nowak, director of media relations for the CDC answered questions from the press at 11:30 a.m. today. We listened in on the call, and here are the latest updates.

• More U.S. communities are being affected. Today there are 109 confirmed cases in 11 states, and many more states with suspect cases—the median age 16 years old.

• Emergency declarations will be made in more states, to release funding and resources.

• Federal government is deploying the strategic stockpile of antiviral medications. They are now in 9 states and will be in all states tomorrow. No shortage has been reported by states.

• The CDC’s information line, 800-CDC-INFO has added staff and the wait is now less than 90 seconds.

Salad or fries? How the ‘healthy option’ can outwit us

A friend of mine has taken to heart the campaign urging us to eat more fruit and vegetables. He hasn't changed his diet, which, without his girlfriend's prompting, would consist almost entirely of cheese. What he has done is come up with increasingly imaginative ways to cheat his way toward the target. A sprig of parsley on a steak? One portion of vegetables. Lime juice in a daiquiri? That's a portion of fruit. And wine is made out of grapes, so that must count, surely?

Given that two-thirds of Americans are classed as being overweight or obese, it's hardly surprising that fast-food companies have been trying to boost their health credentials by putting fruit and salads on their menus. However, while people like to see them there, these products don't always sell* by a professor of marketing and psychology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, suggests that healthy options on a menu may have the same effect as lime in my friend's cocktail: helping people convince themselves that they're making healthy choices when they're doing the opposite.

Protect your computer from swine-flu viruses

Apparently, H1N1 isn’t the only swine-flu virus going around. E-mail phishers are apparently sending out messages with harmful links or malicious attachments. Our Electronics blog has more on keeping your computer safe from these attacks.

—Kevin McCarthy, associate editor

Keep up to date with our swine-flu coverage and recommendations.

Buzzword: H1N1

H1N1: Does the swine flu need a new name? The New York Times reported that the pork industry snorted at the association with their product. Israel’s health minister didn’t like the name because of the Jewish prohibition of pork and suggested it be called the “Mexican flu,”, until the Israeli foreign minister balked and Mexican ambassador balked, according to press reports. And others have suggested North American flu. The U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, told reporters, "This really isn't swine flu. It's H1N1 virus."

So what is H1N1? It’s an influenza type A virus common to pigs--in other words, a swine flu, although this particular flu also appears to have genetic material from avian and human influenza. In general, influenza type A viruses are the type considered most dangerous to humans. They are divided into subtypes and named on the basis of two proteins on the surface of the virus: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N)—hence the H1, and N1. Most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 strains, but H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1 have also been isolated from pigs.

—Bob Williams, strategic resource director, Consumers Union

Follow our continuing coverage of swine flu.

The right mask can help prevent swine flu

People covered with facemasks are a common sight in news reports from Mexico about the swine flu outbreak. Do people in the U.S. now need to consider wearing masks, and can they really help?

The Mexican government has been handing out face masks to its citizens. In areas where the flu has already reached epidemic proportions, it may be advisable to wear masks in all public places.

In the U.S., where most infections are now clustered in communities, it makes sense to wear a high-grade mask in situations where you’re likely to be exposed to the virus. For example, if you’re sick with the flu, wearing a mask can help prevent spreading it to others. And if you’re caring for someone who is sick, wearing a mask yourself can also help reduce exposure to the droplets from a cough or sneeze that spread infection. If there is an outbreak in your community, masks can be helpful tools to reduce your exposure to the virus in confined or crowded places, like buses, trains, and airplanes.

WHO raises swine flu alert level again

The World Health Organization, concerned about the rapid spread of the swine flu virus, on Wednesday raised its pandemic alert level to the second-highest stage.

The organization says it’s a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent.

Dr. Margaret Chan, the director-general, said that with the alert going from phase 4 to 5, “All countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans. Countries should remain on high alert for unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia.”

She said, “New diseases are, by definition, poorly understood. Influenza viruses are notorious for their rapid mutation and unpredictable behavior.”

Phase 5 is characterized by widespread human-to-human infection  in at least two countries in a region, according to the WHO.

You can see the full remarks here.

See our tips on what you can do to prepare.

Most Americans support a public health-care plan

Two-thirds of Americans across every demographic and income level support the current public health care reform plan being considered by Congress, according to a poll released today* by Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports.

The poll shows that 71 percent of Americans support or strongly support reform to ensure that everybody has access to affordable, quality healthcare, and an even larger percentage (87 percent) support providing medical coverage for all uninsured children. And affording healthcare is still a major issue with nearly two-thirds expressing major or moderate concern about the ability to afford doctor visits in the future. Sixty percent of Americans said they were concerned about the possibility of bankruptcy because of a medical concern.

Travel tips for avoiding swine flu

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued an advisory recommending that U.S. travelers avoid all non-essential travel to Mexico. Our Money blog has more on the uncharacteristic leniency airlines are showing in response to the swine flu travel advisory, and other tips for negotiating travel changes.

There are currently no other travel advisories issued for U.S. travelers, and the World Health Organization is not advising against international travel. For travel updates check the CDC, the State Department, and the WHO.

The CDC has some additional materials for people who may have been exposed to swine flu during travel, as well as guidance for those who may be traveling to an area affected by swine flu.

Do all flu drugs work against swine flu?

The prescription drugs Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir) are important treatments for the swine flu and are likely to reduce the flu’s severity, if taken within 48 hours of appearance of symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Be aware, though, that the current strain of swine flu is resistant to the two other approved antiviral drugs—amantadine and rimantadine.

Despite reports of some pharmacies in New York having already sold out of Tamiflu and Relenza, our medical advisors urge restraint before you consider taking either drug to prevent the virus. They are not a substitute for a vaccine. Although they are quite effective in preventing the flu once you have been exposed, (usually taken for ten days following exposure to a known case), if you take these drugs needlessly, you expose yourself to the side effects (see below) and potentially increase drug resistance to the flu, while reducing emergency supplies.

So, we advise against taking these drugs unless you know you have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed, or you fit into one of the following groups:

• Children with chronic diseases, who have had close contact with someone diagnosed with swine flu.
• Travelers to Mexico who are: pregnant, children with chronic conditions, people 65 years and older and children younger than 5 years old.
• Healthcare workers who have come in contact with patients with swine flu and who have not used the usual, personal protective equipment available.

Following the swine flu

As health organizations have moved past the hope of containing the swine flu outbreak, you may want to keep track of where it has been confirmed. The U.S. Government has a map of cases you can check on at pandemicflu.gov, as well as tips for planning and preparation. From the map you can select your state to get more information, including links to state health services. If you live near confirmed cases, it’s a good idea to look into advisories form your state’s health department.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has set up an information hotline at 800-232-4636.

Also see our tips on preparing for the flu.

—Kevin McCarthy, associate editor

We'd like to hear from you: What resources have been helpful to you in tracking the swine flu outbreak?