A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Weight loss eases arthritis knee pain
WEIGHT LOSS and increased exercise can help to halve the pain and restrictions in movement experienced by those with knee arthritis. It can also help control the inflammation caused by the disease, Arthritis Ireland said in a statement yesterday.
It cited research from the annual conference of the American College of Rheumatology being held in Chicago. A study of 454 overweight adults saw significant improvements through weight loss and regular exercise.
Christmas campaign to raise funds for Alzheimer's
THE ALZHEIMER’S Society of Ireland has launched its annual Christmas fundraising campaign to help those caring for Alzheimer’s patients. The rising number of people diagnosed with the condition has put the society under greater financial pressure than ever to support carers across the State.
Three in four carers are caring for more than eight hours a day and one in three say they never get a break from caring, according to a recent survey by the society referred to at yesterday’s launch of its Christmas Memory Ribbon Campaign.
As families all over Ireland are decorating Christmas trees in their homes, they are encouraged to go online to memoryribbon.ie and help decorate the society’s virtual Christmas tree. A donation allows the family to remember a loved one or enables the public to help the society continue its services. These include day care, respite and home care, and demand is at an all-time high, according to the society.
The numbers of people with dementia will more than double to about 104,000 by 2036, the society said. It currently has waiting lists of almost 1,000 families hoping to benefit from its services.
Only 67 per cent of the society’s annual costs are met by Government subvention, with the remainder coming from public support, said its chief executive, Maurice O’Connell. “We really need support this Christmas if we are to maintain vital services for those desperately needing them,” he added.
Contact Emily Brew on 01-2073816 to see how you can support the Christmas Memory Ribbon Campaign, e-mail ebrew@alzheimer.ie or visit the website, memoryribbon.ie
New CF inhaler to cut daily treatment by half an hour
A NEW inhaler is set to cut the treatment time for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) by almost 30 minutes a day.
CF patients receiving a twice-daily antibiotic treatment to suppress the risk of chronic lung infections currently use a bulky mains-powered nebuliser. Using the machine for 20 minutes at a time to receive the antibiotic, which is mixed with water and delivered through a facemask, is estimated to take people with CF four and a half hours each week or half a day each month.
A new portable device, however, enables the treatment to be delivered in a fraction of the time. Launched at the Science Gallery in Dublin yesterday, the TOBI Podhaler manufactured by Novartis requires no external power supply or batteries, can be carried in your pocket and delivers treatment in just five to six minutes.
Aimed at CF patients aged six years and older, it enables them to receive the daily antibiotic treatment in dry powder form through an inhaler that is disposed of on a weekly basis.
Speaking at the launch, Dr Greg Hays, medical director of Novartis Ireland, said: “The Podhaler offers people with CF more convenience in their lives, removing the need to use a nebuliser.” Dr Hays said that because of the Podhaler’s portability, those with CF need not be confined to home when using it.
Ireland has the highest incidence of CF in the world with one in 19 people carrying the altered gene responsible for the disease. Clogging lungs and the digestive system with a thick sticky mucus, the disease makes it difficult to breathe and digest food.
JOANNE HUNT