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November 2008 — Aging Issue 
As research continues, we’re learning more about the nature of aging. There are many diseases and conditions associated with aging: ischemic stroke, osteoporosis, and menopause to name a few. One of the more devastating of these is Alzheimer Dementia (AD). AD is the most common cause of dementia among older people. Most people with AD first show symptoms after age 60 – the hallmark symptoms are memory loss, impairment of daily activities and neurobehavioral abnormalities. Although treatment can slow the progression of AD and help manage its symptoms in some people, there is no cure. According to recent estimates from the National Institute on Aging, as many as 2.4 million to 4.5 million Americans have AD. That number will increase significantly if current population trends continue since the risk of AD increases with age, and the U.S. population is aging. The number of people age 65 and older is expected to double from 36 million in 2003 to 72 million in 2030. As it rises, physical and emotional challenges will be present for more and more families and other caregivers, in addition to those with the disease. The Epocrates Medical Information team invites you to review the latest information on AD in Epocrates Online, our online clinical reference. See the complete monograph for Alzheimer Dementia. Also in this issue: Please note that the disease content in Epocrates Online is only available in the United States and Canada. |
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Test your knowledge! Can you identify the disease in this image? Brought to you by Epocrates Online, featuring at-a-glance disease overviews, detailed diagnostic and treatment recommendations and national medical society guidelines. |
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Beers Criteria for Safer Prescribing in Older Adults The Beers Criteria tables provide lists of potentially inappropriate medications for patients over 65. The tables are presented in two ways: independent of condition/diagnosis (drugs that should be avoided for all older adults) and dependent on condition/diagnosis (drugs that should be avoided in older adults with specific medical conditions). These tables are available for FREE for Palm OS, Windows Mobile (Pocket PC) and Blackberry users. If you don’t use one of these or prefer to access on your PC or Mac, try Epocrates Online Premium today. Opioid Analgesic Calculator With this free application at your fingertips, quickly and easily calculate equivalent or adjusted dosing for patients on one or more opioid analgesics. You can choose up to 3 different opiates to convert to a final opiate, reduce the final output based on incomplete cross-tolerance, edit equianalgesic conversion factors if necessary, and convert final output into an equivalent fentanyl.
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Are you looking to buy a new BlackBerry? Get a new Curve, Bold, Pearl or any other BlackBerry device and the premium drug reference Epocrates Rx Pro is yours for FREE.
For discounts and savings of over $100 on other device and Epocrates software bundles, just visit pdaMD.com. Act now - Free Shipping through 12/10/08. Use coupon code EPOCSHIP at checkout. |
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Are you receiving DocAlert messages? Just update (sync) your handheld or visit our help page to learn more. Does High Dose Vitamin D Decrease Falls or Fractures in the Elderly? Several meta-analyses have come to different conclusions regarding the effectiveness of vitamin D and calcium supplementation on fractures in seniors. Researchers analyzed the literature and concluded that vitamin D3 in doses of 400 - 800 IU per day without calcium did not reduce fracture risk. However, higher doses - 700 IU to 800 IU per day - combined with calcium supplementation reduced nonvertebral fractures and hip fractures. However, they found via subgroup analysis that the effect on hip fractures is limited to older people living in institutions and is not seen in community-dwelling elderly. Vitamin D supplementation also has a small and inconsistent effect on the prevention of falls, reducing the likelihood by approximately 20%. Another recent meta-analysis found a similar decrease.
Speed Eating Until Full: The Impact on Obesity To determine whether eating until full and/ or eating quickly is associated with being overweight, researchers in Japan enrolled 3287 adults (1122 men, 2165 women) aged 30-69. About half of men and nearly 60% of women surveyed reported eating until full; 46% of men and 36% of women reported eating quickly. The multivariable adjusted odds ratio of being overweight for eating until full was 2.00 for men and 1.92 for women; for eating quickly the odds ratio was 1.84 for men and 2.09 for women. The odds ratio of being overweight with both eating behaviors compared with neither was 3.13 for men and 3.21 for women. Authors concluded that eating until full and eating quickly are both associated with being overweight in Japanese men and women; these behaviors combined may have a substantial impact on being overweight. Happy Thanksgiving!
Recent FDA MedWatch Safety Alerts Over the Counter Cough & Cold Meds in Children Under 4 Years Old |
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Introducing Epocrates Rx Pro for BlackBerry! It’s here! Our first premium product for BlackBerry includes an extensive infectious disease guide and more than 600 alternative medicines, including drug interactions. PLUS, dozens of medical calculators, including pregnancy wheel, unit conversion, and BMI and an IV compatibility checker with weight-based dosing calculator. Just check out the great feedback from your colleages:
Are you on Facebook? We are too! 
Join your peers and “fan” us on Facebook! We created an Epocrates Facebook page as a place for you to share ideas, post pics and keep in touch.
Upcoming Meetings — Meet the Epocrates Team! Pri-Med East: November 7 - 9, Booth #658 — Boston, MA Updates at a Glance
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We love to hear from our members about Epocrates products, or any other topics. This month, we’d love to know if you are interested in participating in a free Diabetes teleconference/Q&A with a clinical expert. Please let us know at youropinion@epocrates.com. All customers featured in the newsletter will receive a free subscription to Epocrates Essentials Deluxe. |
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