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For Immediate Release
May 6, 2006
For more information:
Erin Weller
(212) 308-1414 x 329
Chicago, IL - Epoetin alfa (EPO) can lessen fatigue and improve quality of life among older adults with anemia; and biofeedback can ease both urge urinary incontinence and the depression associated with it, according to two studies presented today, here at the American Geriatrics Society's annual scientific meeting.
Epoetin alfa (EPO), an injectable drug for anemia, lessens fatigue and improves quality of life among older adults with this common disorder, according to the first placebo-controlled study examining fatigue as a quality of life outcome among anemic older people.
Characterized by low blood levels of red blood cells and hemoglobin (the red protein in these cells that carries oxygen), anemia affects about 10% of adults 65 and older. It's associated, among other things, with fatigue, decreased muscle strength and physical performance, frailty, disability, increased risk of falls, fractures, and lowered quality of life.
Investigating the effects of EPO on fatigue and quality of life in older adults with chronic anemia, researchers at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago and Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in Evanston, Illinois, studied 62 adults, 65 or older, with the disorder. For 16 weeks, half of the adults got weekly EPO injections, while the other half got placebo injections. For the following 16 weeks, those who had between treated with EPO were given placebo injections, and those given the placebo were treated with EPO.
Treatment with EPO -- which was well tolerated -- significantly increased older adults' hemoglobin levels, lessened their fatigue and led to improvements in quality of life, reports Parag Agnihotri, MD, of Michael Reese Hospital, and colleagues.
In a second study investigating treatment for a common health problem among older adults, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh studied the effects of biofeedback on urge urinary incontinence.
Particularly common among older women, urge urinary incontinence is characterized by a sudden strong urge to urinate followed by an uncontrollable rush of urine.
Studying 26 older women, with an average age of 72, suffering from urge urinary incontinence, the researchers found an increased risk of depression among the group, even among those with no prior history of depression. A 12-week trial off biofeedback training significantly reduced the frequency of uncontrolled urine loss and lessened depression among the women, the researchers found. Among those women with a history of depression prior to the onset of incontinence, biofeedback training was particularly effective in reducing the frequency of uncontrolled urine loss. This, notes lead researcher Stasa D. Tadic, MD, and colleagues, "suggests that biofeedback may, in part, target psychological mechanisms involved in urge urinary incontinence."
ABOUT THE AGS
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (www.americangeriatrics.org) is a nationwide, not-for-profit association of geriatrics health care professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of all older people. The Society supports this mission through activities in clinical practice, professional and public education, research, and public policy. With an active membership of over 6,500 health care professionals, the Society has become a pivotal force in shaping attitudes, policies, and practices in geriatric medicine.
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