An uptick in adult ADHD
By Emily Vear
Over the last 5 years, 15 per cent of adult ADHD diagnoses have been identified according to a new report by a Canadian insurer. Noting that the surge is likely being driven by an increase in overall awareness about ADHD on social media and by doctors. The report highlights increased physician education helps them identify the signs and symptoms of ADHD in adulthood.
According to CADDRA (Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance), ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in Canada, affecting 4–6 per cent of adults and 5–7 per cent of children; approximately 1.8 million Canadians.
The authors also confirm that depression is three times more prevalent in adults with ADHD and that when left untreated, ADHD can present alongside other physical and mental health conditions and can lead to risk factors for several other health issues including heart disease and obesity, which can require people to take time off of work.
For decades, ADHD was diagnosed more in men than in women, but, the aforementioned Manulife Special Report on Employee Health Insights suggest that this gap is rapidly closing. In fact, in 2022, the diagnosis ratio for ADHD was 53 per cent male to 47 per cent female. This is compared to a few years ago, when it was 60 per cent male and 40 per cent female.
Source: Manulife
Are your organs aging?
By Lori Youmshajekain
Your organs might be aging at different rates. It turns out your chronological age is just a number. The number of birthdays you’ve had now appears to be less important when looking at your health.
Research published in Nature, found one in five healthy adults over 50 years old as an “extreme ager”—with one organ aging at a highly accelerated rate. One in 60 adults had two or more organs aging rapidly. The study team measured proteins related to organs, including the brain, heart, immune tissue and kidneys. Comparing organ-specific proteins, found those with at least one organ accelerated had an increased disease and mortality risk over the next 15 years. When the heart was “older” there was twice the risk of heart failure and a strong predictor of a heart attack. Similarly, a quickly aging brain risked greater cognitive decline. Accelerated aging in the brain and vascular system predicted the progression of Alzheimer’s disease just as strongly as plasma pTau-181—the current biomarker. Extreme aging in the kidneys predicted higher hypertension and diabetes.
The researchers hope for a future blood test that can pinpoint rapidly aging organs for treatment before symptoms begin.
Source: Scientific American
Dementia friendly tourism
By Ronan O’Connell
The novelty, exercise, and socialization of travel can benefit many people with dementia.
After a recent study that involved interviewing more than a hundred people with dementia in China, academics from Australia and China claimed travel provided cognitive and sensory stimulation from new sights, smells, tastes, and social encounters. Yet most tourist destinations ignore these visitors, aged care experts say. This is slowly changing in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where guides for dementia-friendly travel are published, and tourists with dementia can enjoy attractions and activities designed for them, from cafés to sensory trails and art workshops.
“Tourism elements of anticipation and planning, stimulate brain function,” says Jun Wen, one of the researchers. “Exercise is often an important component of tourism experiences, and it is frequently included in dementia intervention plans.” Travel also can aid people with these conditions to grow confidence, trigger memories, and build independence, says Warren Harding, professor in dementia care at Australia’s Macquarie University. “It offers a promising adjunct to non-pharmacological interventions.”
Source: National Geographic
