Health News

Neurological Diseases Very Costly For European Economies

Date: Jun-11-2013
Neuropsychiatric disorders put a financial burden of EUR 798 billion on European economies according to a current study. "Neurological diseases affect a total of 220 million people so they play a big part, something a fact that is often underestimated," said ENS President Prof Claudio L. Bassetti (Bern University Hospital) at the 23rd Meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS) in Barcelona. More than 3,000 experts are discussing current developments in their field at this congress right now...

Sleep-Wake Disorders As Possible Indicators Of Neurological Disorders

Date: Jun-11-2013
"We spend about a third of our life sleeping. If our sleep is not normal, our brain cannot function normally either," ENS President Prof Claudio L. Bassetti (Bern University Hospital) emphasised at the 23rd Meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS) in Barcelona. About 3,000 experts from around the globe are currently gathered at this meeting to discuss the latest findings in their field. Prof Bassetti: "Sleep-wake disorders are by no means mundane. They reduce our quality of life and can lead to the dangerous phenomenon of daytime sleepiness...

Epilepsy: Treatment Success Assessable In Advance

Date: Jun-11-2013
Great advances have been made in recent years in epilepsy therapy but only a fraction of people suffering from epilepsy have thus far benefited from them, with a substantial variations in access to newer treatments. That is true for example of epilepsy surgery, where the area of the brain causing the seizure is removed in the case of focal epilepsies. These neurosurgical procedures conducted in specialised medical centers are applied if drugs do not lead to the desired result of permanent freedom from seizures without unacceptable side effects...

Personalised Therapy For Multiple Sclerosis Is Key Factor In Treatment Success

Date: Jun-11-2013
"Although the upcoming approval of new drugs against multiple sclerosis will offer a number of additional treatment options, it is important that we keep one thing in mind: The only way we can get this disease well under control is if we manage to provide personalised therapy tailored to the individual and to predict the effects and side-effects of a given drug. Unfortunately these efforts are still in the early stages of development," Prof Xavier Montalban (Multiple Sclerosis Centre of Catalonia, Spain) explained at the 23rd Meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS) in Barcelona...

Stroke Epidemic: New Therapeutic Strategies

Date: Jun-11-2013
Prof Guido Stoll (University Hospital Wurzburg, Germany) spoke on the subject of strokes at the 23rd Meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS) in Barcelona: "Worldwide, one person dies every six seconds as the result of a stroke. Every year, 250 to 280 new cases are reported per 100,000 inhabitants in Europe, for a total of 600,000 strokes. It is a disease of epidemic proportions, which will continue to pose a host of problems for us." About 3,000 experts are discussing current developments in their field at this congress right now...

Dementia: Diagnosis Possible At Ever Earlier Stages And With Ever Greater Precision

Date: Jun-11-2013
"Progress is currently being made in dementia research particularly in diagnosis. Dementia diagnosis rely mainly on clinical information, and few decades ago, definite diagnosis could not come until an autopsy was conducted. With the advances in the genetic field, definite diagnosis is now possible much before death...

Therapeutic Video Games Promote Rehabilitation Following Brain Injuries

Date: Jun-11-2013
Acquired brain injuries as the result of events such as strokes, cranio-cerebral trauma, lack of oxygen or benign brain tumours often severely impair patients in their everyday lives. Paralysis, spasms or an impaired sense of balance are possible results along with disorders affecting speech, behaviour and self-awareness. The wide range of possible consequences poses a big challenge to rehabilitation...

Robots Help Dementia Patients To Shake Off Apathy

Date: Jun-11-2013
Robots could help apathetic dementia sufferers to shake off some of their apathy. A Spanish research team arrived at this conclusion in a pilot study reported on at the 23rd Meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS) in Barcelona, where 3,000 experts are gathering to discuss current developments in their field. The rapid rise in dementia sufferers is one of the most urgent challenges for health care and social services. Right now, 35.6 million people already suffer from dementia worldwide...

Influenza And Parkinson Drug Also Effective In Treating Pathological Gambling

Date: Jun-11-2013
Amantadine, a substance used for treating influenza and Parkinson, could be a new treatment option for pathological gambling according to researchers from Gabriele d'Annunzio University in Chieti, Italy, reporting at the 23rd Meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS) in Barcelona. About 3,000 experts are gathering to discuss current developments in their field. The initial results seem quite promising although larger studies will be needed for confirmation. Amantadine is a non-specific glutamate blocker. According to pertinent studies, pathological gambling affects 0.2 to 5...

Migraines Do Not Exacerbate Mental Deterioration

Date: Jun-11-2013
Migraines are more than just painful. Prof Franz Fazekas (University Hospital Graz, Austria), explained why at the 23rd Meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS) in Barcelona: "Recent studies indicate that these pain attacks also pose an increased risk of vascular lesions in the brain in certain categories of patients. MRI scans show that migraine patients exhibit more frequent changes in cerebral white matter ("substantia alba") than people without migraine...