European Organisation for Rare Diseases (EURORDIS)

People living with depression is increasing

The number of people living with depression is increasing, 18% between 2005 and 2015.  In the lead-up to World Health Day on 7 April, which this year will focus on this increasingly important issue, WHO is releasing today a new global report on health estimates on depression.  This report provides latest available estimates of the prevalence of depression and other common mental disorders at the global and regional level, together with data concerning the consequences of these disorders in terms of lost health.  Reliable, up-to-date estimates of the proportion of a general population affected by different diseases or health conditions is a key ingredient of effective health policy, planning and evaluation.

Energy efficiency tips from the Public Health Agency on Fuel Poverty Awareness Day

More than two in five households in Northern Ireland are in fuel poverty.  A household is in fuel poverty if it needs to spend more than 10% of income on energy costs to adequately heat the home, and Northern Ireland has the highest percentage of fuel poverty households than any other region in the UK.  Tracey Colgan, Senior Health and Wellbeing Improvement Officer at the PHA, said: “There are serious health risks to those living in fuel poverty, as not being able to heat your home properly means cold and damp can contribute to respiratory illnesses, hypothermia and issues affecting vulnerable people who already have underlying health conditions.  Keeping a room warm to at least 18 degrees, taking regular warm drinks and food, and putting on extra layers such as a blanket, or hat even when indoors, can reduce the risk of hypothermia”.

The Department of Health in Northern Ireland today published the 2017 sub-regional report on health inequalities

This report provides an up-to-date picture of health inequalities within Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts and Local Government Districts (LGDs) in relation to area differences in morbidity, mortality, utilisation and access to health and social services.

Key Findings:

• Health outcomes are generally worse in the most deprived areas within each Trust/LGD when compared with those seen in the Trust/LGD as a whole.
• Male life expectancy increased across the period in all Trust areas and Local Government Districts (LGDs), with the exception of Antrim & Newtownabbey LGD, where it remained similar
• Female life expectancy also increased across the period in all Trust areas and in approximately half of the LGDs, while remaining broadly constant in the remainder
• Over the period analysed, a larger number of indicators for each HSC Trust, saw widening inequality gaps than those where gaps had narrowed. This was also true for the majority of LGDs with the exception of Fermanagh and Omagh, Mid Ulster and Mid and East Antrim
• As seen regionally, deprivation related inequality was most evident in indicators relating to alcohol and drug use, suicide/self-harm and teenage births

E-cigarettes safer than smoking says long-term study

E-cigarettes are less toxic and safer to use compared to conventional cigarettes, according to research published in Annals of Internal Medicine.  Scientists at UCL found that people who swapped smoking regular cigarettes for e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for at least six months, had much lower levels of toxic and cancer causing substances in their body than people who continued to use conventional cigarettes.  The research was funded by Cancer Research UK.