Neurology

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As our population continues to age, the number of people with dementia is set to skyrocket, a situation that geriatric medicine researcher A/Prof Michael Woodward has likened to a ‘tsunami that’s sadly almost bearing down on us’.Dementia already affects more than 400,000 Australians and is the second-biggest cause of death, but it’s predicted that this will grow to 589,000 by 2028 and more than one million by 2058.The debilitating condition causes a decline in memory, cognition and day-to-day functioning, a distressing process both for sufferers and their loved ones.Two new medications for dementia are currently being trialled, giving hope for more effective treatment. One is a monoclonal antibody gantenerumab, designed to remove the toxic protein amyloid from the brains of people with dementia. Although earlier trials have been disappointing, a higher dose is now being trialled in several thousand participants, including at Melbourne’s Austin Hospital.

Clinical Articles iconClinical Articles

General Practitioner Dr Vivienne Miller takes a look at what’s changed in the recently updated CHA2DS2-VASC Score for the determination of stroke risk factors from atrial fibrillation.The CHA2DS2-VA Score was updated from the CHA2DS2-VASC Score last year to exclude female sex (represented by Sc) in the determination of stroke risk factors from atrial fibrillation. The two scores are identical, apart from the exclusion of female sex, which is no longer considered an outright risk factor in stroke from atrial fibrillation, but more of a ‘risk modifier’ of this complication.1General Practitioner Dr Vivienne Miller takes a look at what’s changed in the recently updated CHA2DS2-VASC Score for the determination of stroke risk factors from atrial fibrillation.The CHA2DS2-VA Score was updated from the CHA2DS2-VASC Score last year to exclude female sex (represented by Sc) in the determination of stroke risk factors from atrial fibrillation. The two scores are identical, apart from the exclusion of female sex, which is no longer considered an outright risk factor in stroke from atrial fibrillation, but more of a ‘risk modifier’ of this complication.

Upcoming Healthed Webcast

New Brain Health Guidelines – What GPs Can Do

Tuesday 4th August, 7pm - 9pm AEST

Speaker

Scientia Prof Kaarin Anstey

Psychologist; Director, UNSW Ageing Futures Institute; ARC Laureate Fellow; Senior Principal Research Scientist, NeuRA

Scientia Prof Kaarin Anstey translates the WHO's updated 2026 dementia risk-reduction guidelines changes into concrete actions for opportunistic risk assessment and targeted advice in everyday general practice.