Monthly Archives: October 2012
Doctors say more MRI scanners would help MS patients
Doctors say more MRI scanners would help MS patients
Page last updated at 09:54 GMT, Wednesday, 10 October 2012 10:54 UK
By Maddii Lown
Newsbeat reporter 
Doctors want more to be done to speed up the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
Around 2,500 people are diagnosed with MS every year with about half of those thought to be between 18 and 30.
The MS Society says it has noticed an increase in calls to its help-line from people worried about symptoms of the disease.
Common MS symptoms
- Double or blurred vision
- Numbness or tingling in any part of the body
- Tiredness
- Temporary blindness
- Fatigue and dizziness
- Distortion or loss of sense of touch
- Limb weakness, spasticity and pain
- Incontinence
- Constipation
- Cognitive impairment
The Department of Health says 90% are diagnosed using MRI scans and that they are working on how best to improve diagnosis.
It comes after a report by the Neurological Alliance which says people with neurological conditions are waiting too long for a diagnoses.
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg backs EDP Ambulance Watch campaign
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has lent his backing to the EDP Ambulance Watch campaign and urged readers to share their experiences of the service to create the ‘fullest possible picture’ of the problems in Norfolk.
Daniel Grimmer Wednesday, October 10, 2012
9:09 AM
The Liberal Democrat leader described the campaign as an example of exactly the sort of issue local newspapers should be tackling, during a visit to the county yesterday.
Mr Clegg was on private visits to Norfolk to meet Liberal Democrat members in north Norfolk and Norwich, and to lend support to two of his party’s MPs.
But, in an interview with the EDP, at the King’s Head pub in Letheringsett, he revealed the frustrations of being in a coalition government, how he believes a compromise can be reached on the so-called mansion tax, how he hopes Norwich South MP Simon Wright’s re-election chances will not be damaged by the tuition fees controversy and how he believes local newspapers have a crucial role to play in holding organisations to account.
GPs key to spotting signs of stress in carers
By Stephen Robinson, 09 October 2012
GPs should be alert to signs of stress and psychological harm in patients who are carers because they rarely discuss these issues in consultations, researchers have said.
Stress: many carers face phenomenal pressure
Interviews with family members of young people with psychosis have revealed the ‘phenomenal’ stress they face, yet many do not identify themselves as carers to their GP. Researchers said this means many fail to seek help for the trauma associated with their caring role.
Lead author Dr Anna Lavis of the University of Birmingham told GP that carers need to be identified earlier to get the support they need. ‘Listening is probably the key thing we’re thinking about – no complex intervention, nothing expensive,’ she said.
Researchers interviewed 72 carers as part of a continuing five-year project that will run until 2015. These included partners, friends, mothers, fathers, grandparents and siblings. Early findings were presented at the Society for Academics in Primary Care conference.
The ’emotional and powerful’ interviews showed the burden associated with caring for a person with psychosis.
