The Daily Telegraph du lieu suivant : London, Greater London, England • 17

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1995 17 Longer life is blighted by years of ill health By David Fletcher, Health Services Correspondent MEN and women are living much longer but their extra years are increasingly spent in poor health. according to new Government figures. A report issued vesterday shows that, at the age of 65. women can expect another 18 years of life and men another 13 but they will enjoy good health only during half those vears. "The extra vears of life gained by the elderly are extra years with a says a report the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.

It shows that life expectancy for both men and increased steadily throughout the 1970s and 1980s but there was little increase in the years spent in FLU CASES RISE THE outbreak of flu is continuing to get worse and levels are now higher than in most winters, the College of General Practitioners said yesterday. writes David Fletcher. The College's flu research unit said there were 178 cases per 100,000 population last week about 90,000 people compared with 138 the previous week. The unit's director, Dr Douglas Fleming, said the rise was among all ages and in all parts of Britain. He added: "The rate is higher than many winters but still below the 1993 rate of 235." The outbreak is at its worst in the Midlands where the rate from 165 to 213 cases rose, 100,000 the first region to exceed 200, widely regarded as marking an epidemic.

The south of England is rapidly catching up with 168 cases last week. The North has the lowest levels at 144. Charing Cross Hospital. London, has cancelled routine surgery and is taking only urgent and emergency cases, because of staff sickness. good health.

Karen Dunnell, a statistician and author of the report. said: 'It is a depressing finding. We are living longer but there is no evidence that the extra vears gained are years of there were a number of indicators of disability in old age. The incidence of people suffering strokes, for example. was constant but mortality had halved in recent vears.

Arthritis and rheumatism were rarely shown as a cause of death but they were the major cause of lack of mobility in elderly people. Blindness and deafness were also associated with increasing age. She said better medical techniques were also enabling more people to survive cancer and heart disease the two major causes of A death. Increasing numbers of people are overweight. the report savs.

Sixteen per cent of women were officially classified as obese in 1993. compared with eight per cent a in 1980. and 30 per cent were judged overweight pared with 24 per cecom. over the same period. More young people, especially girls.

are smoking. By the age of sixteen. almost 30 per cent of teenagers are smokers. Four out of 10 girls aged 16-19 from parents in unskilled or semijobs are now smokers. Asthma is increasing among children and by the age of 20.

30 per cent of children have experienced asthma. Although mortality rates in general improving. they are worsening among those aged 20-44. largely because of deaths from Aids and higher levels of suicide. On the positive side.

mortality from heart disease and stroke is falling. cancer of the stomach. large intestine. rectum and cervix is declining. dental health is improving and smoking is falling in older adults.

Ms Dunnell said the only answer question "Are we was that some things were better. some worse and some had staved the same. Payout over riot flight A WOMAN tourist who was London. asked to be flown to flown into Los Angeles dur- San Francisco but was ing the 1992 riots has won charged extra for the trip. £1.100 in compensation from She later complained to Virgin airlines.

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NEWS Moments before he collapsed, Michael Jackson had been rehearsing with mime artist Marcel Marceau for a weekend television show Women wait 15 years for evening primrose se plaudits order. may be deficient in essential By David Fletcher fatty acids. They claimed in 1981 that children benefited after being Health Services Correspondent given EFA supplements such as noticed by the two British women. evening primrose oil and said many notably thirst. frequent urination of them did exceptionally well.

skin. Researchers from the Depart- Blood analysis confirmed defiment of Food and Nutrition at Pur- ciencies of three types of essential due University in America have fatty acid in the hyperactive found evidence that many hyper- children. active children do suffer from The findings. which credit the essential fatty acid deficiency. two women for their 1981 paper.

They found that 40 per cent of the are published in the American Jour52 hyperactive children in the study nal of Clinical Nutrition. clearly showed EFA deficiency. A spokesman for Efamol. one of displaving the same symptoms the leading companies which markets evening primrose oil supple- fish oil. taken largely by people to ments.

said: 'This is a major devel- alleviate the painful symptoms of opment in research on hyperactiv- arthritis. and sales exceeded ity and shows that lay people can £50 million for the first time this still make important contributions rear. to science and be proved right even The supplement taken by chilwhen all the experts say they are dren In the American study wrong. included evening primrose oil. fish Sales of evening primrose oil.

oil and other essential fatty acids. first marketed in 1979 to help The researchers said that chilwomen with pre- tension dren used to obtain these beneficial and those suffering the -effects nutrients from eggs and fish liver of the menopause. are now worth oils but. as consumption of these £25 5 million a year. foods had fallen over the vears.

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A Jackson bodyguard said the singer had been earlier suffering this from week. there had been rehearsing all day for the show, Michael One Night Only, Jacksonto be seen on Sunday and "was probably AP A 75-YEAR-OLD woman and her daughter who claimed nearly 15 years ago that hyperactive children could be helped by evening primrose oil were backed by American researchers vesterdav. Claims by Vicky Colquhoun. now a great -grandmother. and Sally Bundav.

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