Cardiovascular diseases affect everyone, but not equally For the last ten years, Amsterdam UMC's has studied more than 25,000 residents of Amsterdam in order to discover the genetic differences in various illnesses. High blood pressure is one of the health problems that leads to cardiovascular illnesses.
Access to Healthcare is long not an equal playing field While research from Amsterdam UMC has consistently demonstrated that migrants are more likely to have health problems than the ethnic Dutch population, there are still countless problems around the accessibility of health care: in and outside of the Netherlands. Associate professor at Amsterdam UMC, Jeanine Suurmond has spent the last 20 years researching the various barriers to the health care system. Her research shows that these barriers exist at all stages of life: at the end, in the beginning as well as throughout the various screening programmes that we all are subject to throughout our life.
Gender Equality is the basis of the future Higher rates of poverty, more mental health problems and more often the victims of violence. Women are also less likely to have access to good quality food and education. In the eyes of Tessa Roseboom, Professor of Early Development and Health at Amsterdam UMC, although "only" half of the world's population is female, gender equality affects all of us.
Knowledge is needed to prevent mental health problems Mental health problems such as depression, trauma and addiction are rising across the western world. The WHO estimated in 2019 that one in eight suffered from mental health problems. With this expected to rise in the coming years. Research from Amsterdam UMC has recently shone a light on the causes as well as the ethnic differences among those who suffer from mental health problems.
Leadless pacemakers soon available for all patients Every year more than one million people receive a pacemaker. Until now, leadless versions were only available for 20% of these patients. However, thanks to an international consortium led by Amsterdam UMC, an improved version will soon be available for all patients. The results of this clinical trial are, today, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Vegan mothers' breastmilk contains two important nutrients A vegan diet does not affect maternal breastmilk concentrations of vitamin B2 and carnitine, nutrients essential for the developing infant. These are the results of an Amsterdam UMC study, presented today at the 55th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN).
Combination therapy outperforms chemotherapy in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia Chemotherapy has been the most effective treatment to date for young and fit patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The disease is the most common form of leukaemia in the Western world, causing a substantial health burden on patients and society. It is currently incurable. Research led by researchers from Cologne University, Amsterdam UMC and Copenhagen University, now shows that a chemofree drug-combination therapy is more effective and produces fewer side effects. The results of this study are published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Cognitive behavioural therapy lessens post-viral fatigue after COVID-19 Those with post-viral fatigue after suffering from COVID-19 benefit from cognitive behavioural therapy, resulting in less fatigue and concentration problems. Lead researcher, Hans Knoop, Professor of Medical Psychology at Amsterdam UMC found that “After behavioural therapy, patients not only had less symptoms but also functioned better both physically and socially. Those improvements were still present even after six months.” Today, research from Amsterdam UMC, RadboudUMC and three other hospitals is published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Amsterdam UMC leads an AI-powered hunt for high-risk vascular patients Every year 18 million people die from cardiovascular disease. Making it the deadliest disease in the world. Currently studies focus mainly on the heart, leaving the influence of vascular disease on these large numbers of deaths often out of sight. Despite vascular disorders being a reliable indicator for death from heart disease.
