New Zealand Listener - 09.07,2019

SEPTEMBER 7 2019 LISTENER

NUTRITION

How to boost

vitamin B12 intake

without eating

animal products

38

FOOD

The versatile carrot

adds colour and

a nutritional kick

to your cooking

40

SPORT

Bowler Jofra Archer

has commentators

reaching for

superlatives

44

Y

ork, who is president of the Haemophilia

Foundation of New Zealand, is one of a

growing number of men who are living with

• rather than dying from – haemophilia. Advances

in treatment since the 1960s mean that men with

haemophilia are now surviving into old age, creat-

ing a new set of challenges.

“We have more over-65 people living with

haemophilia than ever before, and they are the first

group who are living with haemophilia as well as

the regular changes of ageing,” says York.

These changes include things such as loss of bal-

ance that can lead to falls, which can have serious

consequences for someone with haemophilia, and

cognitive decline that may mean they forget to take

their medication. Some of these older men are also

part of the group whose health was compromised

after they contracted hepatitis C – and in some

HEALTH BRIEFS

GE

TT

Y

IM

AG

ES

HELPING HAND

A review of 70 previous studies,

including some from New

Zealand, has found that specialised

psychological programmes for

sexual- and domestic-violence

offenders can reduce reoffending

by up to 36%. The review, carried

out by a team of psychologists

from the UK and Canada, found

that the best results are achieved

with consistent, hands-on input

from a qualified psychologist, as

well as clinical supervision of the

staff facilitating the programmes.

SMOKE SIGNALS

Quitting smoking can reduce the

risk of heavy smokers developing

cardiovascular disease by 39%

within five years, but it can take

up to 25 years before their risk

is the same as those who have

never smoked, according to a

study in the Journal of the Ameri-

can Medical Association. Smoking

is responsible for 20% of deaths

from cardiovascular disease in

the US, which includes those

from heart attacks and strokes.

GREEN GRASS OF HOME

Living within 300m of a green

space can significantly improve

mental well-being. And,

according to a British study

published in Applied Geography,

the bigger the space, the better.

It found that every additional

hectare of green space within

300m of where people lived

increased their life satisfaction by

8% and their happiness by 5%.

Younger people with

haemophilia don’t

always appreciate

how serious it is.

cases HIV – from contaminated blood

products before routine testing of

donated blood began in 1992.

But the biggest health challenge

facing older men with haemophilia

is the severe joint pain and limited

mobility caused by what’s known as

haemophilic arthropathy – damage,

similar to arthritis, caused by bleeding

into the joints, particularly the ankle

joints.

“The blood breaks down the carti-

lage around the joints, so it ends up

being bone on bone,” says York. “It

can affect any joint, but the ankles

bear so much weight it’s hard to

escape damage to the ankle joints.”

The foundation is now develop-

ing ways of supporting these men. In

the Wellington region, for example,

a “masters” group gets together regu-

larly to do physiotherapy exercises.

York has some damage to his ankle

joints, which means he sometimes

walks with a limp. However, better

treatment means the generation

behind him is less likely to experience

joint damage. As welcome as this

change is, York says, it’s something of a

double-edged sword, because younger

people with haemophilia don’t always

appreciate how serious it is.

“They can forget that they’re living

with a chronic disease that

has the potential to be

fatal. A kid today

can feel quite

invincible and

ready to take on

anything, but

they can still have

brain bleeds that

can lead to early

death.” l