Top Health Stories of 2009: Alzheimer's test tops the Medscape list

A new test that may help detect Alzheimer's disease leads Medscape's list of top medical stories of 2009. The cognitive test examines 10 skills and can detect up to 93% of Alzheimer's cases, according to the Medscape report. The study was published June 10 in the British Medical Journal. Other stories making the list discuss a single screening question that may accurately identify unhealthy alcohol use, naproxen as the best Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory for heart-disease patients and the side effects of cholinesterase inhibitors in older aldults with dementia. Other stories concern a new ingrown toenail treatment, new sleep environment risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome, WHO guidelines for antiviral treatment of swine flu and other influenza and the American Academy of Pediatrics' revised guidelines for treatment of pediatric flu.