April sees the London mayoral elections looming and the rhetoric has certainly stepped up in recent weeks. As Aurora writes this, Boris has been campaigning in Surbiton and is hammering home the message that Londoners are most concerned about crime whilst Ken is announcing, “Don't vote for a joke, vote for London.” Surprisingly, health has not been a significant battle ground for either candidate but the issue of local services for local people remains a topical point.

However, healthcare and politics remain intrinsically linked as this month's news shows. Aurora and Advocate, our public affairs partner, are able to deliver integrated communication campaigns that address both the political and media elements of health issues and the top 20 keeps our finger on the media pulse. Read on for more information about this month's health news.

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Two topics burst into the top 20 in April; cholesterol-related issues and skin cancer. Despite summer being just around the corner (hopefully), the latter did not focus on exposure to the sun, but rather the damage posed by sunbeds. Six topics were re-entries, ranging from diabetes to arthritis. In total, new and re-entries accounted for 40% of the latest chart, which indicates that a large proportion of March's topics did not continue to hold editorial interest in April. Among the upward movers, Alzheimer's Disease climbed the chart 13 positions and heart disease jumped by six places.  Cancer, smoking-related issues, fertility, embryo research and depression/anxiety all dropped down the chart by a significant number of places.

Below we explore some of this month's hot topics in more detail.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) stormed up the chart, partly from the news that caffeine may play a role in neurological disorders and that a cup of coffee a day may lower the risk of developing AD. The protective power of caffeine may be attributable to its ability to block cholesterol from crossing the blood-brain barrier as high levels of cholesterol pose a risk factor for AD.  The link between nutrition and AD continued with news from the University of Aberdeen that individuals who ate diets rich in fish oils performed better in intelligence tests later in life. A report in The Archives of General Psychiatry and The Daily Telegraph suggested that depression increased the risk of AD, as evidenced by a study of Catholic clergy. The suggestion was supported by a Dutch study reported in Neurology. Dr. Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said: "More research is needed to clarify the relationship between dementia and depression and determine whether depression causes changes in the brain that make dementia more likely." AD was also discussed in relation to the human-animal embryo debate, as it was suggested that this type of research may help to tackle such diseases.  An MP report covered in The Observer claimed that vulnerable patients with AD are being unnecessarily drugged to control their behaviour and the report suggested that their medication should be reviewed every three months to avoid unnecessary sedation.

Diabetes development in middle age was claimed to be a risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph. However, help may be at hand with reports that T'ai Chi, the concept of the ‘Supreme Ultimate', may be the way forward for individuals with diabetes, according to research from Taiwan. Apparently, use of the deep breathing technique can help to control blood sugar levels and boost the body's immune system in people with diabetes.  It was also reported that Primary Care Trusts may be given the option to commission diabetes management services (and others) to high street pharmacists. Health Minister Ben Bradshaw was quoted saying, "As 99% of the population can get to a pharmacy within 20 minutes, everyone will benefit from more types of treatment available through local pharmacies who can prescribe more, advise more and deal with more." The Tories questioned the Government's ability to deliver such ‘New Contract' initiatives.

Skin cancer blazed into the media in April, mainly with stories about the risk posed by sunbeds, especially to the young. The story gained a strong human interest angle with an article in The Guardian discussing a 13-year old boy who recently suffered severe burns from tanning himself three times in one day; the paper later reported Department of Health deliberations to introduce tougher regulations in this area. Later in the month, The Sunbed Association, a trade body, launched its own proposal for dealing with the issue and recommended banning all children under the age of 18 from using sunbeds. Perhaps self-regulation will keep state intervention at bay? Other stories reported that developing a melanoma on the scalp or neck has a higher associated risk of death compared to developing a cancerous lesion on the arms or legs. According to the World Health Organization, about 48,000 melanoma-related deaths occur worldwide per year.

MRSA re-entered the chart in April, with patient-based stories securing column inches. In terms of tackling the issue, it was suggested that stitches and dressings laced with bacterial-killing viruses may help to address the ongoing MRSA problem. Research from Louisiana State University was reported in a number of papers which indicated that alligator blood may contain powerful antibiotic properties that can be used to fight MRSA.  In relation to this topic, Professor Paul Williams, an expert in microbiology, said that, "Lots of them have never made it into the clinic"; Aurora hopes that he was referring to new antibodies rather than alligators.

And finally, a study of children reported in Early Childhood Research Quarterly and The Daily Express suggested that talking to yourself aids concentration. Aurora hopes that this trend continues well into adulthood as 'solo-chatting' can often be observed in our office....

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Aurora strives to apply quantitative, qualitative and emotional understanding of health issues to client communication programmes. Dove-tailing informed PR activity with the media's appetite enables us to assist clients with communicating their vision.

To find out more, contact Neil Crump or Claire Eldridge on 020 7424 7940. 

The top 20 chart provides our interpretative snap-shot of health stories in the national press and is based upon a quantitative process. Analysis based on news from the 26 March to 25 April 2008.