Help for kidneys: The new headquarters of the Irish Kidney Association in Parkwest Business Park, Dublin 12 have just been officially opened.
A centre for kidney transplant and haemodialysis patients, it will include a drop-in counselling service for patients and their families, as well as treatment and recreation rooms. A renal library will be added later this year. Donor House, which was previously in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, is now equidistant from the two biggest dialysis units in Ireland at Beaumont and Tallaght hospitals. A new six-station dialysis unit will open soon in Tullamore Hospital, Co Offaly and another five-station dialysis unit is planned for Tramore, Co Waterford. The Irish Kidney Association can be contacted at: 01 6689788.
Daffodil dividend: The Irish Cancer Society is about to expand its free specialist cancer nursing services thanks to an increase of 25 per cent of funds raised on this year's Daffodil Day. Night nurses will now be made available seven nights instead of five to families nursing a seriously ill relative with cancer at home.
Daytime and respite care services will also be expanded and the number of cancer liaison nurses in cancer hospitals will double from seven to 14. The Cancer Helpline is freefone 1800 200 700.
Age aid: According to research from the Department of General Practice at NUI Galway into sports-related knee ligament injuries, age should not be a bar to the surgical reconstruction of a damaged cruciate ligament. While most patients with the condition are young men playing Gaelic football or hurling, ruptured ligaments in older people are usually caused by skiing. Until now, older patients were more likely to be offered non-surgical conservative treatment.
Healthy targets: The Council of the European Union has approved the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Heart Plan for Europe. The ESC initiative outlines specific objectives on how the incidence of cardiovascular disease in Europe can be reduced.
Among the objectives are: the reduction of blood cholesterol in individuals to 5.0 mmol/l by 2007, the achievement of a blood pressure level of less than 140/90 mmHg in individuals under 65 years of age and the reduction of the percentage of cigarette smokers in Europe by one per cent per year.
Lifelines is compiled by Dr Muiris Houston and Sylvia Thompson.