Free Republic

HAVING to get up in the middle of the night to pee could mean you have high blood pressure, scientists have discovered. The risk is raised by 40 per cent by trips to the loo. And the more times you get up, the higher the chance. High blood pressure can lead to heart attacks and strokes if left untreated. More than one in four adults in the UK have high blood pressure, although many won't realise it. Dr Satoshi Konno of Japan’s Tohoku Rosai Hospital, which quizzed 3,749 people, warned sufferers to cut salt intake. Compared to western countries, people...

The human cost of the region’s over-stretched health service has been laid bare as it was revealed almost 1,200 operations were cancelled in the last year at Norfolk’s flagship hospital for non-clinical reasons. A shortage of beds was the main reason for the cancellations, which does little to allay fears that the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is stretched to breaking point. The statistics, which were obtained under a Freedom of Information request, showed some months experienced a much higher number of cancelled operations than others. In January there were 256 cancellations, going down to just 33 in August and...