MD Magazine (1/22, Rosenfeld) reports a study of over 700 women who experienced miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy found that one in six suffered from post-traumatic stress (PTSD). One month after the loss, “29% of women suffered post-traumatic stress and 24% experienced moderate to severe anxiety.” At nine months, the women who experienced ectopic pregnancy demonstrated higher PTSD, anxiety, and depression than those who had a miscarriage. The findings were published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Related Links:

— “Miscarriage Associated with High Levels of Post-Traumatic Stress, “Samara Rosenfeld, MD Magazine, January 22, 2020

MedPage Today (1/21, George) reports, “Benzodiazepines continued to be co-prescribed with opioids, despite risks that their concurrent use could lead to fatal overdose,” investigators from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics concluded in research (pdf) published online Jan. 17 in the National Health Statistics Reports. The report revealed that “from 2014 to 2016, benzodiazepines were prescribed at approximately 65.9 million office-based physician visits annually,” and “about 23 million (35%) of those office visits also involved an overlapping opioid prescription.” The study also found that “benzodiazepine prescribing rates were highest for women 65 and older,” while “women 65 and older also had the highest rate of co-prescribing, at 19 visits per 100 women.”

Related Links:

— “Opioid-Benzo Co-Prescribing Continues, Despite Risks, “Judy George, MedPage Today, January 21, 2020

HealthDay (1/21) reports, “While health problems from childhood exposure to lead and mercury are on the decline, these and other toxic chemicals continue to take a toll,” researchers concluded, finding that “exposure to other toxic chemicals – especially flame retardants and pesticides – led to more than one million cases of intellectual disability in the United States between 2001 and 2016.” Senior study author Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP, “a professor of pediatrics, environmental medicine and population health at NYU Langone,” said, “Although people argue against costly regulations, unrestricted use of these chemicals is far more expensive in the long run, with American children bearing the largest burden.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the journal Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology.

Related Links:

— “Flame Retardants, Pesticides Remain Threat to U.S. Health: Study, ” Kayla McKiski, HealthDay, January 21, 2020

Fox News (1/21, McKay) reports on its website that according to the 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, “45,390 American adults died from suicide in 2017 – the most recent available year of data collection – including 6,139 U.S. veterans.” The report “stated that the number of veteran suicides has exceeded 6,000 every single year between 2008 and 2017, and in 2017, the suicide rate for veterans was 1.5 times the rate for non-veteran adults.” The Department of Veterans Affairs “states that suicide prevention remains a primary focus,” and since 2017, the department “has been actively coordinating across its networks, as well as working in close partnership with the White House, Congress,” HHS, CDC, and local communities.

Related Links:

— “Veteran suicide rates remain alarmingly high despite years of reform, “Hollie McKay, Fox News, January 21, 2020

HealthDay (1/19, Reinberg) reported a small study published in JMIR Research Protocols suggests that “turning to Facebook for help is probably the wrong move for depressed college students.” Researchers found that out of “33 students who posted on Facebook about feelings of depression, not one was advised to reach out to a mental health professional for help.”
        
Healio (1/20, Gremigna) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Facebook Falls Short for College Kids Battling Depression, Study Finds, ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay , January 19, 2020

Medscape (1/20, McNamara, Subscription Publication) reports a study suggests “despite long-standing efforts to ban lead-based paint, some children in the United States remain at risk for the neurotoxic effects of lead exposure, particularly those living in low-income areas.” The researchers “found children living in areas with the highest risk of lead exposure scored significantly lower on cognitive tests and had lower brain volume than their counterparts who lived in areas with the lowest risk of lead exposure.” The findings were published in Nature Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Lead Exposure Risk in US Children Far From Gone, “Damian McNamara, Medscape, January 20, 2020

Medscape (1/20, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reports researchers found that “women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) could be at higher risk of developing bipolar disorder, although the risk may be mitigated by use of metformin.” The findings were published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Hikes Bipolar Disorder Risk, “Batya Swift Yasgur, Medscape, January 20, 2020

MD Magazine (1/20, Kunzmann) reports, “Poor pulmonary function may be an indication of greater dementia risk, according to an assessment of 24 previous studies observing the 2 ailments.” A team of investigators based in the UK found in systematic review data that “respiratory illness and symptoms including poor forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) were associated with notable increases to dementia risk across 11 different study results.” The study was published online in the CHEST Journal.

Related Links:

— “Poor Lung Function Linked to Dementia Risk, “Kevin Kunzmann, MD Magazine, January 20, 2020

Healio (1/16, Laday) reports, “Frequent mental distress is commonly reported among adults with arthritis across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with the highest prevalence reported in the Appalachian region and southern states,” investigators concluded after evaluating data “provided by 147,288 respondents.” The findings were published online Jan. 3 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “Mental distress highly prevalent among adults with arthritis in Appalachia, southern US, “Jason Laday, Healio, January 16, 2020

Healio (1/15, Gramigna) reports, “College students’ alcohol use behaviors may be closely related to their perceptions of the alcohol-related behaviors and attitudes of other students within their close-knit peer group,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from a sample of 1,054 college students (61% female) across 35 intact same-sex club sport teams.” The study revealed that “perceptions of peers being more approving of drinking prospectively predicted greater alcohol use frequency at later timepoints, which is indicative or conformity processes.” The findings were published online Jan. 13 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Related Links:

— “College students’ peer groups significantly influence alcohol use, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, January 15, 2020