Physicians Define Type Of Dementia Similar To Alzheimer’s

The AP (4/30, Neergaard) reports that “some people told they have Alzheimer’s may instead have a newly identified mimic of the disease.” It is unclear “how many people have this particular type” of dementia, “which an international team of scientists defined Tuesday in the journal Brain.”

CNN (4/30, Nedelman) reports, “The disease, called LATE, may often mirror the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, though it affects the brain differently and develops more slowly than Alzheimer’s.” According to CNN, “The acronym LATE stands for limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy.” This “full name refers to the area in the brain most likely to be affected, as well as the protein at the center of it all.”

HealthDay (4/30, Norton) reports that “LATE mainly affects people older than 80, the experts explained.” HealthDay adds that “it may account for about 17% of all cases of dementia.”

Also covering the story are The Guardian (UK) (4/30, Devlin), BBC News Online (UK) (4/30, Roberts), the Telegraph (UK) (4/30, Knapton), MedPage Today (4/30, George), and Science News (4/30, Sanders).

Related Links:

— “It seems like Alzheimer’s but peek into brain shows a mimic, “LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP, April 30, 2019

CMS considering forcing drug companies to disclose list prices in television ads

The Wall Street Journal (4/29, Subscription Publication) reports the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is considering a rule which would mandate that drug companies show the list prices of prescription medications while advertising the drugs on television. Although the proposed rule is largely supported by consumers, the pharmaceutical industry opposes it, partly because list prices often do not reflect what consumers typically pay for the drugs after rebates and insurance.

Related Links:

— “Should Drug Prices Be Disclosed in Ads Targeted Directly to Consumers?,, April 29, 2019

Autism Detection Possible As Early As 14 Months Of Age, Research Suggests

CNN (4/29, Howard) reports findings from a study of 1,300 toddlers “suggest that autism detection and diagnosis can start as young as 14 months old with high accuracy, which could lead to children with autism having the option to start therapies early.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

HealthDay (4/29, Gordon) reports “the study found that 84% of those diagnosed early still met the criteria for having an autism spectrum disorder when they were re-evaluated at 3 years of age,” while “the remaining 16% thought to have an autism spectrum disorder early in life, most were later found to have a language or other developmental delay.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune (4/29) reports “if results are confirmed by independent research, this would be the earliest age this has proven feasible.” The study was “funded in part, by the National Institute of Mental Health.”

Related Links:

— “When to screen for autism? New study suggests as young as 14 months, “Jacqueline Howard, CNN, April 29, 2019

Research Indicates Youth Suicide Rates Reached 19-Year High Following Release Of TV Show Depicting Teen Girl’s Suicide

The AP (4/29, Tanner) reports a study showed “suicides among U.S. kids aged 10 to 17 jumped to a 19-year high in the month following the release of a popular TV series that depicted a girl ending her life,” called “13 Reasons Why.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Though the study does not prove the show is the cause of the spike, “there were 195 more youth suicides than would have been expected in the nine months following the show’s March 2017 release, given historical and seasonal suicide trends, the study estimates.” Meanwhile, “Lisa Horowitz, a co-author and researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health, noted that suicide is the second leading cause of death for U.S. teens and called it ‘a major public health crisis.’”

Reuters (4/29, Serjeant) reports “the TV show was associated with a 28.9 percent increase in suicide rates among U.S. youth ages 10-17 in April 2017, the…study said.”

Related Links:

— “Study: Kids’ suicides spiked after Netflix’s ’13 Reasons’, “Lindsey Tanner, AP, April 29, 2019

Fatal Overdoses Rise Among Young Americans

HealthDay (4/25, Reinberg) reports on a study published online in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs which found that overdoses in people aged 15 through 24 rose from “eight in every 100,000 people” in 2006 “to nearly 10 per 100,000 in 2015.” Among this age demographic, “death rates from prescription painkillers and opioids including heroin increased nearly 5% on average each year from 2006 to 2015, but jumped by more than 15% each year from 2013 to 2015.”

Related Links:

— “Fatal Drug ODs Surging Among Young Americans, ” Steven Reinberg, Healthday, April 25, 2019

Repeated Exposure To Explicit Violent Content May Exacerbate Fear About Future Traumatic Events, Researchers Say.

Reuters (4/25, Rapaport) reports that in the aftermath of “violent events like mass shootings or natural disasters, people who watch the most media coverage of the story are more likely to show post-traumatic stress symptoms months later,” researchers concluded. For the study, investigators “repeatedly surveyed more than 4,000 U.S. adults who hadn’t been involved in” either the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing or the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, FL. The study revealed that “repeated exposure to explicit violent content may exacerbate fear about future traumatic events, which in turn fuels more consumption of media coverage about the next bombing or shooting.” The findings were published online April 17 in the journal Science Advances.

Related Links:

— “News coverage of violent events may contribute to ‘cycle of distress’, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, April 25, 2019

Bipartisan Lawmakers Introduce Bill Addressing Veteran Suicides

The Washington Times (4/24, Meier) reports that a bipartisan group of legislators will introduce a new bill addressing “a recent spate of high-profile veteran suicides and an uptick in suicide rates.” The bill “will require a review of the current training, workload and staffing at VA centers,” after three military veterans died of suicide on VA properties in Georgia and Texas “over the span of five days earlier this month.” Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-NY), one of the lawmakers responsible for the bill, said, “Twenty veterans die by suicide every day. This is wrong and unacceptable, and we must do more.”

Related Links:

— “Lawmakers roll out new bill to stop veteran suicides on VA properties, “Lauren Meier, The Washington Times, April 24, 2019

Certain Women May Be More Susceptible To PTSD Than Others, Study Suggests

Science Daily (4/23) reports new research suggests women “with the dissociative subtype of PTSD, a serious variant of the disorder that can disrupt one’s sense of self and surroundings,” may be more prone to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than others. Researchers from the University of Missouri found these women “experienced a more pronounced alteration in both cortisol and oxytocin levels, indicating the body’s stress-response system functioned less effectively in these women.” The findings were published in the Archives of Psychiatric Nursing.

Related Links:

— “Some women could be more susceptible to PTSD than others, according to new study, Science Daily, April 23, 2019

In Small Study, Half Of Initial Diagnoses Of Schizophrenia Found To Be Inaccurate Upon Further Review

MD Magazine (4/23, Kunzmann) reports, “A retroactive analysis of patients referred to a psychiatry consultation clinic often by primary care physicians with an initial schizophrenia diagnosis found that about half of all such diagnoses were inaccurate upon further review,” researchers reported after conducting “a retroactive chart review of 78 patients who has been referred…with an early psychosis diagnosis.” The study revealed that “the most common patients to be misdiagnosed with schizophrenia were in their teens and 20s with symptoms of anxiety.” The findings were published in the March issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Practice.

Related Links:

— “Patients Are Commonly Misdiagnosed with Schizophrenia, “Kevin Kunzmann, MD Magazine, April 23, 2019

Prevention Programs, Other Interventions During And After Pregnancy May Decrease Number, Severity Of Manic Episodes In Women At High Risk For Bipolar Disorder, Researchers Say

Healio (4/23, Demko) reports, “Implementing prevention programs and other interventions during and after pregnancy may decrease the number and severity of manic episodes in women at high risk for bipolar disorder, according to a personal view published” online April 9 in The Lancet Psychiatry. Verinder Sharma, MBBS, of the departments of psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology at Western University, and the Parkwood Institute, London, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues wrote, “The postpartum period is ideally suited for primary and secondary prevention of bipolar disorder.” They added, “Women are routinely under the care of health professionals during and after pregnancy. Some of the putative risk factors of bipolar disorder such as sleep loss, substance use, and use of antidepressants or psychostimulants can be easily targeted.”

Related Links:

— “Early intervention key for postpartum women at risk for bipolar disorder, “Savannah Demko, Healio, April 23, 2019