Medscape (11/22, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reported, “Longer cumulative use of medication to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is associated with a small, but statistically significant, increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), results of a large Swedish nested case-control study suggest.” Published in JAMA Psychiatry, the study found “the increased risk was evident only for hypertension and arterial disease, was dose-dependent, and was higher for stimulant than nonstimulant AD/HD medications.”

MedPage Today (11/22, DePeau-Wilson) reported researchers “found that through the entire follow-up period, each 1-year increase in use of AD/HD drugs was tied to a 4% increased risk of CVD…and the corresponding increase for the first 3 years was 8%. … They said they saw similar results when looking at children or youth and adults separately.”

Cardiovascular Business (11/22, Walter) also reported.

Related Links:

— “ADHD medications associated with heightened CVD risk,” Michael Walter, Cardiovascular Business, November 22, 2023

The Washington Post (11/22, Malhi) said, “Drug overdose deaths among pregnant and postpartum people soared significantly between 2018 and 2021, according to a report published Wednesday.” National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) researchers “collected and analyzed data on more than 17,000 deaths, including people who were pregnant or who had been pregnant within the past year. They found that the ratio of overdose deaths more than tripled in pregnant and postpartum women ages 35 to 44, the team reports in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.”

The Hill (11/22, Robertson) reported the study found “the rate of overdoses increased from 4.9 per 100,000 women between the ages 35-44 to 15.8 in 2021, the NIH said.” The researchers “said the increasing overdose rate could signal that there are still significant barriers to addiction treatment among vulnerable populations.”

Also reporting were HealthDay (11/22, Miller), STAT (11/22, Merelli, Subscription Publication), and Psychiatric News (11/22).

Related Links:

— “Overdose deaths in pregnant, postpartum women tripled in as many years: NIH,” Nick Robertson, The Hill, November 22, 2023

The American Journal of Managed Care (11/24, Jeremias) reported a study “clarified the interconnected relationship between functional impairment, quality of life (QOL), and depressive symptoms in patients with psoriasis and PsA [psoriatic arthritis], highlighting the need for…more patient-centered approaches to address the residual burden of disease and improve patient satisfaction with health.”

The study “suggested that depression is often underdiagnosed and undertreated in patients with psoriatic disease, emphasizing the need for improved screening and access to mental health services.”

The findings were published in Rheumatology and Therapy.

Related Links:

— “Study Finds Link Between Depression, Functional Impairment in Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis,” Skylar Jeremias, American Journal of Managed Care, November 24, 2023

RevCycle Intelligence (11/21, LaPointe) reports, “A new analysis of data from over 1,300 hospitals and health systems by Syntellis Performance Solutions and the American Hospital Association…found a nearly 56% increase in Medicare Advantage denials from January 2022 to July 2023.” In “that period, commercial denials also increased for hospitals nationwide.” These denials increased “by about 20%.”

Related Links:

— “Medicare Advantage Denials Jump 56%, Commercial Denials 20%,”Jacqueline LaPointe , RevCycle Intelligence , November 21, 2023

HealthDay (11/21, Miller) says that a study indicated that “teen boys who reported two or more concussions in the past year were two times more likely to report a suicide attempt than those who had one concussion.” Meanwhile, “girls’ odds for suicidal behaviors were similar regardless of concussion history.” The researchwas published in the Journal of Athletic Training.

Related Links:

— “Teens With Multiple Concussions Face Higher Risk of Suicidal Thoughts,”Carole Tanzer Miller, HealthDay, November 21, 2023