According to USA Today (2/10, Szabo), a 5,200-patient study published online Feb. 10 in the New England Journal of Medicine and supported by National Institute on Aging reveals that “dementia rates fell steadily over the past four decades, most likely due to declining rates of heart disease.” The biggest decline was seen in rates of vascular dementia, “although rates of Alzheimer’s disease also fell.” The study’s findings were based on data collected from the Framingham Heart Study.

The New York Times (2/11, A14, Belluck, Subscription Publication) reports that the study “provides the strongest evidence to date that a more educated population and better cardiovascular health are contributing to a decline in new dementia cases over time, or,” at a minimum, are “helping more people stave off dementia for longer.” Both findings “suggest that the long-term cost of dementia care may not be as devastatingly expensive as policy makers had predicted.” Nevertheless, “the actual number of dementia patients will increase because” aging baby boomers are “living longer.”

Related Links:

— “Study finds dementia rates falling steadily,” Liz Szabo, USA Today, February 11, 2016.

Medscape (2/9, Brooks) reports that once again, the Food and Drug Administration is “proposing to reclassify electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) from a high-risk to a low-risk intervention,” a change which “the American Psychiatric Association (APA) is encouraging its members to support.” In a blog post, APA CEO and medical director Saul Levin, MD, MPA and APA president Renée Binder, MD, wrote, “[I]t is so important for psychiatrists to take the lead in expressing their views in regard to the role that ECT plays in clinical practice and in the treatment of major depressive disorder.” In an interview with Medscape, Dr. Binder said, “Psychiatrists are in the position of knowing about ECT, and they should provide comments on this issue.” The agency’s “draft guidance on the proposed reclassification and a link for posting comments can be accessed online” here.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

According to the Washington Post (2/9, Johnson) “Wonkblog,” a research letter published online Feb. 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that “guns, drugs and motor vehicle crashes account for half of the life-expectancy gap between men in the United States and other high-income countries.” While the US spends more per person on healthcare than any other nation, life expectancy in the US “trails that of people in other high-income countries.”

The AP (2/9, Tanner) reports the findings strengthen “the argument that improving US life expectancy will require addressing premature deaths among younger ages, said Jessica Ho, a Duke University sociologist.” Ho said buttressing “gun laws, making safer cars and addressing the root causes of drug use, including income inequality, are among policies that might help.”

Bloomberg News (2/9, Tozzi) reports that “political realities make bridging the chasm between European and US laws unlikely” regarding gun violence. Nevertheless, “some American firearm deaths could be avoided by encouraging safer gun storage.” Deaths from illicit drugs and prescription medications may also “be affected by looser US practices in prescribing opioids, according to the JAMA report.”

HealthDay (2/9, Preidt) reports that under the pilot 24/7 Sobriety Program launched in South Dakota in 2005, offenders “must undergo breathalyzer tests twice a day or wear bracelets that continuously check for alcohol.” Individuals “who skip or fail the tests are immediately jailed for a short time.” The study, conducted by RAND Corp. researchers, found that “the largest reductions occurred among causes of death linked with excessive drinking.”

Related Links:

— “Three very American reasons we’re still so unhealthy,” Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post, February 9, 2016.

The AP (2/10, Marcelo) reports that “organizations that work with refugees said it’s too early to assess the full scope of” Syrian “arrivals’ mental health needs.” Some “experts estimate 10 to 20 percent of incoming Syrians will have war-related psychological problems warranting treatment.” For that reason, “experts say it’s important to keep tabs on the emotional state of new arrivals, since symptoms may not appear until months or years later.” The stresses of finding employment, “adjusting to a new culture or dealing with life apart from family” may also “contribute to mental health problems, said” Bengt Arnetz, MD, PhD, MPH, “a professor at Michigan State University who has been studying trauma in Middle Eastern refugees.”

Related Links:

— “REFUGEE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS COULD OVERWHELM, EXPERTS FEAR,” Philip Marcello, Associated Press, February 10, 2016.

Medscape (2/9, Brown) reports, “The numbers of men and women in medical school and medical residency programs are approximately equal, but the proportion of women in leadership positions in nine major clinical specialties is much lower,” research published in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology suggests. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after searching “the websites of 950 academic departments of nine specialties to determine the gender of department-based leaders (chair, vice chair, and division director) and residency program directors” in the specialties of “anesthesiology, diagnostic radiology, general surgery, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, pathology, pediatrics, and psychiatry.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)