NBC News (1/5, Bellamy) reported, “According to a study…Black children and teens who experience racial discrimination online may develop symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder.” Investigators “found that children and teens who experienced racism online were more likely to report PTSD symptoms, and that those who developed PTSD symptoms were more likely to report suicidal thoughts,” but “they didn’t find that experiencing online racism directly led to an increased likelihood of suicidal thoughts.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Online racism is linked to PTSD symptoms in Black youth, study finds,” Claretta Bellamy, NBC News, January 5, 2024

HCP Live (1/4, Derman) reports, “Hearing loss is associated with an increased risk of dementia, but hearing aids are linked with reducing the risk, according to a new study.” The findings were published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.

Related Links:

— “Hearing Loss Linked with Increased Risk of Dementia,” Chelsie Derman, HCP Live, January 4, 2024

Neurology Advisor (1/4) reports, “Excessive television watching is associated with an increased risk for dementia, Parkinson disease, and depression,” although “non-worked-related moderate computer use is tied to a lower risk for dementia,” according to a study. The findings were published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Related Links:

— “TV Watching Duration May Impact Risk for Dementia, PD, and Depression,” Jessica Nye, PhD, Neurology Advisor, January 4, 2024

The Washington Post (1/23, Johnson ) reports that for some patients with a variant of Alzheimer’s disease “called posterior cortical atrophy, the disease begins with problems affecting vision rather than memory. The unusual early symptoms mean that thousands of people may go years before receiving the correct diagnosis, experts said.” However, “that may change with the first large-scale international study of the condition, published Monday in the journal Lancet Neurology.”

The researchers “found that, on average, the syndrome begins affecting patients at age 59 – about five to six years earlier than most patients with the more common form of Alzheimer’s.” They “say that the variant may account for as many as 10 percent of all Alzheimer’s cases; that would put the number of Americans with the condition close to 700,000.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

CNN (1/3, Dillinger) reports the FDA “is evaluating reports of side effects such as hair loss and suicidal thoughts in people taking” weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy. The agency “is ‘evaluating the need for regulatory action’ after its FDA Adverse Event Reporting System or FAERS received reports of alopecia, or hair loss; aspiration, or accidentally breathing in things like food or liquid; and suicidal ideation in people using these medications.”

The article notes that “some research has linked GLP-1 agonists to serious digestive problems such as stomach paralysis, pancreatitis and bowel obstructions, although the risks of these events appear to be rare.”

Related Links:

— “FDA looking into reports of hair loss, suicidal thoughts in people using popular drugs for diabetes and weight loss,” Katherine Dillinger, CNN, January 4, 2024