Healio (9/18, Herpen) reports, “Individuals who sustained at least one head injury saw an increased risk for developing cognitive issues over a 30-year period compared to those who did not, according to” the findings presented in a poster at the American Neurological Association annual meeting. After examining “cognition in 11,677 individuals, with 2,110 having a recorded prior head injury,” investigators found that people “who sustained a head injury were at significantly increased risk for cognitive change after 30 years.”

Related Links:

— “Prior head injury linked to higher risk for cognitive change over 30 years,”Robert Herpen, Healio, September 18, 2023

According to HealthDay (9/18, Mundell), “seniors who develop dementia begin to lose their wealth in the eight years before a definitive diagnosis,” according to findings published online in a research letter in JAMA Neurology. Examining “medical records, researchers compared the financial health of two groups of participants: One group of about 5,400 people whose mental capacity (and that of their spouse) remained stable throughout those two decades, and another group of nearly 2,700 people where dementia was probable and then at some point definitively diagnosed.” The study revealed that “in the years leading up to a dementia diagnosis, average net worth fell by more than half.”

Related Links:

— “Older Americans’ Finances Decline in Years Before Dementia Diagnosis,”Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, September 18, 2023

Healio (9/18, Herpen) reports, “Patients with a psychotic-spectrum disorder may be more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease” (PD), “especially if they have an additional diagnosis of anxiety,” investigators concluded in a case-control study that examined “the prevalence of psychotic-spectrum disorders before development of PD in a cohort of Kaiser Permanente members in northern California, as well as the prevalence of comorbid anxiety or depression before PD diagnosis.” The study, which included “13,998 patients, including 3,501 with Parkinson’s disease,” revealed that the “odds of a PD diagnosis were 76% higher among those with a psychotic-spectrum disorder.” The findings were presented at the American Neurological Association annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Odds of PD diagnosis significantly higher among those with psychotic-spectrum disorders,”Robert Herpen, Healio, September 18, 2023

PatientEngagementHIT (9/15, Heath) reported, “The appointment scheduling process is proving not ideal, especially for Spanish-speaking or limited English proficiency (LEP) patients, according to data from RAND.” Published in Health Affairs, the study “showed that it’s harder for Spanish-speaking patients to get to the appointment scheduling process with front office staff in safety-net behavioral health clinics, let alone book the spot.” Rather, “Spanish-speaking patients are more likely than their White peers to be hung up on or told that nobody in the clinic could help them, posing serious barriers to treatment, the secret shopper survey showed.”

Related Links:

— “Appointment Scheduling Fixes Needed for LEP Patient Access,” Sara Heath, PatientEngagementHIT, September 15, 2023

Psychiatric News (9/15) reported, “Youth who are cyberbullied or cyberbully others may be more likely to report disordered eating behaviors than those who are not involved with such bullying,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from 10,258 participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development” study. The findings were published online Sept. 6 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Cyberbullying Linked to Eating Disorder Symptoms in Youth, Psychiatric News, September 15, 2023