Healio (12/12) reports, “People with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia” (bvFTD) “were more likely to exhibit apathy and functional decline, even in the mildest stage of dementia, compared with patients with Alzheimer’s disease,” researchers concluded in a study that “included 866 individuals with a clinical diagnosis of bvFTD at baseline who were enrolled in the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set…between 2005 and 2019 and had one or more annual follow-ups.” The findings were published online in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Patients with frontotemporal dementia more likely to exhibit apathy, functional decline “Ken Downey Jr., Healio, December 12, 2022

USA Today (12/9, Weintraub) reported, “NFL players age nearly a decade faster than the general population and suffer from arthritis and high blood pressure as early as their 20s,” investigators concluded in a study that “compared survey results from 4,000 living former players with similar questions asked of the general public in government surveys.” The study matched players “with people of the same age, race and body mass index,” then compared the results, finding that former players were “almost 10 years ahead of the general population.” The findings were published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

HealthDay (12/9, Murez) also covered the study.

Related Links:

— “NFL players age faster than the rest of us. Harvard is researching what can be done. “Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, December 9, 2022

Psychiatric News (12/9) reported, “Experiencing multiple stressful events or chronic stress at home or at work over the course of a year raises the risk of several types of stroke,” but “having a greater sense of control over the situations and experiences that affect one’s life – a greater locus of control – may help counter the impact of stress on stroke risk,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from 26,812 participants in the INTERSTROKE study.” The findings were published online Dec. 9 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Increased Risk of Stroke Linked to Stress at Home, Work, Psychiatric News, December 9, 2022

CNN (12/8, Howard) reports, “There were about 181,806 nonfatal opioid overdoses recorded in the United States in the past year, and it’s taken about 9.8 minutes on average for emergency medical services to reach someone” who is experiencing an overdose, “according to a data dashboard that the White House debuted Thursday.” The “first-of-its-kind dashboard was developed to track nonfatal opioid overdoses, which have become a growing public health concern as the U.S. struggles with a decades-long opioid epidemic.”

The Hill (12/8, Choi) reports, “The Nonfatal Opioid Overdose Dashboard tracks rates across states and territories using information from the National EMS Information System.” This “dashboard, made in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also tracks the current percentage of patients not transported to a medical facility, the number of naloxone administration per overdose as well as the average time it takes EMS to reach a patient.”

Related Links:

— “More than 180,000 people overdosed on opioids and survived in the past year, new White House dashboard shows “Jacqueline Howard, CNN, December 8, 2022

Healio (12/8, Bascom) reports “a joint letter from six major medical organizations” including the American Psychiatric Association “calls on Congress to ensure patients can access affordable, quality health care.” The groups highlighted issues surrounding Medicare, mental health, telehealth, among others. The article adds, “According to the organizations, these issues ‘are of great concern for all patients, especially those with serious health conditions for whom delays in care are most dangerous.’” They also can “affect physicians, being ‘particularly burdensome for smaller physician practices that may not have the staff or structure to address the additional administrative work, potentially impeding access to care in underserved areas with clinician workforce shortages.’”

Related Links:

— “Top medical groups ask Congress to prioritize Medicare payments, mental health and more “Emma Bascom, Healio, December 8, 2022