According to MedPage Today (4/6, Monaco, Monaco), certain “anticonvulsant mood stabilizers may increase the risk for developing type 2 diabetes (T2D),” researchers concluded in a study that analyzed commercial health insurance data from “274,206 [people] ages 20 to 65 (adults) and 74,005 [people] ages 10 to 19 years (children).” The study revealed that “among adults who initiated an anticonvulsant mood stabilizer, treatment with valproate was tied with a 1.17% higher adjusted risk difference for developing T2D over five years compared with lamotrigine (Lamictal),” whereas “carbamazepine (Tegretol) and oxcarbazepine (Trileptal, Oxtellar XR)…didn’t have the significantly higher five-year T2D risk difference compared with lamotrigine.” The findings were published online April 6 in JAMA Network Open.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (4/5) reports, “People with schizophrenia were less likely to have received a COVID-19 booster, while gaps in acquisition were greatest for the first vaccination,” researchers concluded in a study that “utilized information from the databases of Israeli health care management organization Clalit Health Services to include 34,797 participants…with schizophrenia and an equal number of matched controls.” The findings of the “retrospective cohort study” were published online March 30 in a brief report in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— “Those with schizophrenia less likely to get COVID-19 booster “Robert Herpen, Healio, April 5, 2022

Healio (4/5) reports, “While 56% of U.S. adults reported concerns about their mental health, only 29% have elected to see a professional counselor or therapist, according to survey results” derived from the “State of Mental Health…research study conducted in February 2022 by Ramsey Solutions, which surveyed 1,001 U.S. adults on three main topics: mental health, relationships and wellness.” The study’s findings were announced March 28 on the Ramsey Solutions website.

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— “Over half of US adults surveyed reported concerns about their mental health, Healio, April 5, 2022

HealthDay (4/4) reports “significantly higher average body mass index (BMI) and obesity prevalence rates were seen among U.S. adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study.” The findings published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine also revealed that “there were significantly higher rates for any exercise participation (+4.4%), average sleep hours in a 24-hour period (+1.5%), and average alcoholic drink days in the past month (+2.7%); lower rates were seen for smoking at least some days (−4%).”

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— “Body Mass Index, Obesity Up During the Pandemic for U.S. Adults, HealthDay, April 4, 2022

The AP (4/4, Stobbe) reports a study “suggests people who live with handgun owners are shot to death at a higher rate than those who don’t have such weapons at home.” Also, “the researchers found that those who lived with handgun owners had a much higher rate of being fatally shot by a spouse or intimate partner,” as “the vast majority of such victims – 84% – were women, they said.” The findings of the “study focused on nearly 600,000 Californians” were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Study finds higher homicide risk in homes with handguns “Mike Stobbe, AP, April 4, 2022