Cardiovascular Business (5/12, Walter) reports, “Antidepressants, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and oral steroids are just some of the medications that could inadvertently raise a person’s blood pressure,” investigators concluded after tracking “data from more than 27,000 participants who responded to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2009 to 2018.” The findings are slated for presentation at ACC.21, the American College of Cardiology’s 70th annual scientific session.

Related Links:

— “Antidepressants, other common medications linked to high blood pressure “Michael Walter, Cardiovascular Business, May 12, 2021

HealthDay (5/11, Reinberg) reports researchers found “sleep problems cost America’s health care system nearly $95 billion a year and raise the cost of health care by 60%.” The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Sleep Disorders Cost U.S. Health Care System Nearly $95 Billion Per Year ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, May 11, 2021

NBC News (5/11, Carroll) reports research published in BMJ Open indicates that “prescription sleep medications can help women struggling with occasional insomnia but probably won’t help with chronic sleep problems.” The study, using “two years of data from nearly 700 middle-age women,” found “that long-term use of medications such as Ambien [zolpidem], Lunestra [eszopiclone] or some anti-anxiety prescriptions didn’t help women sleep better in the long run compared to women who didn’t use prescription pills.”

Related Links:

— “Prescription sleep pills not likely to help women in the long run, study finds “Linda Carroll, NBC News, May 11, 2021

Healio (5/11, Downey) reports researchers found “there was a significant decline in hospitalizations for abusive head trauma among children aged younger than 5 years during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The findings were published in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Pediatric hospitalizations for abusive head trauma decline during pandemic “Ken Downey Jr., Healio11, May , 2021

Healio (5/10, Gramigna) reports researchers found in “a longitudinal cohort study” that “childhood adversities played a role in understanding the risk for suicide attempt among youths of certain ethnic groups who were from disadvantaged contexts.” The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.
“The findings of this cohort study suggest that, among Puerto Rican young adults from 2 different sociocultural contexts, adverse childhood experiences were relevant to understanding suicide attempt and suicide ideation, the latter specifically among young women. The prevention of cumulative adverse childhood experiences could reduce later risk of suicide attempts and, among young women, for suicide ideation.”

Related Links:

— “Childhood adversities increase suicidality risk among youths from disadvantaged contexts “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 10, 2021