The AP (11/5, Stobbe) reports, “U.S. health officials estimate that millions of cases of heart disease and other illnesses are linked to abuse and other physical and psychological harm suffered early in life.”

MedPage Today (11/5, Hlavinka) reports, “Of 144,017 individuals who completed a phone survey, those who reported at least four ACEs (15.6%) had a higher risk for all measured conditions, including coronary heart disease (CHD, adjusted odds ratio 1.8, 95% CI 1.3-2.1), obesity (aOR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.3), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (aOR 2.8, 95% CI 2.5-3.1),” the study found. People “with four or more ACEs were also more likely to report depression (aOR 5.3, 95% CI 4.9–5.7) and socioeconomic hardships, such as unemployment (aOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.5–2.0), compared with people who did not report ACEs,” the research revealed. The findings were published online in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Healio (11/5, Bortz) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “US health officials link childhood trauma to adult illness, “Mike Stobbe, AP, November 5, 2019

HealthDay (11/4, Preidt) reports, “Most people with Down syndrome have dementia by age 55, a new study shows.” Researchers “analyzed Medicaid claims data on 3,000 people with Down syndrome, aged 21 and older, in Wisconsin” and found that “3 in 5 people with Down syndrome will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia by age 55.” In comparison, those “without Down syndrome are rarely diagnosed with dementia before age 65.” The results were published in JAMA Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Down Syndrome Carries Raised Risk of Dementia by 55, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, November 4, 2019

Reuters (11/4, Rapaport) reports that “teens who visit the emergency” department (ED) “for self-harm injuries have a higher risk of repeat” ED “visits for self-harm and suicide attempts and a higher mortality risk than their peers,” researchers concluded after following “5,661 adolescents who visited Ontario” ED “for self-harm,” and then also tracking “10,731 similar teens seen in the” ED “for other reasons.” The findings were published online Nov. 4 in CMAJ.

Related Links:

— “Teen self-harm tied to higher risk of ER visits, suicide attempts, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, November 4, 2019

CNN (11/4, Christensen) reports that research indicates “the number of US adolescents admitted to” emergency departments (EDs) “for injuries related to sexual abuse more than doubled between 2010 and 2016.” The data indicated that “for kids ages 12 to 17, the number increased from 2,280 in 2010 to 5,058 in 2016.” Investigators also “found that the number of emergency department admissions for child sexual abuse jumped from 5,138 in 2010 to 8,818 in 2016, an increase of more than 70%.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

HealthDay (11/4, Preidt) reports that the data also “showed that 85% of the” ED “admissions for cases of confirmed sexual abuse in this age group involved girls and 15% of the cases involved boys.”

The Hill (11/4, Sullivan) reports, “The researchers…noted that rates of sexual abuse have been declining, so the increase in treatment could be because of other factors, such as better coordination and awareness between medical and legal professionals.”

Also covering the story are Reuters (11/4, Carroll) and MedPage Today (11/4, Hlavinka).

Related Links:

— “Child sex abuse cases treated in ERs rose more than 70% in seven years, study says, ” Jen Christensen, CNN, November 4, 2019

Newsweek (11/1, Dodge) reported, “Veterans with moderate or severe pain intensity are more likely to attempt suicide, according to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The study evaluated more than 200,000 cases over a two-year period, discovering lower survival rates among veterans with pain, even when considering a history of suicide attempts, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety and financial concerns.”

Related Links:

— “Veterans In Pain Are More Likely To Attempt Suicide, Va Study Shows, “Blake Dodge, Newsweek, November 1, 2019