The New York Times (4/8, Kolata) reports that even though nearly all elderly patients with dementia “are given a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, nearly every one of them has a mixture of brain abnormalities.” For scientists seeking treatments, “these so-called mixed pathologies have become a huge scientific problem,” research published last year in the journal BRAIN found. Investigators “can’t tell which of these conditions is the culprit in memory loss in a particular patient, or whether all of them together are to blame.”

Related Links:

— “The Diagnosis Is Alzheimer’s. But That’s Probably Not the Only Problem, “Gina Kolata, The New York Times, April 8, 2019

Reuters (4/4, Kelland) reports that “blood pressure and stroke risk rise steadily the more alcohol people drink, and previous claims that one or two drinks a day might protect against stroke are not true, according to the results of a major genetic study” published in The Lancet. The study “found that people who drink moderately – consuming 10 to 20 grams of alcohol a day – raise their risk of stroke by 10 to 15 percent.” For heavy drinkers, who consume “four or more drinks a day, blood pressure rises significantly and the risk of stroke increases by around 35 percent, the study found.”
The AP (4/4, Cheng) reports that researchers “weren’t able to figure out, though, whether small amounts of alcohol might also increase the chances of a heart attack.”

Related Links:

— “Major study debunks myth that moderate drinking can be healthy, “Kate Kelland, Reuters, April 4, 2019

Healio (4/4, Demko) reports, “College students from minority groups demonstrated similar or lower rates of diagnosed psychiatric disorders than white peers,” researchers concluded after analyzing “survey results from more than 67,000 undergraduates at 108 colleges throughout the U.S.” The study did reveal, however, that “Asian/Pacific Islander and multiracial students reported significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.” The findings were published online March 27 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Minority college students may have more undetected psychiatric disorders, “Savannah Demko, Healio, April 4, 2019

HealthDay (4/4, Preidt) reports researchers found that in patients with HIV, “depression appears associated with an increased risk of death.” The findings were published in HIV Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Depression Plus HIV Can Turn Deadly, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay , April 4, 2019

Newsweek (4/3, Gander) reports “children at risk of developing” certain mental illnesses may be “more likely to be bullied, according to scientists” who “studied 5,028 children of European ancestry from the Avon region of the U.K., who were taking part in the 14,062-participant Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.”

Healio (4/3, Demko) reports the findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.
Kids who were at the greatest risk of developing mental health conditions such as depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were also more likely to be bullied, the team found. Children with a high BMI, likely meaning they were overweight, also had a higher chance of being targeted.

Related Links:

— “Children At Risk Of Depression And Adhd More Likely To Be Bullied, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, April 3, 2019