MedPage Today (4/16) reported, “Low-extremity osteoarthritis (OA) patients who use opioids or antidepressants have a greater risk of repeated falls,” researchers found after studying “4,231 patients from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI).” The findings were published online in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.

Related Links:

— “Meds Contribute to Falls in OA,” Judy George, MedPage Today, April 16, 2017.

Reuters (4/13, Kennedy) reports that as people grow older, “common risk factors for depression change,” researchers found after analyzing “data on more than 2,000 adults participating in two long-term studies of depression and anxiety.” The study also revealed that “when a risk factor is uncommon among peers – like widowhood or poor health in youth – it can have an outsized effect on depression risk.” The findings were published online April 7 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “As people age, the factors that drive depression may shift,” Madeline Kennedy, Reuters, April 13, 2017.

Psychiatry resident Colin Buzza, MD, MPH, MSC, an American Psychiatric Association Public Psychiatry Fellow, writes in STAT (4/12) “First Opinion” that “inflammatory rhetoric toward immigrants” leads many to “avoid doctor visits” and delay necessary medical care. Dr. Buzza contends that he tries to reassure his immigrant patients, but “no amount of reassurance could offset…news of hate crimes and immigration raids.”

Related Links:

— “Harsh immigration rhetoric and policies are a threat to our nation’s health,” COLIN BUZZA, STAT, April 12, 2017.

The Wall Street Journal (4/12, Loftus, Subscription Publication) reports that research published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that prescription drug shortages in the US have led to sharp price increases for alternative treatments. According to the University of Utah Drug Information Service, there are currently about 176 active shortages.

Related Links:

— “Prescription-Drug Shortages Help Push Up Prices of Similar Drugs,” Peter Loftus, Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2017.

Healio (4/11, Oldt) reports, “Among individuals receiving care within the Veterans Health Administration, substance use disorders were associated with higher risk for suicide, particularly among women,” researchers found after conducting “a cohort study of national administrative health records for all Veterans Health Administration users in 2005 (n = 4,863,086).” The findings were published online March 16 in the journal Addiction.

Related Links:

— “Substance abuse may indicate suicide risk in women,” Bohnert KM, et al., Healio, April 11, 2017.