Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
By 2050, Yearly Deaths From Strokes Will Rise 50% Over Current Levels
The Washington Post: Strokes Could Kill Nearly 10 Million People In 2050, Research Predicts
Worldwide stroke deaths could increase by 50 percent by 2050, killing as many as 9.7 million people per year, an international group of stroke researchers predicts in a report in Lancet Neurology. Young people and those in low- and middle-income countries face even higher increases, the report says. The document, produced by dozens of researchers writing as the World Stroke Organization-Lancet Neurology Commission Stroke Collaboration Group, forecasts an ongoing “huge” global burden because of stroke and calls for “pragmatic solutions” to reduce the medical condition worldwide. (Blakemore, 10/19)
The New York Times: Strokes Are More Common And Serious In Women
Each year, more than 6.6 million people worldwide die from strokes, and researchers caution that the incidence is increasing, especially in young and middle-aged people and in low- and middle-income countries. In a report published last week, researchers predicted that stroke deaths would increase by about 50 percent, reaching 9.7 million deaths annually in 2050. Strokes occur when the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the brain is cut off. This can happen when blood vessels get weak and eventually rupture under pressure, known as a hemorrhagic stroke. More commonly, clots or plaque can block blood vessels to the brain; this is known as an ischemic stroke. Both types of stroke can lead to permanent damage or death. (Sheikh, 10/18)
More health and wellness news —
AP: So-Called Toddler Milks Are Unregulated And Unnecessary, A Major Pediatrician Group Says
Powdered drink mixes that are widely promoted as “toddler milks” for older babies and children up to age 3 are unregulated, unnecessary and “nutritionally incomplete,” the American Academy of Pediatrics warned Friday. The drinks, which are touted to parents on TikTok, in television ads and on other sites, often contain added sugar and salt. The manufacturers make unproven claims that the drinks boost kids’ brains or immune systems, said Dr. George Fuchs, a member of the AAP’s nutrition committee, which released the new report. (Aleccia, 10/20)
Columbus Dispatch: More Young Children Are Getting Sick Through Contact With Vape Liquid
During a press conference Thursday, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff warned of the rising danger of children being poisoned by the liquid used in e-cigarettes and vapes. The number of e-cigarette exposures reported to the state’s poison centers has nearly tripled over the past seven years from 130 in 2015 to 360 in 2022. So far this year, 328 exposures have been recorded, signaling another likely increase. (Bentley, 10/19)
NBC News: Scooters, Curling Irons And Magnets Are Injuring Kids, Doctors Warn
According to research being presented this weekend at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference, children are getting burned by hair styling tools, swallowing tiny magnets found in desk toys and injuring themselves on electric scooters. Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the U.S., and some of those deaths "stem from things in the household that potentially could be hazardous,” said Dr. Brandon Rozanski, a pediatric resident at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. (Bendix, 10/20)
AP: FDA Is Thinking About A Ban On Hair-Straightening Chemicals. Stylists Say Black Women Have Moved On
Black hair stylists say such products — specifically the ones being looked at by the FDA, which contain formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals — have fallen out of favor, especially among younger generations. “Relaxers have taken an extreme decline ... as we became more knowledgeable about the effects of the relaxer on your hair and what it can do to your hair,” said Kayleigh Butler, a hair stylist in Atlanta who remembers getting relaxers when she was 5 years old. She added, “I think people just wanted to move away from that and live a healthier lifestyle.” (Hunter, 10/19)
Axios: New Effort Aims To Build An African Ancestry Biobank
Four big drug companies are joining with a historically Black medical school to build a database of genetic information from a half-million people of African ancestry that could help address health inequities. African Americans have been historically underrepresented in scientific and medical research, and account for less than 2% of the known genetic information being studied today. (Bettelheim, 10/19)
Stat: Michael J. Fox On How Far Parkinson’s Research Has Come: ‘We Don’t Want To Be Celebrated. We Want To Get Things Done.’
When Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 29, his clearest symptom was a small one — his pinky finger was twitching. But even by that stage, 70% to 80% of a patient’s dopamine-producing cells are already gone, Fox said. (Gaffney, 10/19)
