Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Reason To Get Vaxxed: Research Ties Dementia To Flu, Other Infections
The Washington Post: Serious Infections Linked To Dementia Risk, Study Shows
Getting sick feels bad in the moment and may affect your brain in the longer term. A new study published in Nature Aging adds to growing evidence that severe infections, including flu, herpes and respiratory tract infections, are linked to accelerated brain atrophy and increased risk of dementia years later. It also hints at the biological drivers that may contribute to neurodegenerative disease. (Sima, 10/18)
Fox News: New Alzheimer’s Research Reveals ‘Quiet’ Phase Of The Disease
New details have emerged about how Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain. Researchers led by the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle and University of Washington Medicine have identified cellular changes in the brains of people with the disease — and a timeline of when they occur. "Instead of looking at AD just through the usual lens of plaques and tangles, we focused on how specific cell types were changed in each phase," study author Dr. Kyle Travaglini, Ph.D., a scientist at Allen Institute, told Fox News Digital via email. (Rudy, 10/18)
In other health and wellness news —
AP: With Brain Injuries A Growing Problem, The US Military Tests How To Protect Troops From Blasts
Brain injuries are a growing problem for the U.S. military. And now, Special Operations Command is testing new ways to protect warfighters from blasts and to evaluate health risks, particularly during training. (Baldor, 10/19)
NBC News: Younger Asian American Women Had The Second-Lowest Breast Cancer Rate. Why They're Now Tied For No. 1
Chien-Chi Huang was 40 when she requested her first mammogram at the hospital, shortly after her aunt died from breast cancer. The radiologist didn’t detect a tumor because she had dense breast tissue that can hide cancer on a mammogram. Soon after the mammogram, Huang said she felt a lump under her armpit and began experiencing flu-like symptoms. Four months later, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. (Wang, 10/20)
The Washington Post: How Sex And Gender Play A Role In Heart Disease Research And Treatment
A simple difference in the genetic code — two X chromosomes vs. one X chromosome and one Y chromosome — can lead to major differences in heart disease. It turns out that these genetic differences that usually distinguish women from men influence more than just sex organs and sex assigned at birth — they fundamentally alter the way cardiovascular disease develops and presents. ... Women are more likely to die after a first heart attack or stroke than men. Women are also more likely to have additional or different heart attack symptoms that go beyond chest pain, such as nausea, jaw pain, dizziness and fatigue. It is often difficult to fully disentangle the influences of sex on cardiovascular disease outcomes vs. the influences of gender. (Huebschmann and Regensteiner, 10/20)
KFF Health News: Watch: ‘Silence In Sikeston & The Effects Of Racial Violence’
KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony appeared in a two-part special of Nine PBS’ “Listen, St. Louis with Carol Daniel” to discuss her reporting for the “Silence in Sikeston” project. The first conversation, which aired Oct. 9, explores the connections between a 1942 lynching and a 2020 police shooting in a rural Missouri community — and what those killings say about the nation’s silencing of racial trauma. The second episode, which premiered Oct. 16, explores the health effects of such trauma with mental health counselor Lekesha Davis. (Anthony, 10/21)
