Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mpox Infection Led To Myocarditis In 3 Men, Study Finds
CIDRAP: Report Describes 3 Cases Of Myocarditis Following Mpox Infections
A new case study from France described three men who contracted mpox and then developed myocarditis a few days after initial symptom development. The study is published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection. ... The men had no history of heart problems, and all were hospitalized and subsequently recovered. Only one patient was treated with the antiviral tecovirimat (Tpoxx). (Soucheray, 12/9)
On mental health —
American Homefront Project: Military Suicides Have Become Slightly Less Common, But Are Still A 'Massive Problem'
Though military suicide has been a problem for decades, critics say the Pentagon hasn’t come to terms with the fact that anyone can potentially be at risk. (Walsh, 12/9)
If you are in need of help —
Dial 9-8-8 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.
CNN: Survivors Of Mass Shootings Are Left With Lifelong Wounds -- And Mounting Bills
There were a million things running through James Slaugh’s mind as an ambulance rushed him to a nearby hospital after the deadly rampage in Club Q, in Colorado Springs, last month. Among them: what kind of bills he would be facing. (Maxouris, 12/11)
In other health and wellness news —
Stateline: As Overdose Deaths Rise, Few Emergency Rooms Offer Addiction Help
Even in this easygoing, subtropical city, the onset of winter and the stress of the holidays can test the mettle of anyone trying to quit opioids. “As soon as temperatures start to drop and it gets chilly in the mornings, we see more people coming into the emergency department looking for help,” said Dinah Collins, a peer support specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. (Vestal, 12/9)
KHN: In Rural America, Deadly Costs Of Opioids Outweigh The Dollars Tagged To Address Them
Tim Buck knows by heart how many people died from drug overdoses in his North Carolina county last year: 10. The year before it was 12 — an all-time high. Those losses reverberate deeply in rural Pamlico County, a tightknit community of 12,000 on the state’s eastern shore. Over the past decade, it’s had the highest rate of opioid overdose deaths in North Carolina. (Pattani and Bichell, 12/12)
Stat: Ideas For Getting Ahead Of A ‘Tsunami’ Of Chronic Disease
Chronic disease is omnipresent in the United States. Trillions of dollars are devoted to and hundreds of thousands of lives are taken by chronic conditions each year. So why does it feel like we are going backward, with falling life expectancy, and higher prevalence of chronic diseases? (Cueto, 12/10)
The Washington Post: Fibroids Are Serious. Surgery Isn’t The Only Way To Stop Them
When Jennifer Medina of Queens learned she had uterine fibroids, benign tumors that grow in and around the walls of the uterus, her gynecologist suggested two treatments known to work — getting a hysterectomy, the surgical removal of her uterus that would make it impossible for her to get pregnant, or waiting until menopause when fibroids usually shrink or disappear. Neither option was appealing. (Cimons, 12/11)
The Washington Post: Menopause Can Mean Brain Fog, Memory Trouble
Several years ago at age 51, Jeanne Chung’s memory started to slip. “I noticed recall issues like forgetting certain words on the spot,” says Chung, CEO of a health company. So to give her brain a workout, she started playing word games. Her spotty memory wasn’t caused by a head injury or an illness; it was clearly triggered, said Chung, now 54, by the changes accompanying her transition to menopause, a common experience for many women, experts agree. (Fraga, 12/11)
Fox News: Toilet Time: Is Your Mobile Device Affecting How Long You're In The Bathroom? Experts Reveal Health Risks
Medical experts are sounding the alarm on the unfavorable effects that long bathroom visits have on the body, and it appears that mobile devices might be causing prolonged rest stops. Two separate cell phone habit surveys suggest that seven in 10 Americans use the bathroom while using their phones. (Moore, 12/9)
