Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Possible Shot Contamination Linked To Five Early Alzheimer's Cases
NBC News: Decades-Old Human Growth Hormone Treatments Linked To Five Cases Of Early Alzheimer's
Five patients in the United Kingdom have developed Alzheimer’s disease that appears to be the result of contaminated injections they received as children decades ago, according to a new study that could change the way scientists think about the causes of dementia — and cause anxiety in patients who underwent the same therapy. All five patients received injections of human growth hormone from cadavers for several years as a treatment for very short stature, according to the study, which was published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine. Scientists extracted the hormone from the cadavers’ pituitary glands, located at the base of the brain. (Szabo, 1/29)
More on Alzheimer's and elderly care —
The Washington Post: New Alzheimer’s Drugs Bring Hope. But Not Equally For All Patients.
Wrapped in a purple blanket, Robert Williford settles into a quiet corner of a bustling neurology clinic, an IV line delivering a colorless liquid into his left arm. The 67-year-old, who has early Alzheimer’s disease, is getting his initial dose of Leqembi. The drug is the first to clearly slow the fatal neurodegenerative ailment that afflicts 6.7 million older Americans, though the benefits may be modest. The retired social worker, one of the first African Americans to receive the treatment, hopes it will ease his forgetfulness so “I drive my wife less crazy.” (McGinley, 1/29)
The Washington Post: Older Americans Spend An Average Of 21 Days Every Year On Health Care
Older adults spend an average of three weeks every year on doctor’s appointments and other health care outside their homes, according to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Of those 21 “health care contact days,” 17 involve ambulatory services, such as office visits with primary-care doctors or specialists, testing and imaging, procedures, treatments and therapy. The remaining four days included time spent in an emergency room, hospital, skilled nursing facility or hospice. (Searing, 1/29)
Modern Healthcare: Medicare Advantage Programs May Miss Isolated, Lonely Enrollees
Health insurers are investing in Medicare Advantage programs and supplemental benefits to tackle social isolation and loneliness in older adults, but they may not be reaching all the enrolles who could benefit. Whether health insurers' spending on programs to mitigate isolation and loneliness is reducing overall healthcare costs is unclear. A 2017 AARP analysis of Medicare data found socially isolated adults were associated with $7 billion in additional spending. (Eastabrook, 1/29)
More health and wellness news —
Fox News: FDA Approves First At-Home Sterile Insemination Kit To Help With Infertility: 'Gives Me Goosebumps'
The FDA recently approved the first-ever, at-home sterile insemination kit. PherDal Fertility Science received clearance last month after various tests did not raise "any new questions on the safety or effectiveness" of the product, as stated in the FDA's approval letter. PherDal's creator and CEO, Dr. Jennifer Hintzsche of Dixon, Illinois, confirmed to Fox News Digital that there have been 34 babies born from the first 200 proof-of-concept kits that were released. (Stabile, 1/26)
CBS News: Poor Sleep Quality Plays Key Role To Predicting Future Migraines, Study Shows
A new study identifies factors that might predict whether someone will have a migraine headache the next day. Chronic migraines are a leading cause of disability in people under 50, affecting more than 10% of people worldwide. ... They found that participants who had poor sleep quality and low energy were more likely to have a migraine the next morning. (Marshall, 1/29)
