Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Wake Of Christina Applegate's Misdiagnosis, Docs Explain Why MS Can Be Tricky To Diagnose
ABC News: Why MS Can Be Hard To Diagnose, After Christina Applegate Reveals Misdiagnosis
Five years after revealing she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder multiple sclerosis (MS), actress Christina Applegate has announced that she was misdiagnosed. Speaking on Tuesday's episode of her MeSsy podcast, which she co-hosts with actress Jamie Lynn Sigler, Applegate said she wasn't happy to learn of the misdiagnosis, revealing that she has "gotten worse in some ways" and is "back at square one that I don't know what's going on with me." (Kekatos, 10/20)
CBS News: Up To 20% Of MS Diagnoses Are Wrong, Like Christina Applegate's. Here's What Doctors Say Patients Should Know.
Christina Applegate announced Tuesday that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis, more than five years after announcing she had been told she had the chronic condition. Applegate, 54, shared the news in a double episode of her podcast MeSsy, where she and co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler discuss life with multiple sclerosis. Applegate had taken a break from the podcast in recent weeks. She said Tuesday she had taken that time to process the new information. (Breen, 10/20)
On organ transplants —
AP: A Phoenix Woman Waited 3 Years For An Intestine Transplant. Here's Why
A car crash destroyed Katherine Screws’ small intestine, leaving her unable to eat, dependent on IV nutrition and often too sick to get out of bed. But the Phoenix woman clung to her hospital’s prediction that she could get an intestine transplant in about six months. That was way off. She wouldn’t get one until three years after the crash. It could have been longer if not for an unusual meeting with an organ procurement organization, or OPO, that taught the frustrated Screws how hospitals vary in which organs they accept or refuse — and she flew across the country for a better chance. (Neergaard, 10/21)
AP: What To Know When You Need An Organ Transplant
It’s not always patience and luck that get patients off the organ transplant waiting list and into the operating room. Unlike in many areas of medicine, experts say there’s a lot of variation in the U.S. transplant system. Knowing there are differences and what to ask might help. “I had to ask a lot of questions to figure out what it was that I could do to move the needle,” said Katherine Screws of Phoenix, who got a rare intestine transplant after she decided to get on the waiting list at more than one hospital to increase her chances. (Neergaard, 10/21)
Studies on painkillers, ADHD, and a daily cup of tea —
MedPage Today: Acute Back Pain: Skip The Prescription Painkillers In First Line, Study Suggests
Patients with acute low back pain (LBP) who got opioids or gabapentinoids as initial therapy faced twice the risk of opioid use disorder (OUD) or overdose compared with other first-line treatments, nationwide Medicaid data showed. (Gever, 10/20)
Fox News: ADHD Linked To 70% Higher Death Rate, But Medication May Reduce Risk
People diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face a roughly 71% higher overall risk of early death compared to those without the condition, according to a new review published in JAMA Network Open. However, taking prescription ADHD medication may offer a protective benefit, lowering overall risk of death, the review found. (Quill, 10/20)
CNN: How Much Tea To Drink For Heart Health — And At What Temperature
My morning routine isn’t complete without two calming yet energizing cups of green tea. Not only is a cup of tea highly enjoyable, but it has long been associated with health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia. Now, a new study published Wednesday in the Journal of Internal Medicine suggests that how people prepare and drink their tea could also influence their cardiovascular health. (Chlu, 10/21)
