Early LRTIs Tied to Risk of Premature Adult Death From Respiratory Diseases
A lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in early childhood nearly doubles the risk of premature death from respiratory diseases in adulthood, according to a prospective cohort study that spanned eight decades. The study of over 3,500 individuals born in the U.K. found that participants diagnosed with an LRTI by age 2 years were 93% more […]
Dementia Incidence Linked With Vitamin D Supplements
Vitamin D supplements were linked with lower dementia incidence and longer dementia-free survival, prospective data showed. In a sample of 12,000 older adults, exposure to vitamin D supplementation was associated with a 40% lower dementia incidence rate compared with no exposure (adjusted HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.55-0.65), reported Zahinoor Ismail, MD, of the University of […]
Childhood Adversity Tied to Race-Related Differences in Brain Development
Gray matter volume in key brain regions was lower in Black children compared with white children, likely due to disparities in childhood adversity, according to data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Among children ages 9 to 10 years, white kids showed greater gray matter volumes compared with Black kids in the amygdala, […]
Dementia Accompanying Cardiometabolic Disease: Does It Come Down to Genetics?
There may be a limit to how much reducing cardiometabolic disease would lower the risk of dementia in older people genetically predisposed to both conditions, a twin study suggested. Twins over age 60 developed dementia at an incidence of 16.9% over a median 15.4 years of follow-up in a cohort counting over 17,000 individuals in […]
Shaking less salt on your food at the table could reduce heart disease risk: Researchers found a link between a lower frequency of dietary salt and a reduced CVD risk
Adding additional salt to foods at a lower frequency is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, heart failure and ischemic heart disease, according to a new study published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Even among those following a DASH-style diet, behavioral interventions to lessen salt consumption could further […]
Vitamin D fails to reduce statin-associated muscle pain: Study is the first placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial to study this
Patients who take statins to lower high cholesterol levels often complain of muscle pains, which can lead them to stop taking the highly effective medication and put them at greater risk of heart attack or stroke. Some clinicians have recommended vitamin D supplements to ease the muscle aches of patients taking a statin, but a […]
Low Rates of PSA Screening Linked to Increase in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
SAN ANTONIO — A study of men treated in Veterans Health Administration facilities suggested that lower prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening rates were associated with subsequent increased rates of metastatic prostate cancer. Across 128 facilities, PSA screening rates declined from 47% in 2005 to 37% in 2019, which was observed across all ages and races, reported […]
Traumatic Experiences Tied to Lower Estrogen Levels in Menopause
ATLANTA — Traumatic life experiences were linked with lower levels of estrogens in menopause, especially for women who got fewer hours of sleep. The finding “underscores the importance of considering trauma in relation to endogenous estrogens, which have implications for women’s midlife health,” researchers noted. In the MsBrain study, postmenopausal women who experienced a traumatic […]
If You Invite 455 People to Colonoscopy, You’ll Stop One Case of Cancer
Individuals invited to undergo screening colonoscopy had a lower risk of colorectal cancer compared with those who did not undergo screening, a European randomized trial found, though the reduction was lower than researchers had expected. In the Northern-European Initiative on Colorectal Cancer (NordICC) trial, an intention-to-screen analysis demonstrated that the risk of colorectal cancer at […]
Far Fewer Deaths During Omicron for Seniors Treated With Paxlovid
Older patients treated with nirmatrelvir boosted by ritonavir (Paxlovid) for COVID-19 had lower rates of hospitalization and death compared with those not treated with the antiviral during the Omicron wave, according to an observational retrospective cohort study from Israel. Among patients ages 65 and older, the rate of hospitalization due to COVID was 14.7 cases […]