Healthcare News Roundup, Vol. 1
Headlines and stories for Potato Wives.
According to CNN, there were 83 school shootings in 2024, and one insurance company CEO shooting. Guess which generated more outrage. This is not to imply my support for vigilante solutions to systemic problems. But to say, rather, that all these hands are bloodied, whether those of legislative bodies that offer thoughts and prayers instead of gun control, insurance companies that deny care, or a guy with a gun and a mission. According to the definition used by Education Week there were 39 school shootings in 2024 with 18 fatalities and 59 injuries. May those numbers never describe your loved ones.
There has been a bird flu fatality in the US. But don’t panic yet (unless you like to panic. I often do).
There may be a way to detect endometriosis using markers in stool. A small step, but a potentially important one. Endometriosis, which affects up to 190 million women globally, is a chronic life-impacting illness which causes, among other symptoms, severe pain and infertility. Typically, endometriosis is presumed clinically but officially diagnosed surgically. Improved diagnosis may facilitate treatment. Devoting scholarly attention to this understudied condition is a win.
Vaccination rates are decreasing. In 2019-2020, there were 8 states with >5% of kindergartners with vaccine exemptions; in 2023-2024, that number rose to 14. This translates to more than 280,000 kindergartners at risk for measles during the 2023-2024 school year.
This may be worth having a wee panic about. Image from KFF. This is in context of a 20% increase in measles cases worldwide from 2023-2024. The MMR vaccine is safe and effective, and measles is exceptionally contagious. It is an airborne virus and individuals with it need to be in negative pressure rooms; otherwise, measles may be transmissible up to 2 hours after an infected person has left the room. Measles causes a characteristic rash and cold-type symptoms but can also lead to life threatening consequences, including in very rare cases a fatal encephalitis that occurs years after the initial infection.
Pertussis, aka whooping cough, is also surging; the causes for the uptrend “aren’t fully understood” and appear more complex than being due solely to vaccine hesitancy. Kids need the vaccine, but pregnant people and anyone caring for infants should get a booster too as this illness can be especially dangerous and deadly for babies.
The kids are not as all right as I wish they were. According to a 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the CDC (with a sample of more than 20,000 high schoolers), more than 25% of US adolescents experience poor mental health; nearly 40% have felt persistent sadness. Mental health risks are higher in female and LGBTQ+ students. Unfortunately, I can’t imagine things are going to get easier in the next few years, especially if platforms continue their discriminatory practices, since so many teens are very online.
A blood test may predict preterm birth with >97% accuracy. If this works, I would love to be out of a job. That said, prediction is far from prevention, and saying “predict preterm birth” is a little like saying “cure cancer” because it describes something so heterogeneous. Preterm birth occurs because of many reasons including pre-eclampsia, infection, cervical insufficiency, etc. I can’t find any useful granularity in the press package for this discovery so I am staying tuned, but not holding my breath just yet.
If you’re a parent struggling with your child’s anger, you’re in good company. In August 2024, CS Mott Children’s Hospital surveyed more than 2000 parents of kids aged 1-17. 70% of parents feel they sometimes set a bad example for children in how to manage their anger. 12% of parents worry that their child’s anger will cause problems for them.
AI is everywhere. Is it useful in autism? Maybe. A group in Louisiana hopes to facilitate communication by using AI to create a database of behaviors in children with autism. Another program by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet is utilizing AI for detection. Using a dataset of more than 30,000 children, they report nearly 80% accuracy in autism detection for children under 2, using inputs that are easily observable and reportable by parents. Improved detection for this age group is valuable if it leads to earlier referral and earlier receipt of therapies, but I’ll be more excited if they show that this model exceeds the performance of parents and pediatricians. Otherwise, this is money that should have been spent on providing services instead, which are notoriously difficult to access and can require multiple referrals, high out of pocket costs, and months spent on wait lists.
A randomized controlled trial of 1500 women found that early medication abortion is safe and effective even prior to confirming pregnancy on ultrasound. Terrific news.
Copyright 2024 Massachusetts Medical Society In case you wanted to spend more time freaking out about PFAS (and occasionally I do), exposure was linked to reduced gut health and potentially diminished kidney function. Methods were meh and only 78 participants. This is not one I lose sleep about.
A wearable device is now cleared to treat migraines in kids as young as 8. Why hasn’t my doctor offered it to me yet?
Unfortunately, disappointing results for two new ALS drugs that failed to significantly slow disease progression.
An AI robot can help sick kids during long hospital stays, but where was the therapy dog comparison group?
The AI robot. Surely we can do better for sick children? Image credit: Honda.
I love that this study used a proper comparator (sham acupuncture) and ended up finding in favor of real acupuncture for chronic sciatica pain for herniated disks.
In a surprise to no one, medical information on the internet, even about common medical conditions like UTIs, is full of nonsense. Thanks for being a reader of Couch Nap and letting us dispel some baloney!
Wouldn’t you design a better-looking AI robot for sick kids? Have you ever loved a therapy dog? Tell us in the comments.
Disclaimer: The content provided in Couch Nap is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. Always consult with your healthcare professional regarding any medical concerns or decisions. The views and opinions expressed here are our own and do not represent the positions, policies, or opinions of our employers or any affiliated organizations. While we strive for accuracy, the information presented here may not apply to your unique situation.