Two-thirds of homeless people are experiencing some form of mental health disorder, a large, new review of data on the subject. The analysis found that men who are homeless are more likely to be battling mental illness than women, although rates were high for both genders compared to the general population. There are signs that rates of mental illness may be on the rise among homeless populations, especially in the United States and Canada, said researchers led by Rebecca Barry, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Calgary in Canada. “The most common mental disorders included substance use disorders, antisocial personality disorders, major depression and general mood disorders,” Barry and colleagues reported April 17 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. Her team looked at thousands of published studies worldwide on homelessness and mental illness. They settled on 85 of the most rigorous studies. Overall, more than 48,000 homeless individuals were included in those studies, which were largely based in affluent countries such as the United States, Canada and Germany. The mental health of participants in the studies was assessed using standard psychiatric tests. Barry’s team found that, overall, 67% of homeless people currently have some form of mental illness, while 77% were found to have experienced mental illness at least sometime during their lives. Rates of current mental illness were significantly higher among men (67%) than…  read on >  read on >

There’s no evidence that a COVID infection increases the risk of asthma in children, the first study to date on the subject finds. “We knew from a number of really nice studies over the last decade or more that respiratory viral infections are a risk factor for the development of asthma in children,” said senior study author Dr. David Hill, an attending physician with the division of allergy and immunology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “So there was good rationale to think that potentially SARS-COV-2 infection could also increase the risk of asthma. That’s what we thought we were going to find,” he said. “And what we actually found was that there was no association. It did not increase the risk of children developing asthma, and it did not decrease the risk of children developing asthma.” In the study, the team analyzed data from more than 27,000 children who underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for SARS-COV-2 between March 1, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021. They were followed over an 18-month period. Over 3,100 of the children tested positive, and more than 24,000 tested negative for SARS-COV-2. The researchers found that testing positive for SARS-COV-2 had no significant effect on the likelihood of a new asthma diagnosis. The study did confirm that children with known risk factors for asthma, such as race, food allergies,…  read on >  read on >

In a new study, people living with HIV who got standard meds to keep the virus at bay also had much lower rates of Alzheimer’s disease — suggesting the drugs might also lower risks for the brain illness. It’s early-stage research, but it’s possible that mechanisms used by these HIV drugs work at a genetic level to thwart Alzheimer’s in the brain, concluded a team led by Dr. Jerold Chun. He’s a professor in the degenerative disease program at the nonprofit research group Sanford Burnham Prebys, in La Jolla, Calif. In the study, Chun’s group looked at rates of Alzheimer’s disease among nearly 80,000 HIV-positive individuals over the age of 60. More than 46,000 of them had been prescribed a form of HIV-suppressing medications known as reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors. Among this subgroup, Alzheimer’s diagnoses occurred in about 2.5 people per 1,000 — much less frequently than the 6.15 per 1,000 observed in a control group of older people without HIV, the researchers found. The study wasn’t designed to prove that RT inhibitors directly prevent Alzheimer’s disease. However, the finding was intriguing and there are genetic mechanisms that might explain the link, the scientists said. In findings first published in the journal Nature in 2018, Chun’s lab showed that, in Alzheimer’s patients, a gene found in neurons undergoes mutations that can produce thousands of new…  read on >  read on >

Quiet preteens who feel they’re a burden on others are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and behaviors, a new study reports. Criticism from parents or caregivers also increased the likelihood of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, researchers found. Preteen girls with these traits are at especially high risk, according to the study published recently in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. “Preadolescent [suicidal thoughts and behaviors] are dramatically increasing, and it is critical to identify risk factors that can be clinically assessed and modified with treatment,” said lead researcher Renee Thompson, an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences with Washington University in St. Louis. For the study, Thompson and her team surveyed 192 children ages 7 to 12 for signs of suicidal thoughts, based on risk factors like depression, feelings of disconnection or burdensomeness, criticism and conflict with caregivers, and the ability to express one’s feelings. The surveys were conducted weekly with children whose caregivers reported incidents of suicidal thoughts or self-harm, and monthly for other kids, for a year. About 30% of the kids met the criteria for major depression, and during the year 70 children were found to have suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Overall, girls were four times more likely than boys to report thoughts of suicide or self-harming actions, researchers found. Boys and girls with symptoms…  read on >  read on >

Preparing a kid for summer camp is already a daunting task, and it’s even more complicated if your child has allergies or asthma, experts say. “Kids with allergies and asthma need an extra layer of protection when they head off to summer camp,” said allergist Dr. Gailen Marshall Jr., president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). “You want them to have as much fun as every other kid at camp, but in order to do that, certain systems need to be in place, and precautions must be taken to lock down a symptom-free experience,” Marshall said in an ACAAI news release. To that end, the ACAAI offers a handful of tips to help your camper have a fun-filled summer with few worries about their allergies or asthma: Consider a specialty camp. Many camps focus solely on kids with asthma or food allergies. These camps provide specialized medical staff trained to treat allergic diseases. If you’re concerned a regular camp might not be fully prepared to handle your child’s condition, this might be the best option. Pack smart. Visit your child’s allergist and make sure prescriptions for allergy meds and asthma inhalers are up to date and match their current height and weight. Also send your kid off with a sufficient supply of epinephrine auto-injectors in case they have severe allergic reactions…  read on >  read on >

Standardized tests put a lot of pressure on teenagers who want to secure their future and make their parents and teachers proud. This stress can lead to symptoms like stomach aches, sleep problems, irritability and heightened emotionality, experts say. But there are concrete steps students can take to prepare for a standardized test while also keeping their cool. Live healthy. Getting enough sleep, eating healthy without skipping meals and engaging in some physical activity are all healthy lifestyle habits that help reduce stress, said Eric Storch, vice chair of psychology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “A lot of people end up thinking they need to spend more time studying or don’t have time for exercise or meals, but it ends up turning into a vicious cycle of not taking care of yourself, which contributes to worse future performance,” Storch said in a Baylor news release. Schedule breaks. Make sure breaks to relax and unwind are included in a study schedule. Manage expectations. A sense of perspective about these tests is important. Students shouldn’t think about them in black-and-white terms of total success or utter failure. “Reflect on if the world will end if you don’t get a perfect score. Maybe you didn’t do as well as you wanted on that test, but you didn’t fail,” Storch said. Talking with a friend or parent…  read on >  read on >

Intense weather fluctuations caused by climate change could be contributing to an increase in stroke deaths, a new study claims. Freezing cold fronts and broiling heat waves are associated with more than half a million deaths annually in recent years, researchers report April 10 in the journal Neurology. “Dramatic temperature changes in recent years have affected human health and caused widespread concern,” said researcher Quan Cheng, of Xiangya Hospital at Central South University in Changsha, China. “Our study found that these changing temperatures may increase the burden of stroke worldwide, especially in older populations and areas with more health care disparities,” Cheng added in a journal news release. Bone-chilling cold fronts in particular were linked to more strokes, researchers said. But temperatures that swing too high or too low can both increase a person’s risk of stroke, researchers added in background notes. Lower temperatures cause a person’s blood vessels to constrict, increasing blood pressure. High blood pressure is a primary risk factor for stroke. On the other hand, higher temperatures can cause dehydration, which thickens and slows blood — factors also associated with stroke. Stroke deaths in the United States increased 26% between 2011 and 2021, according to the American Heart Association. Some of this could be tied to climate change, the researchers argue. For the study, the team looked at three decades of health…  read on >  read on >

Toddlers who grow up near nature are less likely to have emotional issues, even if the green space is just a park or a big back yard, a new study shows. The more green space there is within three-fourths of a mile from a child’s home, the fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression they’ll have between the ages of 2 and 5, investigators found. “Our research supports existing evidence that being in nature is good for kids,” said researcher Nissa Towe-Goodman, with the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina. “It also suggests that the early childhood years are a crucial time for exposure to green spaces.” For the study, researchers examined data from more than 2,100 children in 199 counties across 41 U.S. states.  The team compared the depression and anxiety symptoms of the children — who ranged in age from 2 to 11 — to satellite data about the green space located near their homes. More green space was significantly associated with less anxiety and depression among younger kids, even after accounting for other factors, researchers said. Those other factors included the child’s gender, parent education and the social and economic quality of their neighborhood. However, researchers found no significant link between green space and mental health symptoms from ages 6 to 11, after kids have started school.…  read on >  read on >