Caregivers for patients with multiple myeloma may suffer from higher rates of anxiety and depression than patients themselves, according to a new study published today in Blood Advances. While medical professionals have long acknowledged the toll a serious or terminal diagnosis can have on a person's mental health, few studies have investigated how these conditions affect the family members, friends, and loved ones who care for these individuals.
A total of 127 caregivers for patients recently diagnosed with MM and receiving treatment within the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Network between June 2020 and January 2021. Researchers sorted participants into three cohorts based on the treatment regimen the patients they cared for were currently receiving. The caregivers completed questionnaires assessing their own quality of life and psychological distress, as well as their perceptions of their loved one's cancer prognosis.
Reference: "Caregivers for people with multiple myeloma face mental health challenges"; AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEMATOLOGY, Blood Advances.
2.Race based spirometry equations may miss emphysema
A secondary data analysis of the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development In Young Adults) Lung study found that emphysema is often detectable on CT scan before spirometry findings become abnormal. The findings suggest that reliance on spirometry alone may result in the underrecognition of impaired respiratory health. Because the discrepancy is particularly present in Black men, this could exacerbate racial disparities. The analysis is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Spirometry is used in the assessment of COPD, but over reliance on spirometry may miss early signs of COPD and impaired respiratory health. Recent studies have shown that race-specific interpretations of spirometry may underestimate respiratory symptom burden and risk for death in Black adults.
Reference: "Race-based spirometry equations may miss emphysema"; AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS; Annals of Internal Medicine, DOI:10.7326/M22-0205.
3.Overly restrictive salt intake may worsen outcomes for common form of heart failure
Restricting salt intake is considered a key component of heart failure treatment, but restricting it too much may actually worsen the outcomes for people with a common form of the condition, suggests research published online in the journal Heart. Younger people and those of black and other ethnicities seem to be most at risk, the findings indicate.
A phase III, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, this trial was designed to find out if the drug spironolactone could effectively treat symptomatic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
References: "Overly restrictive salt intake may worsen outcomes for common form of heart failure"; BMJ JOURNAL Heart; DOI:10.1136/heartjnl-2022-321167.
4.Vitamin B6 supplements could reduce anxiety and depression
Taking high-dose Vitamin B6 tablets has been shown to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression by new research.
Scientists at the University of Reading measured the impact of high doses of Vitamin B6 on young adults and found that they reported feeling less anxious and depressed after taking the supplements every day for a month.
The study, published in the journal Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, provides valuable evidence to support the use of supplements thought to modify levels of activity in the brain for preventing or treating mood disorders.
Reference: "Vitamin B6 supplements could reduce anxiety and depression"; UNIVERSITY OF READING,JOURNAL- Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental; DOI-10.1002/hup.2852
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