The Scan by 2 Minute Medicine®: The Crisis in Gaza, Abortion, Pregnancy and Infant Loss and More, ADHD and Dementia, is there a Link? 

The Scan by 2 Minute Medicine® is a pop-culture medical newsletter and exclusive benefit for 2 Minute Medicine Plus subscribers.

The Crisis in Gaza

You may have been following the news covering the dire situation in the Gaza Strip. Equally important, is the severe public health crisis that this population is experiencing. Power is limited and essential supplies, including food and medicine have been hard to come by. Alongside the war, countless lives are being lost each day due to infection, malnutrition, dehydration, and lack of access to medical care. Without access to clean water, people have been forced to drink seawater or contaminated water containing sewage or chemicals, leading to higher chances for outbreaks such as cholera and dysentery. Moreover, hospitals in Gaza have been targeted, such as the Ahli Arab hospital on October 17, which led to 500 deaths. Other hospitals such as the Shifa hospital have had nearly 35,000 people seeking shelter in them, making it a perfect environment for infectious diseases to spread.

Abortion, Pregnancy and Infant Loss and More 

Recently, Britney Spears shared her experience of undergoing an abortion while dating Justin Timberlake. The story is part of her upcoming memoir called “the woman in me”, following her release from a legal conservatorship that lasted more than 13 years. We have covered the topic of abortion in previous issues such as  this one from 4-1-2023 and this one from 10-2-2023. According to the world health organization (WHO), every year, nearly 121,000,000 pregnancies are unintended and 60% of these end in induced abortions.

Furthermore, October is national pregnancy and infant loss awareness month. You may be surprised to learn that one and four women experience pregnancy and infant loss. This led the NIH to launch an initiative, called the Implementing Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone, which aims to improve and reduce health disparities among women. If you know somebody who has been affected by pregnancy or infant loss, this resource as well as march of dimes, can be helpful to reference.

ADHD and Dementia, is there a Link? 

A recently published study in JAMA suggests that there could be a link between attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dementia. Approximately 5% of adults have ADHD, means of the United States alone, this would represent more than 11 million people. Contrary to popular belief, ADHD is not limited to children, there is no cure, and most are unable to outgrow the condition. Briefly, the study followed over 100,000 participants with or without ADHD for up to 17.2 years. The results highlighted that adults with ADHD seemed to have an increased risk of dementia later in life. Some have pointed out that one possibility leading to this outcome could be that ADHD and dementia share similar genetic causes. Others speculate that both may have similar risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or lack of physical exercise – which are important both for good systemic health and cognitive health.

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