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Autism Tied to Early-Onset Parkinson’s Disease
People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease early in life, a nationwide population-based study in Sweden showed. After controlling for birth year, age, and sex, the risk of Parkinson’s disease was four times higher in people with versus without ASD (relative risk [RR] 4.43, 95% CI 2.92-6.72), reported Weiyao Yin, M.D., Ph.D., of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and co-authors, in JAMA Neurology.
Risk estimates were similar after adjusting for socioeconomic status, family history of mental illness or Parkinson’s, and age at autism diagnosis, the researchers said. Preterm or early-term birth, an autism risk factor, was not associated with Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease in this cohort was very rare: 438 of 2.2 million people without autism (0.02%) had a Parkinson’s diagnosis, compared with 24 of 51,954 people with autism (0.05%).
The findings add to research that suggests a potential biological link between ASD and parkinsonism or Parkinson’s disease, including evidence of PARK2 copy number variation in people with ASD.
NM Department of Health Falls in Line With CDC Reversal on COVID Vaccines for Kids and Pregnant Women
The Albuquerque Journal reported:
The U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for children and pregnant women, contradicting the medical consensus among pediatricians and OB-GYNs. The New Mexico Department of Health will follow this protocol “as of now,” officials said.
Kennedy is perhaps best known for questioning the safety of vaccines and other governmental health interventions. This fear and vaccine hesitancy culminated in Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, his platform when he ran for president in 2020 before dropping out and endorsing President Donald Trump.
Kennedy’s unilateral overturning of established vaccine norms is also a shakeup in CDC protocol. Typically, such decisions are made by advisory panels of experts and the final call is made by the CDC’s director, not the health secretary.
Right now, however, the CDC has no permanent director as Trump awaits confirmation from the Senate of his appointee Susan Monarez. In contrast to Kennedy, Monarez is an infectious disease researcher who has been supportive of COVID-19 vaccines.
Health Experts Fear Potential Public Health Impacts From RFK Jr. Halting COVID Vaccine Recommendations for Kids, Pregnant Women
Health experts are raising concerns about the potential public health impacts after the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is rolling back COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for kids and pregnant women.
Just one week after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced they are limiting access to who can get the COVID-19 vaccine, Kennedy said he would remove the CDC’s recommendation for healthy children and healthy pregnant women to get vaccinated.
Kennedy called the latest move common sense and good science, but some health experts said the restrictions could have some significant public health impacts. “I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that as of today the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule,” Kennedy announced in a video posted on X.
But experts said the latest policy will create a barrier between those who are not in these pre-specified groups and insurance companies, possibly deterring insurance providers from wanting to pay for something that is not required by the FDA or CDC.
Autistic People Are More Likely to Suffer Anxiety, Depression or Suicidal Ideation. Why Is It Hard for Them to Get Help?
Although autistic people are at increased risk of mental health difficulties such as depression and anxiety, they are less likely to receive the support they need than people without autism, says Northeastern University professor Matthew Goodwin.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
In a commentary Goodwin co-authored for the medical journal The Lancet, he says that specialized training of medical professionals and novel interventions geared to people with sensory issues can help break down barriers that stand between individuals with autism and better mental health.
It’s a pressing issue, since about 80 million people around the globe have autism and face a lifetime prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders of about 40%, according to the article.
Chillingly, Goodwin and fellow researchers say autistic people are three times more likely to die by suicide than people without autism. Autism is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate and learn, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Amid Measles Outbreak, Texas Is Poised to Make Vaccine Exemptions for Kids Easier
Texas this year has been the center of the nation’s largest measles outbreak in more than two decades, as a mostly eradicated disease has sickened more than 700 in the state, sent dozens to hospitals and led to the death of two children who were unvaccinated.
But even as the outbreak slows, a bill approved by state lawmakers and sent to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott would make it significantly easier for parents to enroll their children in school without standard vaccinations for diseases such as measles, whooping cough, polio and hepatitis A and B.
Supporters say the bill streamlines an already legal exemption process that allows families to avoid vaccines for reasons of conscience, religious beliefs or medical reasons. It would let them download the required forms from a website instead of contacting state health officials and waiting for one to come in the mail.
Studies Find a Link Between Obesity and ADHD
In a Health and Human Services press conference about food dyes in April, Dr. Marty Makary, the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), opened the briefing by listing the health issues caused by current dyes in food in the U.S. Included in that list were attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obesity. According to Makary, dyes make bad food more attractive to young people and these dyes can cause the most common diseases in the country.
The FDA Commissioner also said some of the foods children eat have been banned in other countries and emphasized that the U.S. needs a new approach to looking at food to battle common diseases such as cancer, obesity and diabetes.
Recently, some studies covered in popular mainstream media have shown a link between ADHD and obesity, showing children with the attention deficit syndrome are at increased risk to obesity due to factors like impulsively poor self-regulation, high calorie diets, not enough physical activity, too much screen exposure and disrupted sleep patterns.However, the connection between obesity and ADHD is still being studied.
As Wildfire Season Approaches, Doctors Warn Parents to Be Ready for Asthma Flare-Ups
Loma Linda University Health reported:
As wildfires become more frequent and intense across California, physicians are urging parents with children to prepare for worsening air quality and respiratory complications.
Barbara Ariue, MD, a pediatric allergy and immunology specialist at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, says that toxic particles from wildfire smoke are triggering an increase in asthma attacks and emergency department visits among children in the Inland Empire and beyond.
“Asthma is a condition where the lungs are more sensitive and inflamed, so any environmental trigger, like smoke, can cause serious breathing problems,” Ariue said.
“We’re seeing more hospitalizations, more kids needing rescue inhalers, and even stronger medications like oral corticosteroids during wildfire events.”
Because young children have developing lungs in which they breathe more rapidly and have smaller airways than adults, they are especially vulnerable to the effects of wildfire smoke. Even minor exposure can lead to serious complications such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and full-blown asthma attacks.
