A connection between childhood maltreatment and disease later in life; hearing impairment and Parkinson’s disease; U.S. military 10 times more likely to use nicotine pouches – Morning Medical Update

New study shows connection between childhood maltreatment and disease later in life

A recently published study out of the University of Birmingham demonstrated that individuals whose childhoods featured abuse, neglect or domestic abuse carry a significantly higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis later in their life. Researchers used their Dexter software program to analyze a database of more than 16 million electronic health records (EHRs), where the program identified an association between childhood maltreatment and increased incidence rates for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, with the association more pronounced in women than in men.

“This approach can be used to identify inequalities in health care, alerting health care providers and delivers to patient groups that need specific attention, and ultimately allocating health care resources to meet those with the greatest need,” Joht Singh Chandan, clinical professor of public health and health inequalities lead at Birmingham Health Partners, said in a news release. “In the future, we plan to use this approach to look at further longitudinal datasets in crime, social care and mental health care.”

Hearing impairment may be a sign of increased risk of Parkinson’s disease

According to research led by Lancaster University, and published in Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, there may be a link between hearing impairment and an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Researchers analyzed data from 159,395 individuals who had previously undergone a hearing test measuring their ability to detect speech in loud environments who had no history of Parkinson’s at the time of the assessment. Upon follow up, an average of 14.24 years later, 810 study participants were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. For every 10-decibel increase in baseline hearing impairment, the analysis revealed a 57% risk of Parkinson’s.

U.S. soldiers are 10 times more likely to use addictive nicotine pouches

Compared to average U.S. adults, adults in the military are 10 times more likely to use nicotine pouches that can cause serious health issues, according to a survey of military personnel at Fort Liberty, the largest U.S. military base. Of the 1,957 soldiers anonymously surveyed in 2022 and 2023, 23.8% reported using nicotine pouches in the month prior, compared with a 2022 study of American adults that found just 2.9% had reported ever using nicotine pouches.