Does living near a golf course raise your risk of Parkinson’s?; 1 in 4 U.S. kids live with a parent battling addiction; USPSTF reaffirms recommendation for early syphilis screening during pregnancy – Morning Medical Update

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Does living near a golf course raise your risk of Parkinson’s?

Fore warning: A large case-control study published in JAMA Network Open links residential proximity to golf courses with significantly higher odds of developing Parkinson’s disease, especially for people living within 1 to 3 miles. Researchers found that people in neighborhoods served by groundwater systems that included a golf course had nearly double the odds of developing Parkinson’s compared to those outside those zones, raising concerns that pesticide use on golf courses may be contaminating water supplies or drifting through the air. The risk was even higher in areas with vulnerable groundwater, reinforcing the need for better public health safeguards in communities near pristine putting greens.

A quarter of kids in the U.S. live with a parent battling addiction

A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics estimates that nearly 19 million children — roughly one in four in the U.S. — live with a parent who has a substance use disorder, and more than 7.6 million live with a parent whose addiction is considered moderate or severe. Researchers found that over 3 million children live with a parent battling multiple substance use disorders, while 6 million have a parent facing both addiction and mental health conditions. Most parental addictions involved alcohol, which remains a leading cause of substance-related death in the U.S., despite being socially accepted.

USPSTF reaffirms recommendation for early syphilis screening in pregnancy

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has reaffirmed its guidance recommending universal early screening for syphilis infection during pregnancy, emphasizing that if early screening isn’t done, it should occur at the first available opportunity. The recommendation, consistent with its 2018 version, aims to prevent congenital syphilis — a condition that can cause stillbirth, low birth weight, neurological damage and life-threatening complications in newborns. The USPSTF notes that early detection and treatment are critical, as untreated maternal syphilis can be passed to the fetus with serious and potentially fatal outcomes.