Music and dementia; Scotland tests free Wegovy access; women and long COVID – Morning Medical Update

Music and dementia

A large Australian study reports that older adults who regularly listen to music show markedly lower rates of dementia and milder cognitive decline over three years of follow-up. Among nearly 11,000 participants aged 70 and up, those who “always” listened to music had a 39% reduction in dementia risk and outperformed peers on cognitive and memory tests. Instrument playing also correlated with lower dementia incidence, though benefits for other impairments were less consistent. The strongest effects were seen in those with higher education, suggesting cognitive reserve may amplify music’s impact. Read more from The Washington Post.

Scotland tests free Wegovy access

A real-world study will give up to 5,000 people in Scotland’s most disadvantaged communities no-cost access to semaglutide as part of a push to understand how GLP-1 therapies can be delivered equitably through the NHS. The Scotland CardioMetabolic Impact Study (SCoMIS) project — which is backed by the University of Glasgow, IQVIA and Novo Nordisk — will look to quantify effects on quality of life, downstream cardiometabolic disease, health-service use, employment and overall costs. PharmaPhorum has more.

Women and long COVID

University of Alberta researchers detail a sex-specific immune and hormonal profile that may explain why women are far more likely to develop severe, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)-like long COVID. In a cohort assessed a year after infection, women showed markers of gut barrier disruption, systemic inflammation, anemia and sharply reduced testosterone — a combination linked to fatigue, pain, cognitive dysfunction and mood symptoms. Men displayed their own hormone disruptions, but the inflammatory load in women was more pronounced.