Key points from today’s guests:
Morning Rounds – Summary of Current News
Dr. Johanna Finkle, OB/GYN, The University of Kansas Health System
- A class of drugs that was originally approved for diabetes and approved for weight loss has now been approved by the FDA for reducing the risk of major cardiac events of people who are overweight or obese.
- A new study that was published in 2023 looked at 17,000 patients and it showed a 20 percent risk reduction in cardiac events including stroke and non-fatal myocardial infarction.
- So even with cardiac risk, deaths were improved when patients were taking this class of drug.
Focus Topic
Paige Geiger, Ph.D., physiologist & Alzheimer’s researcher, The University of Kansas Medical Center
- We know that physical activity is going to increase your heart rate and that improves cognitive function in older individuals.
- People who are regular exercisers have lower risk for neurodegeneration. The beauty of exercise is that it impacts so many different organ systems and tissues in the body. And we know that it has a powerful effect on what we think of as cardiometabolic risk factors -- blood pressure, blood glucose regulation, body weight and muscle mass.
- We think that exercise can improve the way the brain utilizes energy in the form of glucose, also the way it produces energy in the form of ATP through cellular processes called mitochondria, helping to maintain the stability of proteins in the brain.
- I think encouraging people to have these diagnoses to test earlier because we know so much more about prevention now.
- You can live a really high quality life for a longer time with the advent of these new drugs and with prevention, like diet and exercise and various things that are available now that weren't just a decade ago.
Mary Catherine Newman, caregiver
- Her mother received an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2021. The challenges everyone faced at that time during the pandemic pushed the need for her to get memory care to better support her and the family.
- Two of the biggest challenges families or individuals can face are resources and grief.
- Resources include the Memory Clinic, the care network team of social workers and nurses who help families navigate this hardship.
- With grief, as a spouse, as children, or as family and friends, it can be difficult to see things change with a loved one.
- Be proactive versus reactive. Go ahead and have the courage to have the hard conversations with people that you care about and that you love -- not only your family members, but your friends, and embrace the conversations.
- It's okay to let people know if you're having a struggle. It's important to share the joys and the hope because there's a lot of beauty that can still be found even with this diagnosis.
Dr. Jeffrey Burns, memory care specialist, The University of Kansas Health System
- My mother currently has dementia and we're fortunate to live close by, so she comes to the memory clinic here as well.
- We have a very supportive system within the family and we feel very fortunate that we can utilize the resources of the Alzheimer's center.
- I think one of the hardest things that we deal with is the transition stages that come up as you progress through the disease and knowing what's coming.
- The resources that are available in the community and talking to other people that are going through these caregiving experiences, is really such a good idea for anyone, any families dealing with this.
- There are also new drugs coming out that hopefully can help win the fight against Alzheimer’s. It’s not a cure, but it’s a big step forward.
- We are working on a new clinical trial where we are looking at the benefits of heat therapy in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease. if we can move the needle on some of these metabolic conditions, we might be able to prevent the brain associated changes with dementia.
COVID Update
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control, The University of Kansas Health System
- The hospital COVID count for this week is at 12 inpatients, the same as last week.
- There will be a change in the new flu vaccines coming this fall, instead of protecting against four strains of the flu, it's only going to protect against three.
- Since March 2021, one of the influenza B strains has not been prevalent, so it is being excluded from the next round of vaccines.
Tuesday, Mar. 19 at 8 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. When you train like a pro, you play like a pro. Meet a college football player bouncing back from a core muscle injury, the special surgery that helped him, and the rigorous exercise that has him recovering from an often misunderstood problem.
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