The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday gave full approval to the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi, clearing the way for insurance coverage of the pricey drug. “The full FDA approval will open the floodgates for people with early Alzheimer’s to get this drug. It’s a big deal because it’s very expensive at $26,500 per year,”…  read on >  read on >

Could swings in your blood fat levels increase your chances of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease? Yes, suggests a new study that found fluctuating cholesterol levels among older adults may increase the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Those who had the most fluctuations in cholesterol had a 19% higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s…  read on >  read on >

When frail patients go into cardiac arrest and need cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during surgery, they’re more likely to die than those who are stronger, a new study shows. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston studied the impact of frailty on survival in these cases where previously frailty was not considered as a factor.…  read on >  read on >

Decades of “redlining” — discriminatory policies that led to disinvestment in minority communities within the United States — may be connected with current cases of kidney failure in Black adults. A new study from researchers at Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) shows that long-term disinvestment of wealth and resources in historically redlined neighborhoods…  read on >  read on >

New research finds that Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare — brought an unexpected benefit: increases in how many patients got palliative care. “Our findings are encouraging, especially with growing evidence of the important benefits of palliative care for patients with cancer,” said lead study author Dr. Xuesong Han,…  read on >  read on >