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What your patients are reading: Week of August 5, 2024

August 9, 2024

Valley fever outbreak at music festival highlights rise in fungal infection

An outbreak of Valley fever, an infection caused by the fungal species Coccidioides, has been reported among 14 people who attended the Lightning in a Bottle Festival in Bakersfield, CA, this past May. According to the California Department of Public Health, at least three of the attendees were hospitalized. The fungus thrives in hot, dry climates and has seen a rise in cases due to climate change. “Preliminary Valley fever case reports have been particularly high in 2023 and 2024, which is possibly linked to heavy winter rains in 2022-2023 following years of drought,” the health department said. The actual number of cases linked to the music festival may be higher than reported. (Bendix & Barakett, 2024)

Could weight loss drugs make eating disorders worse?

Growing concerns among medical professionals suggest that GLP-1 medications could potentially lead to or worsen eating disorders, as the significant weight loss they induce might be misinterpreted by the brain as starvation. This misperception could result in a fixation on food and extreme dietary restrictions. Dr. Aaron Keshen, co-director of the Nova Scotia Eating Disorder Provincial Service in Canada, has noted a trend of such behaviors becoming uncontrollable. Despite these rising concerns, there's a shortage of research on the prevalence of eating disorders in individuals using these new medications for weight loss. The Collaborative of Eating Disorders Organizations encourages clinicians to screen patients for eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder prior to the prescription of these weight loss drugs. (Szabo, 2024)

Katie Ledecky hasn’t let her POTS diagnosis slow her down

In her recently released memoir, Just Add Water: My Swimming Life, Olympic medalist Katie Ledecky revealed that she has postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Ledecky was diagnosed after the 2015 Olympics, when she first experienced symptoms of extreme fatigue, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Her former coach, Bruce Gemmell, recommended she see a specialist who formally diagnosed her with POTS. Ledecky said the condition doesn’t negatively impact her training or performance but is something she needs to be vigilant about. "I’ve had it under control completely. I really just had to add salt to my diet and wear compression gear. Whenever I get sick and when I go to hot environments, I need to be especially careful to stay on top of my salt and hydration," she said. (Patel, 2024)

Sources:

Bendix, A. and Barakett, E. (2024, August 8). NBC News. 14 people got Valley fever after a California music festival, highlighting the fungus' growing threat. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/valley-fever-california-music-festival-fungus-rcna165388

Szabo, L., et al. (2024, July 31). NBC News. Weight loss drugs like Wegovy may trigger eating disorders in some patients, doctors warn. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/eating-disorders-increase-weight-loss-drugs-wegovy-zepbound-rcna162124

Patel, K. (2024, August 5). Today. Katie Ledecky opens up about POTS diagnosis and how she manages it when competing. https://www.today.com/health/disease/katie-ledecky-pots-rcna165216