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What your patients are reading: Week of February 10, 2025

February 14, 2025

Keeping you a step ahead is our priority. That's why we've gathered some of the top stories your patients might be reading. Here are this week's highlights:

Making Valentine's Day special for loved ones with Alzheimer's

(U.S. News)—When a family member develops Alzheimer's disease, love remains, but special moments like Valentine's Day can become challenging. The Alzheimer's Foundation of America suggests following their H.E.A.R.T guidelines to make these times easier. These include helping a loved one reminisce with old photos, enjoying flowers to trigger memories through scents, adapting intimacy through shared activities and nonverbal communication, reaffirming feelings by reading Valentine's cards aloud, and talking in your loved one's "love language" using touch, words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, and acts of service.

Decoding mucus: When to worry about color and consistency

(HuffPost)—Mucus color can reveal a lot about your health. Clear or white mucus is normal, but yellow mucus often signals an infection. Green mucus suggests a more serious bacterial issue such as a sinus infection, bacterial bronchitis, or pneumonia. Brown mucus might result from dry nasal passages mixed with a bit of blood, while pink or red mucus could indicate an injury or irritation in the sinuses or airways. The consistency of mucus is also important. Thin or runny mucus often indicates the early stages of a cold or viral infection, while thick or sticky mucus may suggest severe congestion or a sinus infection. Dry mucus is likely due to dehydration, dry air, or airway inflammation. While occasional changes in mucus color aren't usually a cause for concern, persistent symptoms like coughing, chest pain, or fever should prompt a visit to the doctor.

Beating the genetic odds against Alzheimer’s disease

(NPR)—Doug Whitney, who carries a rare gene mutation that typically causes early-onset Alzheimer's, has defied expectations by remaining symptom-free at 75. His family history is rife with early Alzheimer's, with his mother and 11 of her 13 siblings succumbing to the disease by age 50. Despite inheriting the presenilin 2 gene mutation, Whitney's brain has not developed typical Alzheimer's pathology. Scientists are studying his case to understand the protective factors at play, particularly the role of heat shock proteins, which may prevent the spread of toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer's. Whitney's unique resistance offers hope for new therapeutic approaches to combat the more common forms of the disease.

Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in these articles are solely that of the publication and/or author and do not reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of epocrates and athenahealth.

Sources:

Mundell, E. (2025, February 13). U.S. News. Enjoying Valentine's Day When a Loved One Has Alzheimer's. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2025-02-13/enjoying-valentines-day-when-a-loved-one-has-alzheimers

Clark, C. (2025, February 7). HuffPost. If Your Boogers Look Like This, It's Time To See A Doctor. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/booger-mucus-doctor_l_67a2438be4b0560e35657785

Hamilton, J. (2025, February 12). NPR. His genes forecast Alzheimer's. His brain had other plans. https://www.npr.org/2025/02/12/nx-s1-5293253/his-genes-forecast-alzheimers-his-brain-had-other-plans