36: This Week in Primary Care: New Obesity Data, Insulin Guidance, and Mental Health Screening

This week on the Weekly Dose Podcast from Patient Care Online®, we break down five major clinical updates shaping primary care practice—from advances in Alzheimer diagnostics to new treatment options for menopause-related symptoms.In this episode:• First blood test for Alzheimer disease cleared for primary care The Elecsys pTau181 assay offers a minimally invasive way to help rule out AD-related amyloid pathology, with a 97.9% negative predictive value in early-disease, low-prevalence settings.• How elinzanetant improves sleep—independent of vasomotor symptom relief A pooled analysis of more than 1,300 participants shows that over half of the therapy’s sleep benefit reflects direct effects on sleep pathways.• Multidisciplinary lung cancer screening program delivers major gains Screening rates more than doubled, disparities narrowed, and most cancers diagnosed were early stage—highlighting the power of coordinated population health infrastructure.• Nationwide survey reveals the full scope of menopause symptoms Fatigue, sleep disturbance, stress, brain fog, and weight gain were more prevalent than classic hot flushes, underscoring the need for holistic menopause care.• FDA approves elinzanetant for moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms The first dual NK-1/NK-3 receptor antagonist demonstrated rapid and sustained VMS reductions, plus improvements in sleep and quality of life.Listen for fast, evidence-based insights to support your daily primary care practice.For more clinical news and expert commentary, visit PatientCareOnline.com.

In this episode of "The Weekly Dose" from Patient Care Online, we review top clinical updates: quitting smoking later in life slows cognitive decline; structured LARC counseling in primary care improves reproductive outcomes; starting benzodiazepines or antipsychotics in hospice dementia patients raises mortality risk; the FDA cleared the first blood-based Alzheimer disease biomarker test for primary care; and new research suggests any alcohol consumption may increase dementia risk. The episode highlights practical implications for clinicians and encourages evidence-based care across cognitive health, reproductive medicine, hospice prescribing, diagnostics, and lifestyle risk factors.

In this episode of Primary Viewpoints, Patient Care editor Sydney Jennings speaks with Ada Stewart, MD, a board-certified family physician, about how primary care clinicians can support women in making informed decisions about cervical cancer screening. Dr Stewart breaks down the latest USPSTF guidelines, addresses patient hesitancy, discusses the role of HPV self-collection, and offers practical tips for improving screening rates—especially during Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month.

Dementia cases are rising—but early detection can slow cognitive decline, improve quality of life, and reduce caregiver burden. In this special World Brain Day episode of Primary Viewpoints, geriatrician Anna Chodos, MD, joins us to discuss why routine cognitive screening should be standard in primary care settings. Dr Chodos outlines actionable steps primary care teams can take to incorporate brief cognitive and functional assessments during routine visits, including tools that fit seamlessly into clinic workflows and the role of electronic health record reminders. She also shares insights from more than a decade of dementia care, offering a practical "brain health plan" that physicians can implement immediately to support their older adult patients—starting with what they already do well.

Welcome to the Patient Care® Online Primary Viewpoints podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in primary care sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.In this episode, we spoke with Heather Yun, MD, who served as IDWeek 2023 chair for the Infectious Disease Society of America, at the scientific sessions in Boston earlier this month about infectious disease surveillance in the US, the role of primary care clinicians in the effort to rein in antimicrobial resistance, what she thinks may have been the COVID-19 pandemic’s most important lesson for frontline clinicians, and more.  Thanks for listening to the Patient Care® Online Primary Viewpoints podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more primary care news and expert-driven content, visit patientcareonline.com.