Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the fifth leading cause of death for Americans older than 65. Though fluctuations have been noticed over the past two decades, the mortality of Alzheimer’s patients increased considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to explore the temporal trends in AD-associated mortality (ADAM) and disparities in these trends, and we aim to discern changes to these trends during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The CDC WONDER Multiple Cause-of-Death Public Use Records from 1999 to 2022 were used to extract population data on deaths related to AD and stratify them based on age, biological sex, race, ethnicity, place of death, census region, and state. ICD-10 codes G30.0, G30.1, G30.8, and G30.9 were used to identify AD-related mortality. Statistical analysis was performed using the Joinpoint Regression Program version 5.0.2. Results: We confirmed an increase in mortality rate in all races, sexes, places of death, age groups above 65, and states/census regions. Interestingly, the age-adjusted mortality rate (AAMR) of AD was consistently higher in females compared to males. Non-Hispanic whites had the highest AD mortality by race and ethnicity. At the intersection of race and biological sex, White females had the highest AAMR with AD. Lastly, we noted an increase in AD mortality at hospice facilities as compared to other places of death. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the number of deaths due to AD was exacerbated by the recent pandemic and that White females were disproportionately affected. The disparities relating to ADAM uncovered in this study may assist healthcare administrators and policymakers in their decisions. Additionally, the findings might help initiate larger studies focusing on these disparities to explore novel risk/prognostic factors for AD.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition characterized by the degradation of dopaminergic pathways in the brain. As the population in the United States continues to age, it is essential to understand the trends in mortality related to PD. This analysis of PD’s mortality characterizes temporal shifts, examines demographic and regional differences, and provides machine-learning predictions. Methods: PD-related deaths in the United States were gathered from CDC WONDER. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) were collected, and trends were analyzed based on gender, race, region, age, and place of death. Annual percent change and average annual percent change were calculated using Joinpoint Regression program. Forecasts were obtained using the optimal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model. Results: Overall mortality rate due to Parkinson’s increased from 1999 to 2022. Male gender, White race, Southern region, and older ages were associated with higher mortality compared to other groups. Deaths at home decreased and hospice deaths increased during the study period. Conclusions: This study highlights the increasing rate of PD AAMR and how it may become even more prevalent with time, emphasizing the value of increasing knowledge surrounding the disease and its trends to better prepare health systems and individual families for the burden of PD.

Purpose: Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) is a valuable tool to monitor the neural axis during various procedures and guide intervention aimed at managing operative complications. The literature lacks large scale data on trends and demographic disparities in IONM use in the United States. Methods: Data were abstracted from the 2008–2021 National Inpatient Sample. Hospitalizations for neurosurgical (spinal, craniotomy, carotid artery, cranial/peripheral nerve), cardiac/vascular, and head/neck/thyroid procedures were identified and stratified by IONM use. Logistic regression models were estimated to assess disparities and trends in IONM use. Multivariable models adjusted for patient- and facility-level characteristics. Results: From 2008 to 2021, the rate of IONM use increased significantly in neurosurgical (3.69% to 18.62%, p < 0.001) and cardiac/vascular procedures (0.018% to 0.6%, p < 0.001). IONM use for head/neck/thyroid procedures increased steadily until 2014 and then declined ( p < 0.001). Compared with hospitalizations of White patients, Black (aOR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.81–0.94) and Hispanic (aOR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.81–0.96) patients were associated with lower odds of IONM use during craniotomy. Lower incomes (0–25th quartile) were associated with lower odds of IONM use in both spinal (aOR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.78–0.88) and craniotomy procedures (aOR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.72–0.85). Conclusions: There is a growing demand for IONM to enhance the safety of various procedures, indicating a need for neurologists and technologists with this expertise. In addition, we found significant racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in IONM use. These findings can be valuable for health care administrators and policymakers to address disparities in the access to IONM.

We describe an unusual case of a woman in her 30s who had recently undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and presented to the emergency department with a 6-week history of intractable nausea and vomiting, accompanied by progressively worsening bilateral leg weakness. Examination revealed persistent upbeat nystagmus, paraparesis, areflexia in the lower extremities, brisk reflexes in the upper extremities and diminished sensation across all modalities in lower limbs. Brain and spine MRIs were unremarkable, there was no nerve root enhancement. Laboratory tests revealed thiamine deficiency, with a level of 28 nmol/L (reference range: 70–108 nmol/L). No gangliocyte antibodies were detected. Cerebrospinal fluid study showed no albuminocytological dissociation. Electrodiagnostic studies showed evidence of lumbosacral polyradiculopathy. The patient was eventually diagnosed with thiamine deficiency-related acute nutritional axonal neuropathy and Wernicke’s encephalopathy. After aggressive thiamine supplementation and 8 weeks of physical rehabilitation, her leg strength improved, but she still requires assistance to ambulate.