Medications that can worsen heart failure (HF) are often continued or even initiated during heart failure hospitalizations, a study showed. Fully 49% of patients hospitalized for HF were prescribed HF-exacerbating medications at some point prior to discharge, and for 12% the number of such drugs increased during the hospitalization, according to Parag Goyal, MD, of
Allergies & Asthma
Adverse childhood events (ACEs), such as emotional abuse, domestic violence, or incarceration, were commonly reported by U.S. adults, and these events were associated with the later development of many of the country’s leading causes of death, according to CDC survey data. Of 144,017 individuals who completed a phone survey, those who reported at least four
PodMed Double T is a weekly podcast from Texas Tech. In it, Elizabeth Tracey, director of electronic media for Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Rick Lange, MD, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, look at the top medical stories of the week. A transcript of the podcast is below the
Noteworthy and even game-changing new treatments and therapeutic strategies for COPD, cystic fibrosis, and other pulmonary diseases happened in 2019, but the headlines continue to be dominated by a still mysterious outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries. Few EVALI Answers In mid-August, health officials with the CDC first announced their investigation of close to 100 cases
Note that some links may require subscriptions. Now this is awkward: Head of lab that found asbestos in a bottle of Johnson & Johnson baby powder previously served as an expert witness for J&J in its court battles denying any contamination. (Reuters) “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek is again out front on pancreatic cancer, as the
earn free cme credit Earn CME credit by reading this article and completing the posttest. Sign Up Study Authors: Mark T. Dransfield, Helen Voelker, et al.; William MacNee Target Audience and Goal Statement: Pulmonologists, cardiologists, emergency department physicians, critical care specialists The goal of this study was to examine if a beta-blocker (extended-release metoprolol) would
Note that some links may require subscriptions. The Trump administration may allow mint- and menthol-flavored vaping products to stay on the market after all. (Bloomberg) Firefighters aren’t the only ones facing occupational health risks from the wildfires raging in California. (Kaiser Health News) Former Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), the longest-serving African American in Congress
SAN ANTONIO — More than half of patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) had objective responses to treatment with an oral formulation of a topical corticosteroid, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial showed. After 12 weeks of treatment budesonide oral suspension (BOS), 53.1% of patients had histologic response (defined by reduced eosinophil count), and 52.6% had symptomatic response
NEW ORLEANS — Nearly 60% of nursing facility residents with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had low peak inspiratory flow rate (PIFR, <60 L/min), and for most their treatment was substandard, a researcher reported here. Although long-acting bronchodilators (LABD) are the best medications for patients with low PIFR, they were more likely to get short-acting
PodMed Double T is a weekly podcast from Texas Tech. In it, Elizabeth Tracey, director of electronic media for Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Rick Lange, MD, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, look at the top medical stories of the week. A transcript of the podcast is below the
NEW ORLEANS — Patients diagnosed with asthma at age 40 and beyond showed better responses to the interleukin-4 receptor agonist dupilumab (Dupixent) than patients with earlier-onset asthma, according to a subanalysis of the LIBERTY ASTHMA QUEST study reported here. And in a separate analysis of data from the companion LIBERTY ASTHMA VENTURE trial, which enrolled
NEW ORLEANS — Asthma patients hospitalized for myocardial infarction (MI) had lower mortality risk than patients without asthma a year after the event, analysis of a nationwide hospital inpatient database indicated. Inpatient mortality was lower in patients with asthma vs controls in the examination of data on approximately 13,000 patients with and without asthma from
NEW ORLEANS – A wearable oscillating vest, designed for treatment of cystic fibrosis, appeared to reduce chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, according to a retrospective study reported here. After 24 months of wearing the vest, patients achieved a 54.4% reduction in the annualized hospitalization rate for respiratory causes — a reduction in the rate
NEW ORLEANS — In a subgroup analysis of the ASCENT-COPD trial results, use of the long-acting inhaled muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) aclidinium bromide (Tudorza) was associated with a reduced risk for exacerbations and a similar safety profile in patients with and without a recent history of exacerbations. Original findings from the trial, published last spring, showed
Patients with newly diagnosed comorbidities, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, or asthma, had an increase in rates of antibiotic prescribing in the months prior to their diagnosis, U.K. researchers found. In the 1 to 3 months prior to diagnosis, rates of antibiotic prescribing increased at least two-fold for both COPD and
A new study has found that fatty tissue can accumulate in the airways of people with obesity, possibly contributing to asthma and other respiratory problems. New research suggests that fatty tissue accumulated in the airways may contribute to asthma in some cases. In the United States, as well as across the world, obesity has become
earn free cme credit Earn CME credit by reading this article and completing the posttest. Sign Up Study Authors: Hanan Aboumatar, Mohammad Naqibuddin, et al.; Seppo T. Rinne, Peter K. Lindenauer, David H. Au; Howard Bauchner, Robert M. Golub Target Audience and Goal Statement: Pulmonologists, infectious disease specialists, hospitalists, emergency department physicians, primary care physicians
PodMed Double T is a weekly podcast from Texas Tech. In it, Elizabeth Tracey, director of electronic media for Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Rick Lange, MD, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, look at the top medical stories of the week. A transcript of the podcast is below the
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a large comorbidity burden at the time of diagnosis, including a wide range of ailments but with pulmonary disease a particular concern, a U.K. population-based study found. Compared with controls, RA patients had a significantly higher rate of chronic lung disease, depression, diabetes, stroke, hemiplegia, and liver disease, according
If you buy something through a link on this page, we may earn a small commission. How this works. Boswellia, or Indian frankincense, is a resin herbal extract from the boswellia tree, which natural medicine practices have used for centuries. Its anti-inflammatory effects mean that it may help with inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis,
Re-analysis of a study initially published late last year unexpectedly showed evidence of harm associated with a program delivering intensive transitional care and self-management support to hospitalized patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Initial findings from the single-center study, first published in JAMA last November, showed fewer hospitalizations and improvements in quality-of-life scores among
PodMed Double T is a weekly podcast from Texas Tech. In it, Elizabeth Tracey, director of electronic media for Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Rick Lange, MD, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, look at the top medical stories of the week. A transcript of the podcast is below the
MADRID — Triple therapy delivered in a single inhaler improved lung function and reduced exacerbations in patients with asthma poorly controlled with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)-plus long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) treatment, a researcher reported here. In the double-blind, parallel-group phase III trials TRIMARAN and TRIGGER, the addition of a long-acting muscarinic antagonist to inhaled ICS-LABA also showed
In response to concerns about the unnecessary use of antibiotics, researchers have sought to identify simple, non-specific tests to help clinicians determine which patients require antibiotics and which do not. Indeed, such tests could facilitate challenging management decisions, which currently rely predominately upon a thorough clinical assessment. To compound the challenge, patients often have pre-conceived
MADRID — Certain subgroups of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may benefit from benralizumab (Fasenra) despite its overall failure to reduce acute exacerbations in phase III testing, pooled data from two of those studies indicated. For patients with blood eosinophil counts of at least 220 cells/mL who were on so-called triple maintenance therapy,
African-American children with poorly controlled asthma may not need to add a long-acting beta agonist (LABA) to treatment with an inhaled steroid, researchers reported. In a study examining responses to step-up therapy in black adults and children with asthma not controlled with low-dose inhaled corticosteroids, just as many children responded to treatment escalation limited to
NEW ORLEANS — Laser ablation of the posterior nasal nerve provided durable relief from rhinitis, and use of rhinitis medications decreased substantially, results of a small prospective series showed. Rhinitis symptoms decreased by more than 50% within the first 30 days after surgery and persisted to 90 days. Rhinorrhea and congestion improved by a similar
The 24-hour news cycle is just as important to medicine as it is to politics, finance, or sports. At MedPage Today, new information is posted daily, but keeping up can be a challenge. As an aid for our readers and for a little amusement, here is a 10-question quiz based on the news of the