Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Antiviral Use Higher Than Years Past

Flu season continues, and providers in several US markets are seeing surges in respiratory-virus-related visits. Meanwhile, new data also shows a year-over-year increase in antiviral prescriptions to treat influenza, according to a news report in Fierce Healthcare, leveraging data from Evernorth Research Institute (a Cigna subsidiary). Analyzing pharmacy claims for 32 million people, researchers noted an uptick in antiviral prescriptions in the weeks following Thanksgiving 2023 when compared to a similar time period during past …

Popular Osteoporosis Drug Increases Risk of Hypocalcemia

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently added a boxed warning to the osteoporosis drug denosumab (Prolia) due to the heightened risk of severe hypocalcemia in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). The agency’s decision, based on new evidence and a JAMA review, notes that denosumab increases the risk of severe hypocalcemia compared to bisphosphonates, particularly in CKD patients on dialysis. Severe hypocalcemia can manifest with symptoms like confusion, seizures, irregular heart rhythm, fainting, …

JN.1 Notorious For High Infection Rates But Less Illness Severity

The JN.1 variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appears to be more contagious than other members of the Omicron family, driving indicators of infection levels and COVID-19 illness. Even so, this currently circulating variant seems to produce a more mild illness with less need for medical attention. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as reported in JAMA Network shows emergency department visits for COVID-19 are down 21% this year, and the percentage of …

Leg Strength May Be A Clue For Heart Failure After ACS

The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology recently published research demonstrating that a higher level of quadriceps isometric strength (QIS) was strongly associated with a lower risk of developing heart failure (HF) after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Researchers studied the relationship between QIS and the risk of developing HF in patients with ACS using HF admissions as the endpoint. QIS is a skeletal muscle strength indicator, and study authors classified 1,053 patients with ACS without prior …

Linaclotide Relieves Constipation in Kids

The guanylate cyclase C agonist, linaclotide (Linzess), doubled weekly bowel movements among children age 6 and younger, helping to treat pediatric patients with functional constipation, according to a study published in Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. As a recently approved treatment option, linaclotide demonstrated improvement in frequency over placebo with 57% of patients in the treatment group experiencing a spontaneous bowel movement within the first 48 hours of receiving the drug. Authors also observed improvement in …

Studies Find No Increased Risk of Suicide With Semaglutide

The glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic) was found to demonstrate no increased risk of suicidal ideation in patients with obesity or type 2 diabetes, according to retrospective analyses of electronic health records examining these patient populations, published in Nature Medicine. Researchers’ analysis of 240,618 patients who were overweight/obese showed that those taking semaglutide had a significantly lower risk (0.11%) of suicidal ideation compared with those using non-GLP-1 anti-obesity medications (0.43%). In …

FDA-Approved Genetic Test May Predict Risk of Opioid Addiction

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first clinical test that uses DNA to assess potential risk of opioid use disorder in certain patients, according to an FDA announcement. The new AvertD test is intended as a screening tool clinicians can use before prescribing oral opioid drugs in adult patients who are being considered for short-term treatment of acute pain and who have not previously used oral opioid pain medications. To administer at …

Respiratory Illnesses Surge Across Most of the US

It’s no surprise that the prevalence of respiratory illnesses continued its upward slant in the waning days of 2023. Respiratory illness indicators surged across two-thirds of the nation, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), particularly impacting the Midwest and Northeast, where COVID cases were prevalent. COVID hospitalizations rose by 16.7%, causing 29,000 admissions, contributing to a 10% increase in deaths. The Midwest and Northeast reported moderate to …

FDA Warns of Skin Infections After Med Spa Treatments

A recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning cautioned consumers and medical professionals about adverse events associated with injection lipolysis—a series of injections meant to break down fat cells in the areas around the injection sites. They are often delivered in spa-type settings as cosmetic procedures. The agency said the applications are sold online under the names Aqualyx, Lipodissolve, Lipo Lab, and Kabelline and are not FDA-approved treatments. Side effects include permanent scars, serious infections, …

If One Spouse Has Hypertension, The Other Spouse May Have It Too

A recent study compared the concordance of hypertension within heterosexual couples and found that in as many as 47% of all hypertension cases, when one spouse has hypertension, so does the other spouse. Within the 4 countries studied, researchers observed a high overall prevalence of hypertension, ranging from 40% to 65% for both wives and husbands separately. At the same time, they observed a high prevalence of spousal concordant hypertension, ranging from 20% to more …