Practice Management
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee voted on recommendations for 3 vaccines in recent days, according to CIDRAP. The committee recommended the use of the newly approved 5-in-1 meningococcal (groups A, B, C, W, and Y) vaccine as part of the adolescent meningococcal vaccination schedule. They also recommended that adults aged 50 to 59 years who are at increased risk of severe disease from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) receive a single …
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When kids are exposed to antibiotics before age 2, they may be at greater risk for asthma (hazard ratio [HR] 1.24, 1.22-1.26), food allergy (HR 1.33, 1.26-1.40), and allergic rhinitis (HR 1.06, 1.03-1.10), according to a retrospective analysis published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. While the study doesn’t prove that early antibiotic exposure caused the conditions, the authors note that antibiotics do play a critical role in combatting bacterial infections. Researchers studied antibiotic exposure …
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For adults with mild to moderate asthma, a dose of inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) taken in the afternoon suppressed the worsening of nighttime lung function better than other dosing regimens, a small crossover trial published in Thorax showed. A single 400 µg dose between 3PM and 4PM improved nighttime forced expiratory volume compared to baseline in a 28-day study of 25 participants, which included a washout period. However, when the same dose was given between 8AM …
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The incidence of invasive group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections increased significantly from 3.6 cases per 100,000 people in 2013 to 8.2 cases in 2022, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis published in JAMA. Researchers studied data from 10 states including 35 million people and recommended that new efforts should be designed to prevent and control GAS infections, especially among groups at highest risk, which includes individuals 65 years or older, residents …
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Pediatric infectious disease experts are considering revising recommendations to encourage an early, additional dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine for 6- to 11-month-old infants in high-risk areas, according to MedPage Today. The shift would change the 2-dose regimen per lifetime to 3 doses, while also getting an earlier start. Public health leaders recently discussed in a JAMA perspective the possibility of expanding vaccine recommendations for infants who live in regions with known …
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While many urgent care patients present in the early days of spring with the common symptoms of stuffy nose and sneezing, an allergic rhinitis diagnosis can be somewhat nuanced, according to a review in JAMA Network. Allergic rhinitis, seasonal allergic rhinitis, perennial allergic rhinitis, and non-allergic rhinitis each have different typical symptoms, and therefore, there can be differences in treatment, according to the authors. In a follow-up, MedPage Today reports the majority of allergic rhinitis …
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Patients with underlying medical conditions (UMCs) were more likely to be hospitalized for influenza than those without UMCs, according to a retrospective study across 4 flu seasons published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. Among 1,403 patients hospitalized with influenza at least once within a season, flu-related hospitalization was highest for patients with congestive heart failure (adjusted rate ratio, 4.2, 95% confidence interval: 3.6–4.9), followed by those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Multiple UMCs …
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A new oral antibiotic, gepotidacin, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). According to the manufacturer, GSK plc, gepotidacin is a first-in-class antibiotic with a novel mechanism that inhibits bacterial DNA replication to treat female adults and pediatric patients (≥12 years, ≥40 kg) with uncomplicated UTIs. It’s designed to target several of the most common UTI-causing bacteria such as E. coli and …
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Too few patients are receiving recommended chlamydia and gonorrhea treatment in primary care settings, according to a study published in the Annals of Family Medicine analyzing electronic health records from 2018 to 2022. Among 6,678 confirmed chlamydia cases and 2,206 confirmed gonorrhea cases studied, 75.3% and 69.6%, respectively, received treatment. Treatment rates were higher among women than men (chlamydia: 78.4% vs 67.2%; gonorrhea: 78.9% vs 51.4%). Additionally, younger individuals and those with coinfections were more …
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A cross-sectional study recently published in JAMA Psychiatry sums up the prevalence of prescription stimulant use disorder (PSUD) among U.S. adults. Using national data, researchers found that 25.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 23.8%-26.8%) of adults using prescription stimulants reported misuse, and 9.0% (95% CI, 8.0%-10.0%) had PSUD as measured by DSM-5 criteria. Misuse and PSUD were significantly more prevalent among those prescribed amphetamines compared to methylphenidate. The study also identified demographic trends, with the largest …
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