COVID-19 Tied to Doubled Risk of Endocarditis in Substance Use Disorder Patients
Patients with cocaine or opioid use disorder (OUD) had a higher risk of endocarditis if they also contracted COVID-19, a retrospective study showed. COVID-19 infection was associated with an increased risk of newly diagnosed cases of endocarditis among patients with opioid use disorder (HR 2.23, 95% CI 1.92-2.60) and with cocaine use disorder (HR 2.24, […]
Higher Risk of Severe Breakthrough COVID for Certain HIV Patients
People with HIV and moderate or severe immune suppression contended with a higher risk for severe COVID-19 after breakthrough infections, researchers reported. When compared to people without HIV, the risk of severe breakthrough illness on multivariable analysis was 59% higher in HIV patients with CD4 counts below 350 cells/μL (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.59, 95% […]
Lung Cancer Declining in People With HIV, but Still High
Lung cancer rates declined for people living with HIV but remained higher than the general population and, in older individuals, even higher than other cancers normally considered to be associated with HIV/AIDS, a population-based registry linkage study showed. The overall outlook for lung cancer improved for HIV-positive people during the study period from 2001-2016, decreasing […]
Higher CRP Levels Tied to Cognitive Problems in Older Breast Cancer Survivors
Higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were associated with cognitive problems in older breast cancer survivors, a longitudinal analysis showed. Among participants of the Thinking and Living With Cancer study, breast cancer survivors with higher CRP levels than others reported statistically worse cognition (P=0.040) — a relationship that was not seen in women with no […]
Suicide Rose in 2021 After Curious Decline in 2020
Suicide rates inched up slightly from 2020 to 2021, driven primarily by a higher rate of male suicides, according to provisional data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The 4% increase reflected 45,979 deaths by suicide in 2020 compared with 47,646 in 2021, for age-adjusted rates of 13.5 and 14.0 per 100,000, respectively, […]
Prenatal Steroids May Improve Outcomes in Extremely Preterm Infants
A complete course of antenatal steroids was associated with higher survival in extremely preterm infants, a cohort study showed. Among infants born at 22 weeks to less than 24 weeks, 53.9% who had full exposure to antenatal steroids at gestational age 21 to 22 weeks survived to discharge, compared with 37.5% who had partial steroid […]
Former Smokers See Even Better Outcomes With Healthier Lifestyles
Former smokers still face higher disease and premature death risks, but they were able to cut down on that mortality risk by sticking with a healthy lifestyle, according to a prospective cohort study. Among people who used to smoke, higher total adherence scores to healthy lifestyle recommendations (e.g., healthy weight, balanced diet) were linked with […]
Aldosterone Linked to Kidney Failure Risk, Irrespective of Diabetes
Higher serum aldosterone levels were linked to a greater risk of kidney failure in chronic kidney disease (CKD), both for those with and without diabetes, a study showed. Every doubling in aldosterone level was associated with 11% (95% CI 1.04-1.18) greater risk of progression of CKD to end-stage kidney disease or halving of estimated glomerular […]
People With Advanced AIDS Benefit From Dolutegravir Treatment
MONTREAL — Patients with advanced HIV/AIDS infections had higher proportion of viral suppression with dolutegravir (Tivicay) treatment versus efavirenz (Sustiva) treatment, a researcher reported. At 48 weeks, 73.9% of the 92 patients assigned to a dolutegravir-based (DTG) regimen achieved viral suppression based on the 200 copies/ml assay versus 47.8% of the 92 patients assigned to […]
Higher-Potency Cannabis Linked to Psychosis, Dependency
Use of higher potency cannabis products was associated with a greater risk for psychosis and dependency, a systematic review of 20 studies found. In findings from the U.K. GAP study, for example, users of high-potency cannabis were nearly three times more likely to experience first-time psychosis compared with those who had never used cannabis before […]