The prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes increases substantially with age. In the U.S., an estimated 25% of adults 65 years or older have diabetes, whereas more than 50% meet criteria for prediabetes depending on the definition used. Despite the high prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes among older adults, progression of hyperglycemia over time (the transition from normoglycemia to prediabetes or …
Although case reports of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 exist, limited information is available regarding the frequency and outcomes of reinfection. Five residents of a skilled nursing facility received positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test results in two separate COVID-19 outbreaks separated by 3 months. Residents received at least four negative test results between the two outbreaks, suggesting the possibility of reinfection. The …
In a study published in JAMA Network, from April 21 to October 15, 2020, the post-acute care service assessed 381 white patients who had recovered from COVID-19 infection within 30-120 days, 166 (43.6%_ of whom were women with a mean age was 55.26. During acute COVID-19 illness, most patients were hospitalized, with a mean length of hospital stay of 18.41 …
The “Improving Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act) requires the Secretary to specify resource use measures, on which post-acute care (PAC) providers, including skilled nursing facilities, are required to submit necessary data specified by the Secretary. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has contracted with Acumen, LLC and RTI International to develop the SNF HAI measure …
The CDC’s phased approach to vaccine distribution puts all patients ages 16 to 64 with medical conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19 infection in the 1c category, citing heart conditions, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity among examples. However, the CDC made no attempt to stratify by levels of risk among those conditions. “A coherent vaccine allocation policy promoting the …
For more than 2 decades, bisphosphonate drugs have been a first-line therapy for preventing osteoporotic fractures, based on strong clinical evidence showing significant fracture risk reduction within the first 3 to 5 years of treatment. However, data regarding the optimal duration of bisphosphonate treatment to minimize fracture risk beyond this initial period of time are limited. In September 2015, a …
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized marketing a new prescription-only device intended to reduce snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea. Unlike devices used while patients sleep, this is the first device used while awake that is intended to improve tongue muscle function, which in time can help prevent the tongue from collapsing backward and obstructing the airway during sleep. …
Autoantibodies, a hallmark of most but not all autoimmune disorders, have been described in COVID-19 patients. In the earliest report, approximately half of hospitalized patients at an academic hospital in Greece had high levels of serum autoantibodies, often associated with clinical findings such as rashes, thrombosis, and vasculitis. In a large autoantibody screen, it was demonstrated that Multisystem inflammatory Syndrome …
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is informing health care providers and health care facilities about up-to-date information concerning multiplexing ventilator tubing connectors, also know as ventilator splitters, in situations in which no alternatives for invasive ventilatory support are available. Although the FDA has not received any adverse event reports related to the use of ventilator splitters authorized for …
In a new study out of the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, researchers found a drug used for heart failure improves symptoms associated with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, otherwise known as POTS. This complex debilitating disorder affects the body’s autonomic nervous system, causing a high heart rate, usually when standing. POTS is typically caused by a viral …
