Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: COVID; Acute Myocardial Infarction; COPD; Giant Cell Arteritis
Given the reported health disparities in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and mortality by race/ethnicity,1,2 there is an immediate need for increased assessment of the prevalence of COVID-19 across racial/ethnic subgroups of the population in the US. We examined the racial/ethnic prevalence of cumulative COVID-19 hospitalizations in the 12 states that report such data and compared how this prevalence differs from the racial/ethnic composition of each state’s population. (Karaca-Mandic et al, 8/17)
Are clinical characteristics of patients who recovered from mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associated with levels of neutralizing antibodies? In this cohort study of 175 patients who recovered from mild COVID-19, neutralizing antibody titers to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) varied substantially at the time of discharge. In addition, neutralizing antibodies were not detected in 10 patients. (Wu et al, 8/18)
In this cohort study of 64 301 patients, an increasing proportion of US patients underwent multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock, with substantial variation in care practices across hospitals. The strategy of multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention was associated with worse periprocedural outcomes and excess in-hospital mortality, particularly in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction, without evidence of improved long-term outcomes. (Khera et al, 8/24)
Does regular, low-dose, oral sustained-release morphine improve disease-specific health status or cause respiratory adverse effects in patients with moderate to very severe chronic breathlessness due to advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? (Verberkt et al, 8/17)
This systematic review and meta-analysis of 68 unique diagnostic cohort studies (14 037 unique patients) identified combinations of symptoms, physical signs, and laboratory tests that were informative with regard to the presence or absence of giant cell arteritis, but no single feature taken alone. Headache and scalp tenderness were poorly informative in this population. (van der Geest, 8/17)
