Articles related to Family Medicine/General Practice

Monkeypox is again spreading around the world, from Europe to North America. This is the first outbreak in US the since 2003 and the disease is now spreading fairly rapidly on a daily basis. Transmission between people mostly occurs through large respiratory droplets, normally meaning prolonged contact face to face. But the virus can also spread through bodily fluids. The latest cases have mainly been among men who have sex with men. Currently, the UK has the largest number of diagnosed cases, followed by Portugal, Canada, and Spain. Latest case counts by country can be seen here.

Researchers explain why the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is so contagious and spreads so rapidly in the general population.

As use of gabapentin in the United States has been steadily increasing in recent years, researchers from the CDC have found that, among the 62,652 overdose deaths that occurred between 2019 and 2020, 58,362 of these cases had documented toxicology results.

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a first-in-class, once-weekly, dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that integrates the actions of both incretins into a single molecule. It enhances first- and second-phase insulin secretion, and reduces glucagon levels, both in a glucose-dependent manner. The FDA approval of Mounjaro as an adjunct therapy to diet and exercise for adults with type 2 diabetes was based on clinical trials where treatment with Mounjaro resulted in statistically significant reduction in both A1c and weight vs. semaglutide, insulin degludec, and insulin glargine.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has issued guidance on managing drug interactions with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid). Specifically, the IDSA recommends clinicians take six steps to minimize the risk of drug interactions for patients with COVID-19 who are eligible for nirmatrelvir/ritonavir.

Among adults aged 35 years or older with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2, the prevalence of diabetes in Asian, Black, and Hispanic Americans was significantly higher than that in White Americans. Using screening thresholds specific to race and ethnicity has the potential to reduce disparities in diabetes diagnosis.