Quick Hits: Patients who are taking stronger doses of medications to lower high blood pressure may experience serious side effects, such as fainting. Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong analyzed over 8,000 American patients and found that those who took higher doses of medication in order to control their fluctuating high blood pressure were 26% more likely to suffer from severe side effects, compared to those who didn’t receive intensive treatment. Posted February 27, 2017. Via South China Morning Post.
Quick Hits: Newborns are not harmed when mothers take antiviral drugs (known as neuraminidase inhibitors) to prevent or treat influenza during pregnancy. The Scandinavian study published by The BMJ found that almost 6,000 women who were prescribed either of the 2 neuraminidase inhibitors, Tamiflu (oseltamivir) or Relenza (zanamivir), during pregnancy – and almost 700,000 women who did not receive the medication. Researchers found that the use of neuraminidase inhibitors is not associated with increased risks of adverse fetal or neonatal outcomes. Posted February 28, 2017. Via Medical Xpress.
Quick Hits: High dosages of drugs used to treat patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) significantly increase the risk of permanent hearing loss in patients over time. A study, published in the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, analyzed the medical records of 81 CF patients, aged 15 to 63 years. Researchers organized the patients into 4 groups based on the dosage of the CF antibiotics (aminoglycoside antibiotics) – 2 groups were assigned higher dosages while the other 2 were assigned the lowest dosage. Researchers found that the 2 groups assigned higher dosages were 4.79 times more likely to experience permanent hearing loss than the other 2 groups taking lower dosages. Posted February 25, 2017. Via Medical Xpress.
