By Rebecca Jenkins Asthma control has worsened among Australian adults in the past decade and more people are requiring urgent care for the condition, a new analysis suggests.

By Rebecca Jenkins Women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) have a fourfold increased risk of an atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) event compared with women without the condition, a US retrospective longitudinal cohort study finds. Health insurance data were collected between 2000 and 2022 from more than 413,000 women aged 18 to 50 years with PMOS, who were age-matched with 2,067,250 reference group women, for the research, published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynae

By Rebecca Jenkins Children should be screened twice for hypertension starting at 7 years of age, according to the first Australian guideline aimed at identifying and managing the condition in early life. The guideline, published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, was facilitated by BPOzKids Network and Hypertension Australia and endorsed by the National Heart Foundation of Australia.

By Rebecca Jenkins Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are associated with lower rates of mortality, amputations and hospitali­sations among people with type 2 diabetes and peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a retrospective cohort study finds. GLP-1 RAs were known to offer cardiovascular and renal benefits, but their impact on PAD-specific outcomes was underexplored, US researchers wrote in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

By Rebecca Jenkins National blood pressure (BP) control rates are improving but intensified action is needed to reach the many Australians still living with uncontrolled hypertension, experts say. In an update on hypertension prevalence, treatment and control rates published in the Journal of Hypertension, the National Hypertension Taskforce reported that the hypertension control rate was 39.6% in 2022 to 2023.

By Rebecca Jenkins Semaglutide improves kidney and survival outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) regardless of baseline cardiovascular disease risk, according to a secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial.

By Rebecca Jenkins As few as 10% of Australian men who have sex with men (MSM) may be vaccinated against mpox, an analysis suggests, revealing an immunity gap that could lead to future outbreaks. Limited Australian data on mpox disease epidemiology and vaccine uptake have been published since the global outbreak began in 2022, researchers led by the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), Sydney, wrote in eClinicalMedicine.

By Rebecca Jenkins High night-to-night variability in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) severity is linked to higher odds of nonfatal major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs), an Australian study finds. Researchers analysed data from 3159 adults (19% female, median age 49 years) who had used an under-mattress sensor to track nightly OSA variability over six months and then answered questions about their general health, doctor-diagnosed disorders and health-related behaviours.

A biomarker-based strategy is comparable to an MRI-enhanced approach for prostate cancer screening, a randomised trial has found.

With a targeted screening programme for prostate cancer on the horizon, how are diagnostic and therapy advances reshaping the care landscape?

By Rebecca Jenkins Exercise has a similar effect on depressive symptoms as psychological therapy or pharmacological treatment, finds an updated systematic review. Last updated in 2013, the new Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews study analysed 73 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of almost 5000 adults with depression, comparing exercise with no treatment, inactive treatment (e.g. no treatment, being put on a waiting list or being given a placebo treatment) or another active treatment (e.g.

By Rebecca Jenkins Women who experience pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and certain other pregnancy complications have a long-term increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), a large study finds. It was known that women who had adverse  pregnancy outcomes were at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), but  their long-term risk of AF was unclear, researchers wrote in JAMA Cardiology.

Managing the future risks of type 2 diabetes and cancer in people with prediabetes should be tailored to the age of prediabetes diagnosis.