Low Blood Sodium Level at Hospital Admission Linked to Increased Risk of Premature Death

Among 2960 patients >40 years old who were admitted to a hospital in Greater Copenhagen and were followed for a median of 5.16 years, the 1-year mortality rate was higher for patients with hyponatremia (plasma sodium level <137 mmol/L) at hospital admission than in those with normonatremia (27.5% vs. 17.7%). Hyponatremia was linked with a 60% and 40% increased risk of all-cause mortality after 1 year and after the entire observation period, respectively. Patients with hyponatremia had a hospital stay of 7.6 days compared to 5.6 days for those with normonatremia. The findings are published in the Internal Medicine Journal.

Study: Cigars may be as harmful as cigarettes.

Bloomberg News (11/8, Cortez) reports that according to a report published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, “the amount of NNAL, a carcinogen which comes only from tobacco, was as high in daily cigar smokers as those who regularly smoke cigarettes.” Study’s lead author, Jiping Chen said, “There is no safe level of cigar smoking...Even cigar smokers who don’t smoke every day are exposed to substantially higher levels of toxic compounds” than nonsmokers.

Studies: Most people who think they are allergic to penicillin are not.

NBC Nightly News (11/8, story 8, 1:50, Williams) reported that “the nation’s top allergists are saying most of those” who believe they are allergic to penicillin are not.

        On its website, NBC News (11/7, Silverman) reported that in one study presented at the at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting, investigators “tested 384 people who said they were allergic to penicillin. “

        ABC News (11/8) reported on its website that the investigators “found the overwhelming majority – 94 percent – of test subjects showed no allergy to penicillin.”

        HealthDay (11/8, Preidt) reported that “in the second study,” also presented at the ACAAI meeting, “penicillin skin testing was performed on 38 people who believed they were allergic to the antibiotic, and all of them tested negative for such an allergy.” Also covering the story are Medical Daily (11/10), and the Syracuse (NY) Post-Standard (11/8, Canedo).

        Survey: Many physicians may have misconceptions about allergies. HealthDay (11/8, Norton) reported that research presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology’s annual meeting suggests that “many primary care doctors may not be up to speed on the causes and best treatments for allergies.” Investigators who surveyed more than “400 internists and pediatricians...found that misconceptions about allergies were fairly common – particularly when it came to food allergies.” Among other things, the survey found that “one-third of all doctors, and half of internists, did not know” that “the go-to treatment for a person who develops hives and vomiting after eating a known food allergen” is an epinephrine injection.

Kidney Stone Guideline Offers Recommendations on Prevention and Treatment

A new guideline issued by the American College of Physicians recommends increased fluid intake spread throughout the day to achieve at least 2 L of urine per day to prevent recurrent kidney stones. It also recommends treatment with a thiazide diuretic, citrate, or allopurinol to prevent recurrent kidney stones in patients with active disease in which increased fluid intake fails to reduce the formation of stones. The guideline is published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Predictors of Future Kidney Failure Found in Adolescent Males

In a study of Swedish men who had a physical examination in the early 1970s (when the majority of them were 18 and 19 years old), the presence of proteinuria in adolescence was associated with a sevenfold increased risk of developing ESRD. Low-grade inflammation found by testing for the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in blood indicated a twofold increase in kidney failure risk. Hypertension quadrupled the risk of developing ESRD, while a BMI ≥30 kg/m² increased the ESRD risk by 3.5 times. In the American Journal of Kidney Diseasesstudy, 534 ESRD cases were matched with 5127 controls.

New Drug Delivered through a Skin Patch May Help Heal Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Researchers have developed a drug that increases hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) and can penetrate the skin through a transdermal patch. Blood sugar toxicity in diabetics impairs HIF-1α, a protein that turns on genes that help form new networks of small blood vessels. In a skin apparatus used to simulate foot ulcers, wounds healed 14 days faster with transdermal delivery of the drug compared to applying it in a topical solution. The drug’s main ingredient is deferoxamine, which has been available for more than 60 years. The research was presented at the American College of Surgeons Annual Clinical Congress.

Mediterranean Diet May Help Protect Kidney Health

In a recent study, every additional point in a Mediterranean diet score (indicating better adherence to the diet) was associated with a 17% lower likelihood of developing CKD. Dietary patterns that closely resembled the Mediterranean diet (with a score of ≥5) were linked with a 50% lower risk of developing CKD and a 42% lower risk of experiencing rapid kidney function decline. The observational, community-based, prospective study included 900 participants with an average age of 64 years at baseline who were followed for nearly 7 years. The results are published in CJASN.