The FDA Azithromycin Softshoe and Why It Matters
This report was in direct contradiction to an earlier report from Ray, et al. published in the New England Journal of Medicine (and widely hailed in press) (Source: Dr. Wes)
Source: Dr. Wes - May 4, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Westby G. Fisher, MD Tags: Big Data azithromycin safety Source Type: blogs
Top stories in health and medicine, May 2, 2013
Brought to you by MedPage Today.
1. Study Eases Some Azithromycin Fears. Danish patients taking azithromycin were at no greater risk of cardiovascular death, relative to those using penicillin, when pretreatment mortality risk was taken into account.
2. Study: Medicaid Expansion Won’t Help All Aspects of Health. Expanding Medicaid coverage improves mental health but doesn’t tackle some basic measures of physical health, like blood pressure, judging by the experience seen with a Medicaid lottery in Oregon.
3. On-Call Pay Varies Widely by Specialty. Surgeons commanded more than $1,000 a day for being on-call at t...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 2, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: News Health reform Infectious disease Medicare Medications Source Type: blogs
Danish Study Finds No Increased CV Risk With Azithromycin In General Population
A large observational study found no increased risk for cardiovascular events associated with azithromycin (Zithromax, Pfizer) in a general population of young and middle-age adults. In a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Danish investigators report the results of a large national observational study comparing people who took azithromycin with matched controls who took no antibiotics and with matched controls who took penicillin V for similar indications. Although there was a significant increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular causes in people taking azithromycin compared with people takin...
Source: CardioBrief - May 1, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Larry Husten Tags: People, Places & Events Policy & Ethics Prevention, Epidemiology & Outcomes antibiotics azithromycin FDA Pfizer Zithromax Source Type: blogs
Follow-up: Z-pack is safe for young and middle aged folks
A new report out of Denmark has helped clarify the safety concerns with the antibiotic azithromycin (Zithromax/Zmax, Pfizer). Earlier this year, an analysis of Medicate patients showed an increase risk of death in patients that used Zithromax vs those that used none or amoxicillin. The current study has concluded that on its own, Zithromax does NOT raise the risk of cardiovascular death in patients aged 18-64 years. This was based on 12 years if data. Take home message: - Zithromax is safe to use in patients younger than 65 years of age- Zithromax does slightly raise the risk of CV death in patient...
Source: Dr Portnay - May 1, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr Portnay Source Type: blogs
Cardiac Risk With Azithromycin (Zithromax Z-Pack)
A recent FDA warning, indicating that the popular antibiotic azitromycin (commonly known as Zithromax, or Z-Pack), may increase the risk of sudden death in some people, has been widely reported ...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Heart Disease)
Source: About.com Heart Disease - April 8, 2013 Category: Cardiology Source Type: blogs
How safe is a Z-pak?
Text message:
“John, This cough and congestion is killing me. It’s turning thick and green. Can you write me a Z-pak? It always works for me.”
If you write a blog on medical decision-making and heart rhythm matters, it seems an incredible omission not to opine on the FDA warning concerning the commonly used antibiotic azithromycin (the drug in a Z-Pak). Quoting directly from the FDA warning:
[Azithromycin] can cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the heart that may lead to a potentially fatal irregular heart rhythm.
Should we say this more clearly: that simple antibiotic you are taking for a minor i...
Source: Dr John M - March 27, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr John Source Type: blogs
Lyme Disease
Pathophysiology of Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is an
1) infection with Borrelia burgdorferi via tick bite
2) previous thinking held tick vector was Ixodes but transmission is now thought by some experts to be possible with additional tick species
3) occurs in stage I and stage II days to weeks after infection and in stage III months to years after infection (usually with preceding latency period
Signs and Symptoms
Stage I
1) characteristic expanding annular rash with central clearing (“bull’s eye or “target” rash) that occurs in only 40% of infections
Stage II
2) multiple secondary annular skin lesio...
Source: Inside Surgery - March 19, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Editor Tags: Infectious Disease babesia bulls eye rash coinfections deer tick erythema migrans hyperbaric ixodes target rash Source Type: blogs
Effects of periodontal non-surgical therapy plus azithromycin on glycemic control in patients with diabetes: a randomized clinical trial
ConclusionsA modest improvement in glycemic control was detected with a trend towards the use of non-surgical therapy plus AZ as compared to the placebo. (Source: Dental Technology Blog)
Source: Dental Technology Blog - March 19, 2013 Category: Dentists Source Type: blogs
The Generality of the FDA's Recommendations on Zithromax
Tuesday's warning about Zithromax causing heart irregularities reportedly came after the FDA completed its own review of a New England Journal of Medicine article published in May 2012 and after reviewing additional data provided by Pfizer. I have already voiced my concerns over the way this study was conducted in the first place since the data upon which the authors' risk estimates were made (Source: Dr. Wes)
Source: Dr. Wes - March 14, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Westby G. Fisher, MD Tags: FDA azithromycin safety Source Type: blogs
Z-pack and cardiac disease may be a deadly combination
The FDA announced a public warning for the popular antibiotic azithromycin (Zithromax and the antibiotic in the widely prescribed Z-pack). The FDA is warning that this medication increases the risk of a potentially fatal irregular heart rhythm. Patients at risk for this azithromycin-induced arrhythmia include those who already have a prolonged QT interval, low blood levels of potassium or magnesium, and an abnormally slow heart rate, or who take drugs to treat arrhythmias. Elderly patients and patients with cardiac disease also may be more susceptible to the arrhythmogenic effects of the ant...
Source: Dr Portnay - March 12, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr Portnay Source Type: blogs
Babesia Infection – Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment
Pathophysiology of Babesia Infection
1) Babesiosis is caused by the intracellular protozoan parasite Babesia microti and in Europe B. divergens 2) most severe symptoms occur in immunosuppressed, diabet6ic, splenectomized, and elderly 3) now clinically important in the USA and Candada as a coinfection of Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and Bartonella (which are all transmitted via the bite of the Ixodes tick)
Signs and Symptoms
1) acute flu-like symptoms – fever, chills, sweats, muscle pain, fatigue, arthralgias, and headache 2) petechiae 3) jaundice/dark urine 4) if occurs as coinfection with Lyme disease, the clinical ...
Source: Inside Surgery - January 27, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Editor Tags: Infectious Disease atovaquone babesia babesiosis bartonella coinfection ixodes Lyme microti tick Source Type: blogs
