As Acute Phase Of Pandemic Faded, Death Rate Disparities Remerged
New research shows that disparities in pre-covid all-cause mortality rates persisted after the acute phase of the pandemic — showing the disparities are endemic, and that even a global health shock didn't upset demographic death rate differences in the U.S.
CIDRAP:
US Study: Disparities In Death Rates Persist After Acute Phase Of Pandemic
A new research letter in JAMA Network Open demonstrates that pre-COVID disparities in all-cause mortality have largely persisted after the acute phase of the pandemic, as patterns have largely returned to baseline. The study examined annualized age-standardized death rates (ASDRs) among major demographic groups in the United States from March 2018 through May 2023. Sex, race and ethnicity, metropolitan status, and region were all considered. (Soucheray, 2/21)
CIDRAP:
Paxlovid Use Tied To 84% Lower Risk Of Hospital Care
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill investigators report today that COVID-19 hospitalization risk was reduced by 84% among Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) recipients in a large, diverse healthcare system during January to August 2022, when the Omicron strain was dominant. The study appears in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. Paxlovid is authorized for use in US patients 12 years and older at risk for developing severe outcomes from COVID-19 infections. (Soucheray, 2/21)
In other research and innovation news —
Stat:
Study Fuels Hope CAR-T Cell Therapy Could Treat Autoimmune Disease
People with autoimmune disorders don’t usually get to talk about a cure. There’s symptom management, hopeful periods of remission often followed by relapses, but rarely a lasting fix for the way their immune system attacks healthy cells. If the immune system is an army, then those with conditions like lupus, multiple sclerosis, or rheumatoid arthritis are often fighting a never-ending war of friendly fire. (Gaffney, 2/21)
AP:
Silent Brain Changes Precede Alzheimer's. Researchers Have New Clues About Which Come First
Alzheimer’s quietly ravages the brain long before symptoms appear and now scientists have new clues about the dominolike sequence of those changes — a potential window to one day intervene. A large study in China tracked middle-aged and older adults for 20 years, using regular brain scans, spinal taps and other tests. Compared to those who remained cognitively healthy, people who eventually developed the mind-robbing disease had higher levels of an Alzheimer’s-linked protein in their spinal fluid 18 years prior to diagnosis, researchers reported Wednesday. (Neergaard, 2/21)
Stat:
Antivenom Research: Lessons From HIV Applied In Search For Universal Antidote
Antivenom, like Mexican Coke or grandma’s cookies, is still made the old-fashioned way. In antivenom’s case, the recipe is straightforward: Pump a horse full of sub-lethal doses of venom from various local snakes, wait for them to develop an immune response, tap their blood, purify out antibodies, bottle, and freeze. (Mast, 2/21)
