Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of April 13, 2026–April 17, 2026.
Flu vaccination may offer cardiovascular protection even when it does not prevent infection
HealthDay (4/10, Solomon) reported a study found that “influenza vaccination may offer cardiovascular protection even when it does not prevent infection.” The study included “1,221 individuals (age 40 years and older) with a first-ever hospital admission for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or stroke within 365 days of a polymerase chain reaction-confirmed influenza infection.” Researchers observed that the participants “contributed 1,231 influenza infection episodes, of which 610 (50%) were categorized as vaccinated and 621 (50%) were categorized as unvaccinated. After adjusting for calendar month, risk for cardiovascular events was elevated (overall incidence rate ratio [IRR], 3.5), particularly for AMI (IRR, 4.7) versus stroke (IRR, 2.9). There was significant reduction in the excess risk for AMI or stroke associated with influenza infection for those with prior influenza vaccination during the same influenza season.” The study was published in Eurosurveillance.
You may also be interested in: 8 things doctors wish patients knew about flu vaccines
Dual deprescribing intervention may reduce inappropriate proton pump inhibitor use
MedPage Today (4/13, Bassett) reports a study suggests that “a dual deprescribing intervention for proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) targeting patients and their primary care doctors proved effective in reducing potentially inappropriate use.” Researchers observed that “at 1 year, the combined approach–where patients got educational material about reducing PPI use mailed to them and their physicians received a letter detailing a deprescribing algorithm–resulted in twice as many patients cutting their PPI use in half (14.9%) versus usual care (7%) or physician-targeted intervention alone (7.7%).” The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
You may also be interested in: Time for a different approach in the exam room: deprescribing
Number of U.S. patients on active long-term opioid treatment declined by nearly a quarter between 2015-2023
HealthDay (4/14, Thompson) reports a study found that U.S. patients “on active long-term opioid treatment–defined as 90 days or longer– ell by nearly a quarter (24%) between 2015 and 2023.” For the study, “researchers analyzed trends in U.S. opioid use using a database that captures 92% of all American retail pharmacy prescriptions. Results showed that in 2023, patients on long-term opioid therapy accounted for just under 12% of all patients prescribed any opioids. Overall, the number of people on long-term opioids fell from about 5.6 million in 2015 to 4.2 million in 2023.” In addition, researchers “observed a shift in those receiving long-term opioid therapy. Average patient age rose from nearly 53 in 2015 to almost 61 in 2023. In addition, Medicare now covers the most long-term opioid prescriptions, increasing from about 39% in 2015 to 49% in 2023.” The study was discussed in a JAMA research letter
Long-term antidepressant use may increase risk of sudden cardiac death
Cardiovascular Business (4/15, Walter) reports researchers found that “long-term antidepressant use may increase a person’s risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD).” Investigators found that “out of 6,002 SCD deaths, 32% occurred in antidepressant users.” Study results indicate that “adjusted hazard ratios were 1.41 for one to five years of antidepressant use and 1.74 for six or more years of antidepressant use.” Current antidepressant users had “the highest risk of SCD, followed by recent users and then remote users.” The findings were published in Heart Rhythm.
Review finds minimal clinical benefit from new Alzheimer’s anti-amyloid drugs
The New York Times (4/15, Belluck) reported “a new review of research spanning a decade...concluded that the clinical benefit of” new Alzheimer’s drugs and similar medications “is negligible.” The review “evaluated studies that were conducted on seven monoclonal antibody drugs developed over the last two decades to target amyloids.” The findings were published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
You may also be interested in: What doctors wish patients knew about Alzheimer's disease
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