Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of Aug. 31, 2026–Sept. 4, 2026.
Inhaler overuse linked to heart risks in patients with asthma and COPD
HealthDay (8/28) reports, “For people with asthma or COPD, reaching for a rescue inhaler too often may be a warning sign—not just for their lungs, but for their heart.” Investigators “analyzed real-world health data from more than 280,000” patients with asthma and COPD in Belgium. The researchers “found frequent use of short-acting reliever inhalers, also called bronchodilators, was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death, including heart failure, heart attack and ischemic stroke.” The data indicated that “compared with no use, the increased risk of death ranged from 12% to 73% depending on the type of inhaler and whether patients had asthma or COPD.” The findings were published in ERJ Open Research.
Around 2.5 hours or more of social media scrolling per day is linked to self-reported depression
HealthDay (8/28, Thompson) reports a recent study found that “adults who spend hours scrolling social media every day are more likely to develop depression.” Researchers reported that “around 2.5 hours or more of scrolling per day is linked to self-reported depression.” In addition, “social media is more closely linked to depression than other factors like your job, your educational background, or your time spent playing video games, surfing the web or watching TV, researchers said.” The researchers “analyzed more than 183,000 surveys from 18- to 70-year-olds participating in an annual poll on media behaviors and influence, covering 11 years of surveys starting in 2014.” Their analysis “showed a link between depression and spending at least 150 minutes a day on social media, with this association appearing in each of the 11 years studied.” The study was published in npj Mental Health Research.
Men with low or high testosterone levels both have higher risk of atrial fibrillation
HealthDay (8/31, Thompson) reports a new evidence review indicates that “men with low testosterone or high testosterone levels both have a higher risk of atrial fibrillation.” Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing “data from previous studies to look into the heart risks associated with low and high levels of testosterone.” The findings were published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.
Physician groups aim to ease confusion on guidelines for flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccines
The AP (9/2, Neergaard) reports, “Leading U.S. medical groups are urging people to get updated flu and COVID-19 vaccinations this fall, banding together Wednesday to issue shot guidelines—and highlight the science behind them—saying they hope to ease confusion.” In the absence of updated federal vaccine guidance this fall, “doctors’ groups are filling the gap: the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America each released vaccination guidelines for their patient populations.” American Medical Association President-Elect Sandra Fryhofer, MD, said, “There’s been a lot of confusion and chaos regarding vaccine recommendations.” The AMA is compiling “all the groups’ recommendations plus evidence on shot safety and effectiveness on a website, SpreadTheFacts.org, so ‘the public has clear, consistent, science-based guidance even while the federal process is in flux,’ she said.”
The Washington Post (9/2, Sun) reports the recommendations were “guided by an independent review conducted by the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) in collaboration with” AMA. In their findings, published in JAMA, the VIP “reviewed hundreds of peer-reviewed studies on the safety and effectiveness of immunizations against influenza, COVID-19 and RSV, and found no new safety concerns.”
Editor’s note: Read more on the independent vaccine evidence review from the AMA and Vaccine Integrity Project. You can also visit the SpreadTheFacts.org website.
Prevalence of unruptured intracranial aneurysms growing among healthy adults
MedPage Today (9/3, George) reports, “Unruptured brain aneurysms were identified more frequently in recent years, a systematic review and meta-analysis showed.” Investigators found that “in studies of healthy people who had MR or CT angiography, the prevalence of an unruptured intracranial aneurysm rose from 2.9% to 6.6% over two decades.” MedPage Today adds, “After adjusting for age and sex, the prevalence ratio was 1.8 (95% CI 1.1-2.8) for 2016-2022 compared with 2002-2015.” The findings were published in The Lancet Neurology.
AMA Morning Rounds news coverage is developed in affiliation with Bulletin Healthcare LLC. Subscribe to Morning Rounds Daily.
