Harvard Health Content API

Cases of bacterial meningitis, a potentially fatal infection, have dropped by 31% over the last decade. A new study found that most of the drop was due to fewer cases of one type, pneumococcal meningitis. The drop was dramatic among children. There is a vaccine for this type of infection. Researchers said the drop in this type was probably due to vaccinations. The study also found that the death rate from meningitis stayed about the same. About 500 people die in the United States from meningitis each year. The study was published May 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Science News wrote about it May 25.

Having one type of abnormal heart rhythm more than doubles the risk of death in otherwise healthy women, new research finds. The research was based on records for more than 34,000 middle-aged women. They were part of a study that kept track of them for 15 years. In that time, more than 1,000 developed atrial fibrillation. This is a rapid, fluttering rhythm in the heart’s upper chambers. Blood doesn’t pump out normally. It pools inside the heart. This can form clots, which can cause a stroke. During the study, 63 of these women died. About 3 out of 4 had high blood pressure. Researchers adjusted their numbers to account for this problem and other things that could increase the risk of death. Even so, women with atrial fibrillation were twice as likely to die as other women. They were 4 times as likely to die of heart disease or stroke. The overall death rate was small, about 2%.

A few changes could improve common medical practice, and save money, too, a group of doctors says. The advice comes from the National Physicians’ Alliance. A group of alliance members came up with “Top Five” lists of ways to improve primary care while reducing costs. The lists covered family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. All of the advice is based on published evidence. But not everyone follows it now. Two of the lists overlapped. They said no imaging tests should be done for back pain for at least six weeks. They recommended no routine heart tests for low-risk patients without symptoms. They also said to reserve routine bone density tests for women 65 or older. Men should be 70 or older with high fracture risk. One list recommended generic drugs to lower cholesterol.

Many children with asthma get antibiotics they don’t need, new research suggests. One study looked at prescriptions for Belgian children. Those with asthma were almost twice as likely to be prescribed an antibiotic as other children. A second study looked at U.S. children with asthma who went to their doctor or an emergency room for care. About 16% got prescriptions for antibiotics they did not need, the study found. Antibiotics fight infections caused by bacteria. They have no proven benefit for asthma. Children with more severe asthma symptoms were the most likely to be given antibiotics. This occurred even if there was no bacterial infection. Experts say antibiotics are prescribed too often when not needed. This can help bacteria to become resistant to the drugs. Then the drugs become useless. The journal Pediatrics published the studies online.