Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Early parent-focused programs fail to reduce childhood obesity by age two

Existing approaches to parent-focused behavioral programs delivered up to 12 months of age which aim to combat childhood obesity are insufficient to improve body mass index (BMI) at approximately two years of age, according to the largest study to date on the topic published in The Lancet.

10 Sep 2025

Simple support tools improve blood pressure management in hypertensive patients

For some patients struggling to control high blood pressure, something as simple as having blood pressure monitors at home and texted reminders to use them could be the key to stabilizing or even lowering their blood pressures, according to a new study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

9 Sep 2025

High consumption of ultra-processed foods increases a sensitive marker of inflammation

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrially altered products – like soda, snacks and processed meats – packed with additives and stripped of nutrients.

9 Sep 2025

Popular weight-loss medications raise pregnancy safety concerns for women

Women taking popular weight-loss medications during their reproductive years may be unaware of associated risks to pregnancy and unborn babies, warn Flinders University researchers.

8 Sep 2025

Common diabetes drug metformin cuts long covid risk by 64 percent in UK study

A large UK-based retrospective cohort study found that initiating metformin within 90 days of COVID-19 diagnosis reduced the risk of Long COVID by 64% in overweight and obese adults. The findings suggest metformin may offer a low-cost preventive option pending confirmation from randomized trials.

8 Sep 2025

AI voice agents helped improve accuracy of blood pressure measurements in older adults

Artificial intelligence (AI) voice agents helped older adults with high blood pressure to accurately report their blood pressure readings and improved blood pressure management, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2025.

8 Sep 2025

WHO expands essential medicines lists with new cancer and diabetes treatments

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released updated editions of its Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc), adding new treatments for various types of cancer and for diabetes with associated comorbidities such as obesity.

5 Sep 2025

Tirzepatide roll out reaches less than half of England’s GP practices

Less than half of England has access to tirzepatide (Mounjaro) through their GP, despite the NHS roll-out of the weight-loss jab officially starting over two months ago, an investigation by The BMJ has found.

5 Sep 2025

Trump administration investigates Medicaid spending on immigrants in blue states

The Trump administration is taking its immigration crackdown to the health care safety net, launching Medicaid spending probes in at least six Democratic-led states that provide comprehensive health coverage to poor and disabled immigrants living in the U.S. without permanent legal status.

5 Sep 2025

Many pharmacies still do not stock buprenorphine despite eased prescribing rules

Faced with a worsening drug crisis, policymakers in recent years have made it much easier for doctors to prescribe the highly effective opioid addiction treatment buprenorphine.

2 Sep 2025

Faster progression to severe diabetes observed in people with learning disabilities

People with learning disabilities progress faster to severe type 2 diabetes and are at greater risk of dying from their condition than people without these disabilities, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Control.

2 Sep 2025

Global mental health crisis demands urgent investment and action

More than 1 billion people are living with mental health disorders, according to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), with conditions such as anxiety and depression inflicting immense human and economic tolls.

2 Sep 2025

When hospitals and insurers fight, patients get caught in the middle

Amy Frank said it took 17 hours on the phone over nearly three weeks, bouncing between her insurer and her local hospital system, to make sure her plan would cover her husband's post-surgery care.

2 Sep 2025

AMALFI trial finds small increase in AF diagnosis with mail-based ECG patch monitoring

A mail-based atrial fibrillation (AF) screening programme with ECG-patch monitoring led to a modest long-term increase in AF diagnosis and anticoagulation exposure in older patients at moderate-to-high stroke risk, according to a late-breaking trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2025 and simultaneously published in JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association).

1 Sep 2025

Many preschoolers with ADHD receive medication before behavioral therapy

Young children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder often receive medication just after being diagnosed, which contravenes treatment guidelines endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, a Stanford Medicine-led study has found.

29 Aug 2025

Sinus surgery proves more effective than antibiotics for chronic rhinosinusitis

Sinus surgery is more effective than antibiotics at treating chronic rhinosinusitis, according to a major clinical trial led by University College London (UCL) along with academics at the University of East Anglia and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.

28 Aug 2025

Gut disorders forecast Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s risk years before diagnosis

Study maps clinical, genetic, and proteomic links between gut-brain disorders and neurodegeneration, showing how diabetes, vitamin D deficiency, and bowel disorders forecast Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s years in advance. Multimodal models in biobanks highlight early detection and personalized prevention opportunities.

28 Aug 2025

New guidelines improve care for respiratory infections in leukemia patients

People with leukemia have a weakened immune system due to the disease itself and treatment, which leads to an increased susceptibility to infections.

28 Aug 2025

Certain dietary fats found to trigger hard-to-treat asthma in children

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that certain lipids, or fats, in obesity-causing foods also cause asthma-like lung inflammation.

27 Aug 2025

New guidelines highlight importance of vaccination for heart patients

The American College of Cardiology has issued Concise Clinical Guidance (CCG) recommending vaccines to protect adults with heart disease against respiratory illness, including influenza, COVID-19 and RSV, and other diseases where vaccination is shown to offer cardiovascular protective benefits.

26 Aug 2025