Tag: 11/11/25

Categories : Cardiovascular Disease Metabolic DisordersTags :

GLP-1 Drugs Tirzepatide and Semaglutide Provide Protection for Heart Health

On By ModernMedia

Mass General Brigham researchers used real-world data to conduct a head-to-head study to investigate cardioprotective effects, finding both medications reduced risk.

Pexels Photo by Freestocksorg

A new study from Mass General Brigham provides head-to-head evidence comparing the cardioprotective effects of tirzepatide and semaglutide. The researchers found both medications reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from any cause. The study is published in Nature Medicine, with results simultaneously presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2025.

Previous research shows that semaglutide protects against cardiovascular events like heart attack or stroke. But it wasn’t clear if tirzepatide, also commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes, has the same cardiovascular benefits.

Researchers used US claims databases to compare the cardiovascular outcomes of nearly one million adults taking tirzepatide, semaglutide, or other medications for type 2 diabetes.

“Randomised controlled trials are often considered the reference standard in the medical evidence generation process. However, not all questions can be answered using this time- and resource-intensive method,” said first author Nils Krüger, MD, a research fellow in the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine. “Data generated in clinical practice and used secondarily for research allow us to address a wide range of clinically relevant questions time- and resource-effectively – when applied correctly. Moreover, we can study patients who reflect the reality of everyday clinical care, in contrast to the highly selected participants of randomized experiments.”

The study demonstrated a cardiovascular benefit for patients at risk for adverse cardiovascular events who had type 2 diabetes. Compared with sitagliptin, a diabetes drug that has shown neutral effects on cardiovascular outcomes, semaglutide reduced the risk of stroke and heart attack by 18 percent. Treatment with tirzepatide lowered the risk of stroke, heart attack, and death by 13 percent compared to dulaglutide, another GLP-1 receptor agonist that has been available for many years.

“Both drugs show strong cardioprotective effects. Our data also indicate that these benefits occur early, suggesting that their protective mechanisms go beyond weight loss alone,” said Krüger. The exact biological mechanisms underlying these protective effects remain unknown.

Because these medications have only recently become available, studies confirming their cardioprotective mechanisms – particularly those directly comparing the two dominant GLP-1 agents, tirzepatide and semaglutide – are still lacking.

“According to recently presented database analyses by the respective manufacturers, each company’s own drug appears to reduce cardiovascular risk much more effectively than the competitor’s,” said Krüger. “However, our study found only small differences between tirzepatide and semaglutide in cardiovascular protection among populations at risk of adverse events, underscoring that both agents provide protective benefit and could be integrated into clinical cardiovascular practice.”

“We hope that our study will help clinicians better understand how these new medications work in clinical practice. Our transparent and open science practices, including pre-registration of a public protocol and shared analytic code, are designed to support scientific discussion,” said last author Shirley Wang, PhD, an associate epidemiologist in the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine.

Source: Mass General Brigham

Categories : Metabolic DisordersTags :

The Cost of Inaction: Why South Africa Cannot Afford to Ignore the Diabetes Crisis

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Breakingpic on Pexels

Johannesburg, 11 November 2025: As we approach World Diabetes Day on November 14, civil society organisations warn that the cost of inaction on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes is already being paid for in lives, livelihoods and lost potential. The Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) is calling on the South African government to increase the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) on sugary drinks from 11% to 20%, to help curb sugary drinks consumption and reduce the financial burden on the health system from rising non-communicable diseases.

“Diabetes is now the second leading cause of death in South Africa,1 yet every year we allow preventable diseases to claim more lives,” says Nzama Mbalati, CEO of HEALA. “Raising the Health Promotion Levy is one of the simplest, most effective steps government can take to protect people’s health, especially children, who are consuming sugar at dangerous levels.”

Since the introduction of the HPL in 2018, beverage companies have reduced the sugar content of their drinks, leading to cuts in average per-capita sugar consumption. But the gains have stalled. HEALA and its partners warn that without further cuts in consumption, the policy’s impact will fade, while rates of diabetes will continue to climb.

South Africa’s obesity rate is already twice the global average, and even one sugary drink a week raises a child’s risk of obesity and diabetes.2,3 One in four diabetes cases in the country is caused by sugary drink consumption.4 These numbers are not just statistics; they represent real people and families forced to navigate lifelong illness and financial hardship.

The economic toll is equally alarming. Treating obesity related conditions such as diabetes already costs South Africa more than R33 billion each year or about 15% of total government health spending.5 Modelling by PRICELESS SA (University of the Witwatersrand) shows that increasing the levy to 20% could save approximately 72 000 lives and prevent 85 000 strokes over two decades while easing the fiscal pressure on a health system already stretched beyond capacity.5

HEALA’s new national campaign, which launched in November, brings this message to the fore in two phases. The first calls for stronger health taxes across sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco, continuing South Africa’s proven track record of using taxation to advance public health. The second sharpens focus on raising the HPL, calling for its increase as part of a consistent, evidence-based approach to protecting lives.

Through personal stories of South Africans living with diabetes, the campaign reveals the real cost of inaction and unites civil society under the banner #OneVoice, calling on government to put public health before profit.

Alphinah Setumo, a 52-year-old mother from Mathibestad, lost both her legs and her eyesight after years of consuming sugary drinks without understanding the risks. “Back then, drinking two litres of a sugary drink a day was nothing,” she recalls. “If I had known what I know now, my life would be different.”

Mpho Thebe, a maths and science tutor from Kroonstad, tells a similar story. Once a daily consumer of fizzy drinks, he lost his left leg to diabetes at 45. Today, he walks with a prosthetic leg and teaches children about perseverance and prevention. “I thought sugar was harmless,” he says. “Now I know it can take everything from you.”

These stories mirror thousands of others across the country, where diabetes silently devastates families, especially in low-income communities where affordable, healthy food and clean water remain scarce.

The campaign, supported by actress and mother Samela Tyelbooi, urges government to act. “As a parent, I worry about how sugar can make my kids sick,” says Tyelbooi. “We need government to increase the HPL, protect our children’s future, and stop putting profit before people.”

HEALA’s coalition partners, including health advocates, researchers and civil society organisations, are speaking with one voice ahead of the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement and the 2026 Budget Speech. Their collective message is clear: the HPL is not just another tax, it’s a health tax, like those on alcohol and tobacco, designed to save lives, prevent disease and safeguard South Africa’s future.

“This is not about taking away people’s choices, it’s about giving South Africans the chance to make healthier, more informed choices,” adds Mbalati.

Diabetes and other NCDs already account for over 50% of deaths from preventable diseases in South Africa.5,6 Without decisive fiscal measures, the burden will continue to fall on the households least able to bear it.

Globally, countries from Mexico to the UK have proven that health taxes reduce sugar consumption and improve health outcomes.

HEALA is urging citizens to join the call by signing the petition and demanding that government increase the HPL to 20%.

“We have the evidence, we have the stories, and we have the will,” concludes Tyelbooi. “Now we need action.”

Categories : Cardiovascular Disease IT in HealthcareTags :

Study Highlights the Limits of AI in Heart Care

On By ModernMedia
Human heart. Credit: Scientific Animations CC4.0

There are limits in applying AI to images of the heart, a new study from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai reveals. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography.

Investigators trained multiple artificial intelligence models to read images from echocardiograms, a type of ultrasound test that evaluates the structure and function of the heart. Their goal was to determine whether AI could use these images to calculate measurements like inflammation and scarring that are normally obtained through another, more costly test called cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI). By examining findings from 1453 patients who had undergone both tests, they found the AI models could not accomplish this task.

“As compared to echocardiograms, cardiac MRI machines are expensive and not available for many patients, especially those in rural areas, so we had hoped that AI could reduce the need for it,” said Alan Kwan, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Cardiology in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai and co-senior author of the study. “Our results showed the limited powers of AI in this area.”

Source: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Categories : Respiratory DiseasesTags :

Mortality Risk is Six Times Higher in Hospital Patients with Dyspnoea

On By ModernMedia
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

The risk of dying is six times higher among patients who become short of breath after being admitted to hospital, according to research published on Monday in ERJ Open Research. Patients who were in pain were not more likely to die.

The study of nearly 10 000 people suggests that asking patients if they are feeling short of breath could help doctors and nurses to focus care on those who need it most.

The study is the first of its kind and was led by Associate Professor Robert Banzett from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. He said: “In hospital, nurses routinely ask patients to rate any pain they are experiencing, but this is not the case for dyspnoea. In the past, our research has shown that most people are good at judging and reporting this symptom, yet there is very little evidence on whether it’s linked to how ill hospital patients are.”

Working with nurses at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who documented patient-reported dyspnoea twice per day, the researchers found that it was feasible to ask hospital patients to rate their dyspnoea from 0 to 10, in the same way they are asked to rate their pain. Asking the question and recording the answer only took 45 seconds per patient.

Researchers analysed patient-rated shortness of breath and pain for 9 785 adults admitted to the hospital between March 2014 and September 2016. They compared this with data on outcomes, including deaths, in the following two years.

This showed that patients who developed shortness of breath in hospital were six times more likely to die in hospital than patients who were not feeling short of breath. The higher patients rated their shortness of breath the higher their risk of dying. Patients with dyspnoea were also more likely to need care from a rapid response team and to be transferred to intensive care.

Twenty-five per cent of patients who were feeling short of breath at rest when they were discharged from hospital died within six months, compared to seven per cent mortality among those who felt no dyspnoea during their time in hospital.

Conversely, researchers found no clear link between pain and risk of dying.

Professor Banzett said: “It is important to note that dyspnoea is not a death sentence – even in the highest risk groups, 94% of patients survive hospitalisation, and 70% survive at least two years following hospitalisation. But knowing which patients are at risk with a simple, fast, and inexpensive assessment should allow better individualised care. We believe that routinely asking patients to rate their shortness of breath will lead to better management of this often-frightening symptom.

“The sensation of dyspnoea is an alert that the body is not getting enough oxygen in and carbon dioxide out. Failure of this system is an existential threat. Sensors throughout the body, in the lungs, heart and other tissues, have evolved to report on the status of the system at all times, and provide early warning of impending failure accompanied by a strong emotional response.

“Pain is also a useful warning system, but it does not usually warn of an existential threat. If you hit your thumb with a hammer, you will probably rate your pain 11 on a scale of 0-10, but there is no threat to your life. It is possible that specific kinds of pain, for instance pain in internal organs, may predict mortality, but this distinction is not made in the clinical record of pain ratings.”

The researchers say their findings should be confirmed in other types of hospital elsewhere in the world, and that research is needed to show whether asking patients to rate their shortness of breath leads to better treatments and outcomes.

Professor Hilary Pinnock is Chair of the European Respiratory Society’s Education Council, based at the University of Edinburgh and was not involved in the research. She said: “Historically, the monitoring of vital signs in hospitalised patients includes respiratory rate along with temperature and pulse rate. In a digital age, some have questioned the value of this workforce-intensive routine, so it is interesting to read about the association of subjective breathlessness with mortality and other adverse outcomes.

“Breathlessness was assessed on a 0-10 scale which took less than a minute to administer. These noteworthy findings should trigger more research to understand the mechanisms underpinning this association and how this ‘powerful alarm’ can be harnessed to improve patient care.”

Source: EurekAlert!