Influenza Cases May Be Undercounted, Inflating Severity Rates

Many more unvaccinated people may be contracting influenza than previously believed, but most of them remain asymptomatic. That's according to a new British study that used serological samples to determine that the rate of flu infection was 22 times a measure based on how many patients seek treatment. What does that mean for the severity rate and transmissibility?.

Insulin-Related Errors Send Thousands to EDs, Especially the Elderly

Elderly patients prescribed insulin may need extra counseling on meal-related issues and making sure the correct medication is used and the dosage is correct. A new CDC study says that nearly 100,000 patients seek emergency care each year for errors related to insulin use and that almost a third of those end up in the hospital. The hospitalization rates were even higher for patients 80 and older. Here are the details.

Physicians Often Grant Patient Medication Requests, Even If Contrary to Usual Prescribing

Patients often are prescribed a less-than-optimal drug for their conditions for a very simple reason: They asked for it. A new study suggests that those requests often are met and, even when they are not, physicians are more likely to prescribe a drug contrary to their usual practice. Find out more details of the video-based study.

No Mortality Benefit Found for Androgen Deprivation in Early Prostate Cancer

Androgen deprivation therapy may be one of the most common treatments for early stage prostate cancer, but authors of a new study recommend against its use except in very specific cases. Overall, their study found that the treatment doesn't confer any mortality advantage over doing nothing. Click here to find how they came to that conclusion.