Everyone agrees primary care physicians (PCPs) need to work together with cardiologists when caring for patients with heart disease, diabetes, and sometimes both conditions. Medscape Medical News asked for examples of PCP-to-cardiologist referrals that were successful — or not. Here are three success stories and one that could have turned out better. Diabetes, Hypertension, New-Onset Raynaud’s…at … Read more
TOPLINE: In 2022, nearly one third of young adults in the United States used electronic nicotine products, and almost one third of the young adults who used them attempted to quit, with social support being the most commonly used cessation method. METHODOLOGY: Researchers performed a secondary analysis and analyzed Wave 7 data, collected between January … Read more
Five classic risk factors for cardiovascular disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, and smoking — at age 50 can reduce life expectancy by more than 10 years. This is the conclusion of an international study led by German researchers and presented at the 2025 American College of Cardiology Scientific Session. “These five … Read more
The use of smoking cessation medications during the first trimester of pregnancy posed no greater risk for major congenital malformations (MCMs) in infants than smoking, based on a meta-analysis of approximately 400,000 infants. “Maternal smoking during pregnancy is the leading cause of harms to both mother and baby, contributing to outcomes such as preterm birth, … Read more
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Researchers have developed and internally validated a simple score using clinical factors that can help estimate the likelihood of advanced colorectal neoplasia in adults younger than age 45 years. While colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence has declined overall due to screening, early-onset CRC is on the rise, particularly in individuals younger than 45 years — an … Read more
TOPLINE: Smoking was associated with a doubling in risk for cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS), with the strongest association in men and those aged 45-49 years in a new study. METHODOLOGY: In a prospective case-control study, 546 patients with CIS (47% women) aged 18-49 years from 19 European stroke centers were assessed between 2013 and 2022. … Read more
Prominent, mandatory health warning labels on alcohol products should be implemented across Europe to raise awareness on the link between drinking and cancer, a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. The report, published on Friday, revealed that alcohol consumption in the European Union (EU) per capita in 2019 was twice the … Read more
TOPLINE: Hospitalization for cannabis use disorder (CUD) is associated with a nearly threefold higher risk for premature death compared with the general population, with risk particularly high for death by trauma, suicide, and opioid poisoning, a new study showed. METHODOLOGY: A population-based retrospective cohort study included 11.6 million individuals aged 15-105 years from Ontario, Canada, … Read more
A few years ago, UCLA Health began asking patients if they used cannabis as part of an electronic previsit questionnaire completed before well visits. The question is still an unusual ask for most primary care clinicians, said Lillian Gelberg, MD, a professor of family medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. “Doctors don’t … Read more