Internal Medicine Alert – April 30, 2025

Beware Social Media Posts Promoting Medical Tests, Potential for Overdiagnosis

An analysis of widely viewed social media posts about five medical tests — full body magnetic resonance imaging, multicancer early detection, anti-Müllerian hormone, gut microbiome, and testosterone tests — found that 87.1% of the posts promoted benefits, while just 14.7% acknowledged potential harms and only 6.1% raised concerns about overuse or overdiagnosis.

Long-Term NSAID Use May Lower Dementia Risk

In a prospective population-based study of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, long-term use was associated with a reduced risk for dementia compared with short- and intermediate-term use.

Systolic Blood Pressure Targets in Octogenarians

An analysis of a U.S. national database of patients 80 years of age or older taking antihypertensive agents was analyzed to determine the optimal systolic blood pressure associated with the lowest cardiovascular mortality and found that the ideal target was < 130 mmHg.

Use of Coronary Calcium Score in Familial Coronary Artery Disease

A randomized trial of computed tomography (CT) coronary artery calcium score augmented management vs. usual care of primary prevention patients at moderate risk of a coronary event and with a family history of premature coronary events has shown that, after three years of follow-up, the calcium score group had lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and smaller total plaque volumes by CT angiography.

Gepotidacin Tablets (Blujepa)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved gepotidacin, a first-in-class antibacterial medication for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections.