Zika Linked To Certain Heart Problems, Study Suggests

Zika Linked To Certain Heart Problems, Study Suggests

The Wall Street Journal (3/9, McKay, Subscription Publication) reports that research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session suggests that Zika infection may be linked to certain heart problems.

       The AP (3/9, Marchione) reports the findings were “discussed...on an American College of Cardiology press call.” Researchers “studied nine patients, ages 30 to 64, treated at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Caracas who developed heart symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath and fatigue an average of 10 days after typical Zika symptoms began.”

        TIME (3/9, Sifferlin) reports that the researchers “found that eight of the people had developed a heart rhythm issue, and six had evidence of heart failure. “

        MedPage Today (3/9, Phend) reports that “the arrhythmias were acute in three cases (two paroxysmal, one persistent), with non-sustained atrial tachycardia in two and ventricular arrhythmias in two.” The researchers found that “of the six cases diagnosed with heart failure, five had low ejection fraction.” The individuals “with preserved ejection fraction was pregnant and had preeclampsia and moderate-to-severe pericardial effusion.”

Student News » What if you don’t match? 3 things you should do

This coming Monday, medical students participating in the 2017 Main Residency Match will find out whether they matched with a program. Those who get the unfortunate news that they did not match and who are then unsuccessful in obtaining a position through SOAP, the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, might wonder what their options are for keeping their dreams of a career as a doctor alive. A physician who has worked with unmatched applicants explains how to make the most of the coming year and improve the odds of matching the next time around. Read more at AMA Wire®.

Advocacy News » Bipartisanship sought to forge lasting health policy solutions

With millions of Americans’ health insurance coverage on the line, it is important for members of Congress to work together in a bipartisan way to ensure that whatever replacement or repair of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is presented does not harm the public, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and Congressmen said to physicians attending the AMA National Advocacy Conference. The conference took place before introduction of the House’s ACA replacement bill, the American Health Care Act. Read more at AMA Wire.

JAMA Highlights » This week’s top articles from the JAMA Network

• Dietary factors associated with substantial proportion of deaths from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes: Study
• Fewer overweight adults report trying to lose weight: Study
• Implicit bias in academic medicine: #WhatADoctorLooksLike: Invited commentary
• Number of people in U.S. with hearing loss expected to nearly double in coming decades: Study

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