Pregnancy abnormalities from ACE inhibitors and ARBs 

The adverse effects of ACE inhibitors and ARBs for pregnant women and their babies are known, but the recording of pre-pregnancy advice when prescribing these drugs is suboptimal, according to a new study from Queen Mary University of London. The study was conducted across 140 general practices in East London in women aged 15-45 years who were issued a prescription for an ACE inhibitor or ARB. Of over 300,000 women, 2651 were prescribed an ACE inhibitor or an ARB; and of these, 81.4% had no record of contraception prescription. Dr Elizabeth Lovegrove discusses the findings and their clinical relevance in a podcast interview.

Mental health of older adults before and after COVID-19

Professor Samuel Wong discusses findings of a study examining mental health before and after onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in a podcast and video. Significant changes to mental health were found after COVID-19 onset. Specifically, this study found that older patients with multiple chronic conditions had increased loneliness, anxiety, and insomnia. They also had increased missed scheduled appointments for chronic disease care. Being female, living alone, and having more than four chronic conditions were risk factors. In an interview, Professor Wong highlights the importance of continuity of care in general practice, particularly for patients with multimorbidity.

COVID-19: twice the risk for ethnic minorities

Research by Hull et al. shows patients with south Asian and black ethnicity are at increased risk of suspected COVID-19, even when we take into account multimorbidity, obesity and social deprivation. This study of GP records also shows that GPs were adept at distinguishing symptoms of COVID-19 from common respiratory infections and saw large numbers of suspected cases. Daily counts of suspected cases recorded by GPs can act as an early warning system to detect new outbreaks of disease in the future. Watch the interview with Dr Sally Hull, who emphasises the importance of GPs recording and managing cases in their community.