Advances in Medicine 2022

Large well-designed studies published in recent years point to an association of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) with increased risks of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) and ischaemic stroke (IS). Although the association of CMBs with ICH is greater than with IS, the absolute incidence of IS is still higher than of ICH, implying that antithrombotics should not be routinely withheld for all patients with CMBs.

Older adults have weaker antibody responses to two doses of COVID-19 vaccines [ie, mRNA-based BNT162b2 vaccine and inactivated CZ02 vaccine] vs younger individuals, but a booster dose mounts SARS-CoV-2 neutralization activities to a high level, according to data presented at AIM 2022.

Vitamin D deficiency is common in modern society, particularly among older people who are homebound. Vitamin D supplements in older people may have a role in preventing serious complications of COVID-19, according to data presented at AIM 2022.

A real-world study during Hong Kong’s Omicron BA.2 wave showed that both molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir effectively lowered the risks of disease progression and all-cause mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients not requiring oxygen supplementation on admission. However, mortality risk reduction was larger with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir vs molnupiravir.