DMW - Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift

Amiodarone, a potent antiarrhythmic drug, may cause thyroid dysfunction due to its high iodine content. Both hypo- and hyperthyroidism can occur. Early diagnosis, differentiation of subtypes, and individualized therapy are essential to prevent severe complications and improve patient outcomes.

Patients with cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic diseases are at increased risk of hyperkalemia, particularly when treated with RAASi. However, data on the management of hyperkalemia in German primary care practices are limited.The retrospective, cross-sectional study WATCH-K included 411202 patients from primary care practices with documented chronic kidney disease (CKD), heart failure (HF), h…

Description of treatment and prescription patterns among asthma patients in the regions of Magdeburg (MD) and Mannheim (MA) compared nationwide.We analyzed IQVIATM LRx data 1 from the period of July 2022 to June 2023. The prescription database LRx covers about 80% of prescriptions for patients in the statutory health insurance in Germany. A machine learning model was used to assign the indication…

Lung cancer remains one of the most prognostically unfavourable malignancies and is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The most significant risk factor is active smoking, which accounts for over 85% of lung cancer deaths. Approximately 8 million people die annually from tobacco-related causes - the primary driver of lung cancer - exceeding the combined mortality from HIV, ma…

Organ donation is a rare occurrence in intensive care units. At most, 3% of all intensive care patients die of irreversible loss of brain function 1 - and only certain patients can be potential organ donors. The following "step-by-step" article outlines the conditions and procedures for postmortem organ donation.

A 75-year-old female patient presented with persistent cough and exertional dyspnea. Initial CT imaging revealed extensive mediastinal lymphadenopathy associated with a suspicious right-sided thyroid nodule and bilateral cervical lymph nodes.Fine-needle aspiration confirmed follicular thyroid carcinoma with cervical lymphogenous metastases. Molecular analysis detected no actionable mutations. FDG…

Primary lung cancer is the most common cause of death from malignant tumors in industrialized countries worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most commonly diagnosed form of this disease, accounting for approximately 85% of cases 1. The aim of this paper is to present an analysis of surgical treatment options in the early stages of NSCLC, including the indications for surgical inte…

Der vom Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, der Bundesärztekammer, der Bundeszahnärztekammer, der Kassenärztlichen Bundesvereinigung und der Kassenzahnärztlichen Bundesvereinigung jüngst zum zehnten Mal vergebene „Herbert-Lewin Preis – Forschungspreis zur Rolle der Ärzteschaft in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus“ ging am 27. November an Dr. med. Dana Derichs für ihre Dissertation „Die Medizinstuden…

Genetic kidney diseases are diverse. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and the Alport spectrum, together with many rarer genetic forms, cause chronic kidney disease (CKD) to a significant extent. Genetic diagnostics are increasingly being used, but genetically confirmed diagnoses are still often overlooked - even though a confirmed diagnosis often has a decisive influence on disease ma…

Iron deficiency in patients with heart failure is frequently underdiagnosed or inadequately treated. This may be largely attributable to differences in the diagnostic criteria compared to those applied in individuals without chronic disease. Nonetheless, the clinical relevance of identifying and treating iron deficiency in this population is substantial. Numerous studies have demonstrated that in…

Nicht alle Personen sind dem gleichen Risiko einer Grippeinfektion mit schwerwiegenden Folgen ausgesetzt. Insbesondere Schwarze, Indigene und People of Color (BIPoC) in den Vereinigten Staaten sind überproportional von saisonalen Influenza-Krankenhausaufenthalten betroffen. Stafford et al. nutzten ein nach ethnischer Zugehörigkeit strukturiertes Influenza-Übertragungsmodell zur Quantifizierung so…

Obesity is currently considered as adiposity based chronic disease with BMI as therapeutic target for prevention of obesity associated complications. For treatment of obesity, a stepwise approach is recommended including multifactorial basal therapy with nutrition counseling, exercise training and behavior modification. Further steps comprise adjuvant pharmacological treatment and bariatric surge…

Recent advances in progressive pulmonary fibrosis treatment include three major developments: Nerandomilast, a selective PDE4B inhibitor, demonstrated significant reduction in FVC decline in Phase III trials for both IPF and PPF, with improved tolerability compared to current antifibrotics and expected EMA approval in 2026. Inhaled treprostinil received FDA approval in May 2025 as the first speci…

Vascular malformations often impair patients' quality of life for many years, frequently following a prolonged period of misdiagnoses and unsuccessful treatments. Advances in genetic diagnostics have fundamentally reshaped classification and opened the door to individualized therapeutic approaches. In addition to established modalities such as sclerotherapy, embolization, and surgery, targeted ph…

The increasing incidence of <i>Candida</i> infections fueled by novel host factors and the rising prevalence of drug-resistant <i>Candida</i> isolates are growing global concerns. Outbreaks of <i>C. auris</i> and fluconazole-resistant <i>C. parapsilosis</i> are reported globally, posing a major threat to immunocompromised and critically ill patients. The rising resistance to azoles and echinocand…

Clostridioides difficile-Infektionen (CDI) betreffen vor allem ältere Patienten mit Begleiterkrankungen und führen zu einer hohen Sterblichkeit. Die Fäkaltransplantation (FMT) ist bei CDI wirksam, doch die Kosteneffizienz dieser Behandlung ist noch unbekannt. Stafford et al. bewerteten die Kosteneffizienz einer Kombinationsintervention bei älteren CDI-Patienten im Vergleich zur Standardbehandlung.

Hämaturie bezeichnet das vermehrte Auftreten von Blut, d.h. Erythrozyten im Urin. Die Hämaturie stellt einen häufigen und wichtigen Leitbefund an der Schnittstelle zwischen Nephrologie, Urologie und Allgemeinmedizin dar. Sie sollte stets zumindest einmal abgeklärt werden. Methodisch kommen hierbei Teststeifen als Erstuntersuchung und bei Positivität aus nephrologischer Sicht eine mikroskopische U…