2025: A year of fewer vaccines and increasing distrust

This year in pediatric medicine, vaccines have been the headline. 

recommendations related to the COVID-19 vaccine for pediatric patients

updated recommendation for the hepatitis B vaccine

 there is a fear among the health care community that such changes will continue to sew distrust in vaccines and misinformation among patients. Experts we spoke with stated, in 2025, we saw some ramifications.

“We started out 2025 with an environment that was rife with myths and disinformation, and we’ve seen some of that institutionalized through some of the changes in leadership in [the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS)],” said Robert H. Hopkins, Jr., MD, medical director, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, professor of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. “We’ve seen basically the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, ACIP, that all of us know and have used as a prime reference for decades, taken apart and moved to a way of making recommendations that no longer follow the science.

“The biggest challenge is all of the vaccine hesitancy, and that has skyrocketed,” added Tina Q. Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS. Tan is the immediate past president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), an attending in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and the editor-in-chief of our sister publication 

“People are having major issues speaking to their patients about getting vaccines. The other thing is all the misinformation coming out of the ACIP now is causing mass confusion,” added Tan.

As 2026 approaches, experts are advising families to look to other long-standing and reputable medical societies for accurate, science-based recommendations.

“Parents look to their pediatrician for best information, and typically the pediatrician would look at the advice from the ACIP and the CDC, but they are not anymore, because I think the ACIP and the CDC are no longer a trusted source of information,” said Paul A. Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center and attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). “

“The good news is a lot of people have stood up,” said Offit. “The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has stood up and made it very clear that young children who’ve never been vaccinated should get vaccinated, because thousands of young, healthy children are still getting hospitalized and going to the intensive care unit, and we had 150 deaths in children last year from COVID. They provide good information, and I think they’ve worked with insurance companies to make sure insurance companies will pay for that good medical practice. I think the physician is the key here, and I think most physicians understand that there are a lot of reliable sources of information out there about how we can best immunize our children and basically, largely ignore the ACIP and CDC.”

“First and foremost, the thing that gets me up every day—and I think most of my colleagues that are in practice—is the relationships that we have with patients and families,” added Hopkins. “We have the joy of seeing these children from early in life, seeing them grow, seeing them develop, helping their families understand what we can do to best protect those children from preventable disease, what we can do to help those children develop to their full potential, and doing so in a way that is respectful of the patients’ and families’ wishes. It’s done in a way where we are showing our value for the science and not just doing something for the sake of doing something.”

Hopkins added the importance of the explanation, and the understanding that parents are navigating media headlines, the actual updated recommendations from government agencies, and several forms of information via social media.

“It is critical that we continue to provide presumptive recommendations—meaning ‘I recommend this vaccine’ or ‘We’re going to give Johnny this vaccine today because.’” A presumptive recommendation with a reason is important,” Hopkins continued. “But we also need to be aware that parents have questions. Parents have seen what’s in the media; they’ve seen what’s in social media, and when they have those questions, we need to respectfully address those questions using tools that we have. We need to understand where they’re coming from. We need to let them know where the science stands. We need to have conversations that lead them to the correct decision: to get their children vaccinated.”

Communication is also ever-evolving, making it all the more important for providers to have an understanding of certain trends and how trust has changed in recent years, especially in 2025.

“In the old world, or the old way of communicating trust was really granted by credentials,” added Lori Handy, MD, MSCE, associate director, Vaccine Education Center, attending physician, Division of Infectious Diseases, CHOP. “What we’re realizing now is that trust is actually a lot more complicated. It means that you are an individual who will have bidirectional conversations. You will come back over time and share more information. You will be dynamic. You will update things. You will engage with humans, with their feelings and emotions, and you do that over time,” said Handy.

Above all, as you have continued to navigate the changes to the pediatric vaccine schedule, misinformation, and questions from families, experts implore you to continue being the voice for vaccines.

“We need to be strong advocates,” said Tan. “So you need to advocate on the local level. You need to talk to your state health department and state representatives and all your congressional representatives to get them to fight for you on a national level. You have to do what’s best for your patient, so please rely on scientifically sound evidence.”

“Yes, take heart,” Offit stressed. “A lot of people are standing up. A lot of scientific and medical societies are standing up. States are standing up to make sure that we can have access to the best information about how to, for example, vaccinate our children. So take heart. People are standing up in this troubled time,” he concluded.

Fitch J. Tina Tan, MD, on ACIP meeting postponement, public vaccine information reports. Contemporary Pediatrics. Published February 26, 2025. Accessed December 9, 2025. 

https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/tina-tan-md-on-acip-meeting-postponement-public-vaccine-information-reports

Ebert M. FDA pulls clearance of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5. Contemporary Pediatrics. Published August 27, 2025. Accessed December 9, 2025. 

https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/fda-pulls-clearance-of-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-for-children-under-5

Fitch J, Ebert M. ACIP votes to update hepatitis B vaccine recommendation for infants. Contemporary Pediatrics. Published December 5, 2025. Accessed December 9, 2025. 

https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/acip-votes-to-update-hepatitis-b-vaccine-recommendation-for-infants

Lynfield R. Ruth Lynfield, MD, on rebuilding MMR vaccine confidence. Contemporary Pediatrics. Published November 4, 2025. Accessed December 9, 2025. 

https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/ruth-lynfield-md-on-rebuilding-mmr-vaccine-confidence

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This Year In Medicine

Nancy Reau, MD, is Professor of Internal Medicine, Richard B. Capps Chair of Hepatology, Associate Director of Solid Organ Transplantation, and Section Chief of Hepatology at Rush University Medical Center.

Liver Lineup: Navigating Hepatitis B Prevention After ACIP’s Birth Dose Shift

Liver Lineup: Updates & Unfiltered Insights

, hosts Nancy Reau, MD, and Kim Brown, MD, take on a recent consequential and controversial public health decision: the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) vote to remove the universal birth-dose hepatitis B vaccine recommendation for infants born to mothers who test negative for HBV.

The conversation centers around the December 5, 2025, ACIP recommendation, which shifts the long-standing universal birth dose to an individual-based decision when maternal testing is documented as negative. While newborns of mothers with positive or unknown HBV status should still receive the vaccine within 24 hours of birth, the committee’s vote effectively eliminates universal coverage for the broader infant population.

As transplant physicians who routinely manage the downstream consequences of chronic hepatitis B, Reau and Brown say this update is a reversal of decades of data and public health success. Reau begins by reflecting on the dramatic decline in HBV prevalence and chronic infection rates following the introduction of the universal birth dose in the 1990s. The vaccine, she notes, has functioned as one of the earliest and most effective “anti-cancer vaccines,” cutting the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in populations around the world.

Brown adds a clinical lens drawn from transplantation, recounting the striking shift over her career: before widespread HBV vaccination, chronic HBV infection was a leading indication for liver transplantation. Today, thanks to vaccination and effective antiviral therapy, HBV-related transplants are rare and largely driven by hepatocellular carcinoma, not liver failure itself. For her, the new ACIP decision raises concern about reintroducing preventable infections into the population.

A key theme throughout the discussion is the danger of relying on perfect systems. While ACIP’s updated guidance assumes universal maternal screening and accurate documentation, Reau explains that real-world data do not align. In practice, HBV screening during pregnancy is inconsistently captured, results are not always transferred across systems, and as many as 1 in 5 pregnant individuals may have no documented HBV test. This creates a major vulnerability if the universal birth dose is no longer routine.

Reau and Brown also highlight the unique epidemiology of HBV: early-life exposure, not adult behavioral risk, is the primary driver of chronic infection. Household transmission, caregiver exposure, and contact with unscreened adults remain key pathways, even when maternal status is known. Delaying vaccination until 2 months of age offers no protection during this highest-risk window.

Brown underscores the lifelong consequences of early HBV acquisition. Even in the era of effective antivirals, chronic HBV infection remains a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma and carries the risk of reactivation during immunosuppression. For these reasons, both hepatologists view prevention, not treatment, as the cornerstone of HBV control.

Despite ACIP’s intent to give parents and clinicians more individualized decision-making power, both experts worry about widening disparities in vaccine uptake, eroding decades of progress, and placing infants, especially those in under-resourced settings, at avoidable risk.

The episode closes with a call for continued education and advocacy. Reau and Brown encourage clinicians to remain clear-eyed about the evidence, discuss the implications of delayed vaccination with families, and work to uphold the public health gains that universal hepatitis B immunization has delivered for over 30 years.

Editors’ note: Relevant Disclosures for Reau include AbbVie, Gilead, Salix, Arbutus, and VIR. Relevant disclosures for Brown include Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Gilead, Salix, Intercept, Ipsen, and Madrigal.

Brooks A. CDC Changes Infant Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendation. HCPLive. December 5, 2025. Accessed December 10, 2025. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/cdc-changes-infant-hepatitis-b-vaccine-recommendation

CDC. Achievements in Public Health: Hepatitis B Vaccination --- United States, 1982--2002. 

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5125a3.htm

Podcasts

Reau and Brown discuss the recent CDC APIC decision to remove the universal birth-dose hepatitis B vaccine for infants born to mothers who test negative for HBV.

Hepatology

Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into HCV can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on hepatitis C virus research, treatment, and drug development.

podcasts page features a feed of medical news and interview podcast series, including DocTalk, Lungcast, Derm Discussions, and Heart Trials.

Introducing Liver Lineup: Updates & Unfiltered Insights — an exciting new podcast delivering timely, candid perspectives on the most pressing topics in the fast-moving world of hepatology. Created by Nancy Reau, MD, and Kimberly Brown, MD, and hosted by HCPLive, this series dives into the cutting edge of liver disease research, clinical care, and real-world practice.

Tim Smith joined the MJH Life Sciences team as an assistant editor for HCPLive in August 2022. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in political science, working in multimedia journalism as a staff writer prior to joining MJH. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, watching TV, listening to podcasts, and rock climbing. You can contact him at 

 is associated with indicators of suboptimal disease control and treatment, new data suggest, and dermatologists may underestimate such patients’ severity and treatment needs.

These data resulted from a recent paper exploring real-world data and clinical characteristics of patients living with mild to moderate psoriasis. Alexander Litvintchouk, PharmD, MS, of Johnson & Johnson, led a team of other investigators in authoring this paper.

Litvintchouk and coauthors noted the high prevalence of various forms of psoriasis, expressing the general lack of widespread agreement on psoriasis’s categorization. Nevertheless, they noted the condition is usually classified based on the severity of impacted body surface area (BSA) and skin, with mild (< 3%), moderate (3%–10%), or severe psoriasis (> 10%) being the 3 common categories.

“Although there is considerable real-world data on the clinical characteristics and treatment patterns of those with moderate-to-severe [psoriasis], data for patients with mild PsO and how this compares with patients diagnosed with moderate [psoriasis], are limited,” Litvintchouk and colleagues wrote.

Over the course of the analysis, the investigative team set out to characterize how adult patients living with newly diagnosed mild or moderate psoriasis are managed in routine practice. To do this, the team evaluated patients' clinical features, demographic information, choices in psoriasis treatment, and subsequent disease course. They implemented data from the Adelphi Real World Psoriasis Disease Specific Programme, a cross-sectional survey with retrospective chart review carried out between December 2021 - March 2022.

Litvintchouk et al looked at the responses of dermatologists located in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Each of these dermatologists completed record forms for 7 to 8 consecutive adult patients. In their responses, these clinicians would draw on medical documentation as well as their own diagnostic judgment. The dermatologists would report information from the time of diagnosis and at the initiation of their patients' most recent therapies.

There were 209 dermatologists who took part, contributing the necessary information on 875 patients. Among these 875 individuals, 40.7% were also able to provide self-reported data.

 At first presentation, Litvintchouk and colleagues found 35.3% of patients were described as having mild psoriasis. Although this was the case, the investigators also noted 79.7% of this group had a body surface area (BSA) involvement between 3% - 10%.

The team further highlighted the assignment of another 64.7% with a diagnosis of moderate psoriasis, although 62.8% of these individuals were shown to have a BSA greater than 10%. When disease evolution was evaluated from diagnosis to the beginning of the current treatment, patients who were initially categorized as mild in their disease presentation were shown to have a markedly larger increase in relative BSA compared with patients diagnosed labeled as moderate (mean change 113.2 ± 307.2% versus 17.7 ± 93.6%; 

At the time of diagnoses, Litvintchouk and coauthors found topical agents and phototherapy were implemented in most cases. Significantly increased use was observed among those labeled mild (94.9%) as opposed to patients labeled moderate (85.5%; 

 < .001). Those classified as moderate were significantly more likely to begin treatment with systemic agents at the time of diagnosis (

 < .001) and to be given biologics both at the time of diagnosis (p = 0.029) and at the time of the survey (

Additionally, the investigative team found measures of quality of life also indicated a the moderate group had a greater burden. This was reflected in the Dermatology Life Quality Index (

 = .006) and in patients' Work Productivity and Activity Impairment scores (

 = .006). Overall, the study authors conclusions suggest many of those labeled as having mild psoriasis show clinical indicators of more extensive disease at presentation.

This pattern would suggest a portion of patients with psoriasis diagnosed with mild disease may actually meet criteria for greater severity. This would expand the number of patients deemed eligible for advanced treatments, including biologic agents, according to current guidelines in Europe. These data indicate that dermatologists may be underestimating both severity of psoriasis impacts and therapeutic needs in those with mild to moderate disease.

“A better understanding of the reasons disease severity is underestimated and improved classification of PsO severity would likely increase access to more efficacious and novel advanced treatments and contribute to enhancing patients' clinical outcomes and QoL,” the investigative team concluded.

E Goddard, A Keal, J Hetherington, et al. Patient Characteristics, Disease Profile and Treatment Patterns in Mild and Moderate Psoriasis Patients: Results From Real-World Clinical Practices in Five European Countries (PROSPECT Study). JEADV Clinical Practice 0 (2025): 1-12, 

Menter A, Strober BE, Elmets CA, et al. Joint AAD-NPF guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with biologics. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2019 Apr;80(4):1029-1072. 

Articles

Recent data suggest that mild to moderate psoriasis is often associated with suboptimal disease control and treatment, with dermatologists potentially underestimating the severity and treatment needs of these patients. A study led by Alexander Litvintchouk analyzed real-world data from five European countries, revealing that many patients initially diagnosed with mild psoriasis actually exhibit clinical indicators of more extensive disease. This misclassification may limit access to advanced treatments, such as biologics, which could improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

From diagnosis, investigators sought to explore psoriasis characteristics, patient demographics, patterns of treatment, and disease progression.

Plaque Psoriasis

The HCPLive plaque psoriasis page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on psoriasis. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for psoriatic disease, and more.

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Mild to Moderate Psoriasis Linked with Indicators of Suboptimal Treatment, Disease Control

Ira Zackon, MD, is the senior medical director of Ontada Medical Office.

Higher Maintained Hemoglobin Associated With Improved Survival in MDS, With Ira Zackon, MD

Higher maintained hemoglobin levels have been strongly associated with improved overall survival in patients with 

, independent of Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) risk, according to a recent retrospective cohort study.

67th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition

 by Ira Zackon, MD, senior medical director of Ontada Medical Office, this study reevaluates the ideal goals of 

 management across a spectrum of hematologic diseases. Based on these data, Zackon and colleagues suggest that mild anemia may be an efficient target for medical and potentially transfusion therapies.

“Most transfusion guidelines say not to transfuse with hemoglobin unless it’s >8 or even 7,” Zackon told 

 in an exclusive interview. “We allow our patients to live with moderate or sometimes severe anemia if other therapies can’t quite get there. This study is affirming, perhaps, that we need to target a hemoglobin level >10 and maintain that for optimal outcomes.”

MDS is a heterogeneous group of disorders that can lead to bone marrow dysplasia, ineffective hematopoiesis, and the potential risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia. For lower-risk MDS cases, survival ranges from 2 to >10 years. Additionally, many patients with low-risk MDS exhibit anemia and transfusion dependence, which intrinsically reduces health-related quality of life and correlates with shorter survival.

Zackon and colleagues utilized electronic health record data from 2005 to 2025, including patients with MDS and moderate to severe anemia – defined as hemoglobin <10 – at baseline. Patients were then stratified into 3 hemoglobin groups based on their median value of the hemoglobin levels post index: <8, 8-10, and >10. Investigators also examined baseline characteristics, including age, sex, race, and standard categories of IPSS-R risk.

The study ultimately included 6533 patients with MDS; the median age at baseline was 78 years (interquartile range [IQR], 72-84), and 46% of patients were female. OF the 1133 participants with available IPSS-R data, 46% were classified as low/very low risk, 35.8% as intermediate risk, and 18.2% as high/very high risk.

During the study, median overall survival varied significantly by hemoglobin group. Patients with longitudinal hemoglobin >10 had a median overall survival of 54.1 months (95% CI, 51-57.9), compared to 25.2 (95% CI, 24.2-26.9) for patients with hemoglobin 8-10 and 12.7 (95% CI, 11.4-14) for those with hemoglobin <8. These differences remained across all time points up to 72 months, at which point survival was 38.2%, 16.3%, and 5.9%, respectively. After stratifying these by IPSS-R score alone, investigators found a median survival of 15.9 months (95% CI, 14-21.3) for high/very high risk patients, 25.9 (21.8-29) for intermediate risk patients, and 47.4 (41.1-53.2) for low/very low risk patients.

When stratified by serum ferritin levels, median overall survival was 32.9 months (95% CI, 31.1-34.5) for ferritin <1000 and 24.9 months (95% CI, 23.1-26.8) for ferritin ≥1000. For hemoglobin <8, median overall survival was 10.2 (95% CI, 8.8-12.2) for ferritin <1000 and 16.4 (95% CI, 14.6-19.1) for ferritin ≥1000. For hemoglobin 8-10, median overall survival was 27.7 (95% CI, 25.7-29.4) for ferritin <1000 and 28.4 (95% CI, 25.6-30.5) for ferritin ≥1000.

Ultimately, Zackon and colleagues determined that patients with MDS who exhibited maintained hemoglobin levels >10 g/dL also displayed improved overall survival, irrespective of IPSS-R risk stratification. Additionally, stratification by serum ferritin indicated that inferior overall survival in both moderate and severe maintained anemia was independent of possible iron overload, spotlighting the potential benefits of maintaining mild anemia as a goal of medical and transfusion therapies with optimal iron chelation.

“MDS is not rare in the general patient population, especially as we get older,” Zackon said. “We’ve had limited therapy successes over time, and it’s taken time to build that up. I think we’re looking forward to more impactful therapies on the anemia side. The more that we can improve anemia, which is a primary aspect of the disease, the more opportunity we have to improve not only the longevity, but the quality of our patients’ lives.”

Editor’s Note: Zackon reports disclosures with Ontada and McKesson.

Su Z, Whitesell M, Zackon I, et al. Maintaining higher hemoglobin levels is associated with improved overall survival in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS): A real-world retrospective analysis of electronic health records from US community settings over the past 20 years. Abstract presented at the 67th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting. Orlando, FL. December 6-9, 2025.

Kim N, Pulte ED, Ehrlich LA, et al. US Food and Drug Administration Approval Summary: Imetelstat for Selected Patients With Low- to Intermediate-1 Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes With Transfusion-Dependent Anemia. J Clin Oncol. 2025;43(35):3760-3768. 

Zackon discusses a retrospective 20-year analysis, which implies an easier-to-achieve hemoglobin target in myelodysplastic syndrome treatment.

Hematology

Anemia

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Chelsie Derman is an associate editor for 

who covers psychiatry, sleep medicine, geriatrics, migraine, and allergy. She joined MJH Life Sciences in September 2023 after graduating from The College of New Jersey with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and professional writing. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing and reading.

 had adequate knowledge of their condition, but effective self-management relied on stronger patient attitudes, especially in asymptomatic individuals.

In this cross-sectional study conducted between July and August 2023, investigators sought to assess patients’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding hyperuricemia and to examine the mediating role of attitude in different patient subgroups. The study analyzed questionnaires from 406 respondents, with most male (90.39%; n = 367).

The study showed patients with hyperuricemia had a high commitment to following medical recommendations, including adhering to medications, modifying diet, avoiding high-purine/high-fat foods, avoiding alcohol, hydrating, regularly exercising, and monitoring acid levels. However, fewer patients underwent regular CT scans or participated in peer support activities.

“These findings suggest a strong willingness among patients to actively participate in their own healthcare, which is a positive aspect for clinical practice,” wrote study investigator Hong Shi, from Shanxi Bethune Hospital in China, and colleagues. “To further enhance patient care, healthcare providers can build upon this motivation by emphasizing the importance of regular medical imaging and encouraging participation in group-based support.”

Knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 54.34 ± 8.68 (possible range: 13—65), 23.40 ± 2.36 (possible range: 6—30), and 40.31 ± 4.92 (possible range: 10—50), respectively. Structural equation modeling revealed a significant direct effect of knowledge on attitude (P =.009) and a direct effect of attitude on practice (P =.015). Additionally, the analysis showed that knowledge had a significant indirect effect on practice mediated through attitude (P =.003). The study did not find a significant direct relationship between knowledge and practice (P = 0.317), only between knowledge and attitude.

“This suggests that while knowledge serves as a foundation, attitude is a crucial intermediary shaping behavior,” investigators wrote.

The team added that, because hyperuricemia is a metabolic risk factor and not just a symptomatic disease, patients need to focus on preventive strategies, including lifestyle modification, dietary counseling, appropriate urate-lowering therapy, and regular biochemical monitoring. A study earlier this year using a new machine learning prediction model reported that physical activity and less sedentary time reduced the risk of gout in people with hypouricemia.

While Shi and colleagues’ study showed patients with hyperuricemia had a high commitment to following medical recommendations, the same was not always the case for asymptomatic patients.

 Many asymptomatic individuals underestimate the need for early prevention, whereas symptomatic patients view the disease as more serious and report higher attitude and practice scores.

Subgroup analyses showed that attitude played a stronger mediating role in patients without gout symptoms. In patients without gout, knowledge significantly influenced attitude (P = 0.009) and indirectly affected practice through attitude (P = 0.004); attitude also strongly impacted practice (P = 0.015). Conversely, in patients with gout symptoms, knowledge did not significantly influence attitude (P = 0.488) or practice (P = 0.509), though attitude still significantly affected practice (P = 0.025).

Patients with comorbidities, such as hypertension or other chronic conditions, were associated with lower knowledge and attitude scores, indicating that competing health priorities may impact patient engagement. However, patients’ existing awareness of hyperuricemia offers a strong starting point for tailored education by healthcare providers.

The study ultimately suggests that targeted educational interventions, such as dietary counseling, motivational interviewing, and support groups, may improve patients’ attitudes toward self-managing their hyperuricemia.

“…it is recommended to institute regular follow-up appointments for monitoring and reinforcing adherence, implement tailored behavioral interventions that strengthen attitudinal engagement, especially in asymptomatic patients, develop individualized care plans, and bolster multidisciplinary collaboration among healthcare professionals,” investigators concluded.

 “In particular, clinical practices should focus on correcting misconceptions about preventive measures before gout onset, strengthening patients’ motivation for lifestyle modification, and encouraging participation in health education and peer-support programs, which were areas identified as relatively weaker in our findings.”

Shi H, Zhu Y, Guo Q, et al. Patients' knowledge influences practice via attitudes toward hyperuricaemia: a mediation analysis. 

. Published online December 3, 2025. doi:10.1007/s10067-025-07813-1

Johnson V. Physical Activity and Sedentary Time Top Factors for Gout Risk in People With Hyperuricemia. HCPLive. April 30, 2025. Accessed December 10, 2025. 

https://join.hcplive.com/view/physical-activity-and-sedentary-time-top-factors-for-gout-risk-in-people-with-hyperuricemia

A recent study highlights the importance of patient attitudes in the self-management of hyperuricemia, especially among asymptomatic individuals. While patients generally adhere to medical recommendations, asymptomatic patients often underestimate the need for early prevention. The study found that knowledge influences practice indirectly through attitude, emphasizing the need for targeted educational interventions. Subgroup analyses revealed that attitude plays a stronger mediating role in patients without gout symptoms. The study suggests implementing tailored behavioral interventions and multidisciplinary collaboration to enhance patient engagement and correct misconceptions about preventive measures.

A study shows that knowledge of hyperuricemia alone doesn’t drive practice. Attitude significantly mediates self-management, particularly in asymptomatic individuals.

Gout

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Patient Attitudes Key to Effective Hyperuricemia Self-Management

Jun Ho Jang, MD, PhD, is a professor in the division of hematology-oncology at the Samsung Medical Center.

Jang discusses the results of an open-label extension highlighting the comparative efficacy of this combination therapy versus standard-of-care ravulizumab.

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria

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Combination Pozelimab and Cemdisiran Improves LHD Control in PNH, With Jun Ho Jang, MD, PhD

Professor and Laurence A. Boxer Research Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Pathology, University of Michigan and CS Mott Children’s Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan

End-of-study analysis from the HOPE-B trial shows durable endogenous FIX expression, reduced annualized bleeding rates, and a favorable safety profile.


HOPE-B: 5-Year Etranacogene Dezaparvovec Maintains Durable Efficacy and Safety in Hemophilia B, With Steven Pipe, MD

Dr. Sambara emphasizes the importance of collaboration and continuous learning for new retina specialists to thrive in their practice.

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2025: A year of fewer vaccines and increasing distrust

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Mild to Moderate Psoriasis Linked with Indicators of Suboptimal Treatment, Disease Control

Higher Maintained Hemoglobin Associated With Improved Survival in MDS, With Ira Zackon, MD

Patient Attitudes Key to Effective Hyperuricemia Self-Management