geoffrey modest medical blogs

  A recent Chinese study found that changing regular salt to a salt substitute with 75% sodium chloride and 25% potassium chloride in patients with a prior stroke was associated with a reduced risk of stroke recurrence and death: see   htn salt substitute dec stroke JAMAcardiol2025  in dropbox, or doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2024.5417, in a subgroup analysis of the SSaSS   study  (Salt Substitute and Stroke Study)   Details: --15,249 people who had had a self-reported stroke in 600 Northern Chinese villages in this open-label, cluster randomized clinical trial     -- these villages were randomized to either continuing regular salt (100% sodium chloride) versus a salt substitute (75% sodium chloride and 25% potassium chloride) --baseline data was collected on participants of their demographics, disease history, medication use, and salt-related knowledge and behaviors; also 24-hour urinary sodium and potassium excretions were measured alon...

  Yet another article found that gabapentinoids (gabapentin and pregabalin) were ineffective for pain control, this one finding no benefit in pain reduction or improved sleep in patients with peripheral nerve injury (see   gabapentinoid not reduce periph nerve pain ClinOrthopRelatRes2025  in dropbox, or DOI 10.1097/CORR.0000000000003415. Thanks to orthopedic surgeons Dickey Jones and Brad Henley for bringing this to my attention   Details : -- there were only four  randomized controlled trials  included in this  meta-analysis on gabapentinoids versus placebo  for patients having nerve injuries, in a  literature search from 2000 to 2022     -- these four studies involve 919 patients: 402 were treated with either gabapentin or pregabalin (gabapentinoids), 394 were treated with placebo, and 123 with both in the two crossover trials         -- the researchers assessed only the initial blinded side...