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Tag: hospitalization

  • Fact-checking Florida AG on abortion pill hospitalizations

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    Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is suing Planned Parenthood for what he called deceptive marketing practices involving abortion pills.

    In a Nov. 6 video on X, Uthmeier said Planned Parenthood “falsely marketed to women” that abortion pills are safer than over-the-counter medications.

    “Evidence suggests that 1 in 25 women who consume these dangerous pills are hospitalized,” Uthmeier said. “And we’ve seen dozens of reported deaths. This is wrong, and we’re going to hold them accountable.”

    Although Uthmeier used the word “hospitalized” to describe the outcome, text that appeared on screen in the video as he spoke said 1 in 25 women “end up in the ER,” a figure that combines results from two studies Uthmeier cited. Emergency department visits are not the same as hospitalizations, which involve patients being formally admitted. 

    When contacted for evidence, Uthmeier’s spokesperson pointed PolitiFact to a table in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s label for mifepristone, the first of two pills taken in early pregnancy for medication abortion. One line in the table said two U.S. studies with 1,043 women found a 2.9% to 4.6% frequency rate for ER visits. The higher end of the range roughly correlates to 1 in 25 women.

    Besides conflating hospitalizations and ER visits, Uthmeier cited studies with small sample sizes; multiple larger studies found lower rates of both ER visits and hospitalizations following medication abortion. Researchers told PolitiFact emergency department visits are not a reliable indicator of drug safety and are not proof that patients experienced serious adverse events or were admitted to the hospital.

    “In large studies of medication abortion, hospitalization is very rare, generally occurring in <0.5% of patients,” Dr. Daniel Grossman, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, wrote in an email to PolitiFact. Grossman said ER visits are more common because patients who do not live near their provider might have to go to an emergency department for anything that requires in-person consultation, including to confirm an abortion was successful. 

    The FDA label that Uthmeier cited also showed hospitalization rates of 0.04% to 0.06% among 14,339 women evaluated in three studies, or about 86 women on the higher end of the range.

    The FDA label does not include the research methodology or details about the cases. The FDA didn’t answer our questions about the studies.

    Danco Laboratories, which manufactures and distributes mifepristone under the brand name Mifeprex, provided the studies to PolitiFact. The two reports showed 41 women out of 1,043 visited the ER after taking abortion pills. Eight of the 41 were hospitalized and, of those, three were admitted for unrelated reasons, including pancreatitis and hip pain. That means five out of 1,043 women evaluated were hospitalized for reasons related to abortion pills.

    “The actual percentage of related serious adverse events that required hospital admission in these two studies was 0.5%,” said Ushma Upadhyay, a professor and public health scientist at the University of California, San Francisco.

    What is medication abortion and how safe is it?

    Medication abortion is approved in the U.S. up to the 10th week of pregnancy and involves two medicines — mifepristone and misoprostol — that are typically taken 24 hours apart. Studies have found that around 95% to 98% of patients who take the medicines as prescribed will end their pregnancies without  complication.

    The FDA has repeatedly reaffirmed mifepristone’s safety since the drug was first approved in 2000. (Misoprostol has been on the market longer and has different uses, including preventing stomach ulcers.)

    Medication abortions are common, accounting for 63% of all abortions in the U.S. in 2023, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports reproductive rights. More than 5 million women in the U.S. have used abortion pills to terminate pregnancies.

    Over 100 studies spanning decades have found medication abortion to be safe and effective. 

    “We’ve been using mifepristone in the U.S. for over two decades and we aren’t seeing legitimate studies that are documenting any medical fallout or medical complications from this drug,” said Rachel Jones, Guttmacher Institute principal research scientist.

    Medication abortion and ER visits, hospitalizations

    Research shows abortion pills are not associated with a high percentage of emergency room visits or hospitalizations.

    The studies Uthmeier pointed to did not prove that medication abortion is dangerous, experts said

    One of the studies, published in 2012, acknowledged that major adverse events attributable to medication abortion, such as hospitalizations, emergency department visits and blood transfusions, are “rare.” 

    The vast majority of mifepristone research is in line with this.   

    A 2013 study that examined 233,805 medication abortions by Planned Parenthood in 2009 and 2010 found an emergency department treatment rate of 0.1%, and said significant adverse events requiring hospital admission occurred in 0.16% of cases.

    A 2015 study on emergency room visits and complications after 55,000 abortions — 11,000 of which were medication abortions — found that serious adverse events occurred in 0.3% of all cases.

    Emergency department visits alone are not indicative of adverse events, Upadhyay, the 2015 study’s lead author, told PolitiFact.

    A 2018 study found around 51% of abortion-related ER visits involved observational care only. “This really shows that people go to the emergency department to have their questions answered. They aren’t getting any treatment. They are being observed and released,” Upadhyay said.

    U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary have promised to launch another mifepristone safety review. The top health officials have referenced studies that experts say have several problems.

    For example, one April report by the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative nonprofit that opposes abortion, found a substantially higher rate of serious side effects from the drug compared with other studies.

    The report wasn’t peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal. It didn’t disclose its data source and contained multiple methodological issues, 263 reproductive health researchers wrote in a letter to the FDA. Uthmeier cites the report in Florida’s lawsuit against Planned Parenthood.

    Our ruling

    Uthmeier said, “Evidence suggests that 1 in 25 women who consume (abortion) pills are hospitalized.”

    Uthmeier conflated hospitalizations with emergency department visits. Roughly 1 in 25 women visited the ER in the two studies Uthmeier cited, but only five out of 1,043 — or 1 in 200 — were hospitalized related to the abortion pill.

    ER visits, which can often involve only observational care followed by release, are not a reliable indicator of drug safety, researchers said, and do not mean patients experienced a serious adverse event or were admitted to the hospital.

    Several other studies found lower rates of ER treatment and hospitalizations following medication abortion.

    Uthmeier’s statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False.  

    PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.

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  • Dr. Anthony Fauci recovering after hospitalization for West Nile virus

    Dr. Anthony Fauci recovering after hospitalization for West Nile virus

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    Dr. Anthony Fauci recovering after hospitalization for West Nile virus

    Fauci, a longtime public health official who became a household name as part of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, is expected to recover fully, a spokesperson said


    By Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Katherine Dillinger, CNN

    Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is recovering at home after being hospitalized with West Nile virus, a spokesperson said.Related video above: Dr. Fauci testifies to House panel about COVID (6/03/24)Fauci, a longtime public health official who became a household name as part of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, is expected to recover fully, the spokesperson said.About 1,000 Americans are hospitalized each year with the most severe form of West Nile virus, which is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Another 1,500, on average, are diagnosed after developing symptoms, although experts estimate that as many as 80% of infections in the U.S. are never identified.There is no vaccine or specific treatment for West Nile. Most cases are mild, causing flu-like symptoms and a rash. In about 1 in 150 cases, the virus invades the brain and nervous system, which can lead to brain swelling, brain damage or death. About 100 people die from West Nile infections in the U.S. each year.The heaviest virus activity is usually seen in August and September. As of Aug. 20, 216 cases have been reported this year in 33 states, with 142 neuroinvasive cases, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.CNN’s Brenda Goodman contributed to this report.

    Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is recovering at home after being hospitalized with West Nile virus, a spokesperson said.

    Related video above: Dr. Fauci testifies to House panel about COVID (6/03/24)

    Fauci, a longtime public health official who became a household name as part of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, is expected to recover fully, the spokesperson said.

    About 1,000 Americans are hospitalized each year with the most severe form of West Nile virus, which is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Another 1,500, on average, are diagnosed after developing symptoms, although experts estimate that as many as 80% of infections in the U.S. are never identified.

    There is no vaccine or specific treatment for West Nile. Most cases are mild, causing flu-like symptoms and a rash. In about 1 in 150 cases, the virus invades the brain and nervous system, which can lead to brain swelling, brain damage or death. About 100 people die from West Nile infections in the U.S. each year.

    The heaviest virus activity is usually seen in August and September. As of Aug. 20, 216 cases have been reported this year in 33 states, with 142 neuroinvasive cases, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    CNN’s Brenda Goodman contributed to this report.

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  • U.S. Seniors Bearing Brunt of COVID Wave – Is Help Coming?

    U.S. Seniors Bearing Brunt of COVID Wave – Is Help Coming?

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    Jan. 10, 2023 – It might appear that we’re back to some semblance of “normal” at this point in the COVID-19 pandemic. But many people remain at higher risk for serious outcomes like hospitalization and death, especially older Americans. 

    Legula Estiloz was diagnosed with COVID-19 at age 104, for example. “She and I both came down with COVID at the same time, a few days after Christmas of 2020,” her son Tim Estiloz says.

    “I went in to wake her up for her breakfast, and she was just drenched, sopping wet – her bed clothes and her nightgown,” Tim says. 

    Legula, a resident of The Willows, a skilled nursing community in Oakmont, PA, owned and operated by Presbyterian SeniorCare Network, sought care at nearby Magee Hospital. Both Legula and Tim were swabbed for COVID-19 and tested positive. They had low-grade fevers and fatigue. Legula lost her appetite for months. But neither lost their sense of smell or taste or had respiratory challenges. 

    The COVID-19 vaccines were not available at the time. “It is all the more miraculous that she survived it at that age, and without even the benefit of the vaccine to get her through it,” he says.

    Americans 65 and older are dying at disproportionately higher rates from COVID-19. For example, people ages 65 to 74 account for 22% of COVID-19 deaths, even though this age group represents less than 10% of the U.S. population, CDC figures show. The picture is more dire for those 75 to 84 – a group that accounts for 26% of deaths but less than 5% of the population.

    The oldest Americans, those 85 and over, account for 27% of deaths but make up only 2% of the U.S. population.

    Add to this the yet-to-be-fully appreciated impact of the latest Omicron subvariant on the rise, XBB.1.5, and the future remains anything but certain.

    Legula, who survived COVID-19, went on to have a heart attack and be diagnosed with breast cancer, all before spring 2020. 

    Her prognosis is good now, Tim says. “She’s doing quite well. I think for a period of time, she was doing better than me.” She plays notes on the piano, likes to “dance” in her wheelchair, and catches a ball thrown from 3 or 4 feet away “each and every time.” 

    To summarize her pandemic experience, Legula “battled breast cancer, had radiation treatment, she fell once, she survived COVID, and she survived a heart attack,” Tim says. Although the admitting doctor warned that his mother might not survive the night of her heart attack, she improved and in January 2021 celebrated her 104th birthday. 

    “And now, God willing, in a few days she’ll celebrate her 106th.”

    Bivalent Booster Buy-In

    A key factor in Legula’s recovery: She also is up to date on her COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters.

    The bivalent boosters – which target some Omicron strains and the original coronavirus – are 84% more effective at keeping seniors from being hospitalized, says David Gifford, MD, chief medical officer at the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living in Washington, DC.

    A Jan. 3 preprint study published in the journal The Lancet backs that up. While it hasn’t been peer-reviewed, researchers studied 622,701 people ages 65 and older and found those who had received the bivalent booster were 81% less likely to be hospitalized and 86% less likely to die from COVID-19 than others who did not receive it.

    But only slightly more than one-third of Americans 65 and older, 38%, have received a bivalent booster, compared to 15% of all Americans 5 years or older, CDC data shows. So there is great room for improvement, experts say. 

    “We have this ongoing push among our members to increase booster acceptance rate among residents,” says Lisa Sanders, director of media relations at LeadingAge, a national association of nonprofit providers and aging services, including nursing homes, retirement community settings, and affordable housing for older adults. 

    One of the biggest misconceptions, she says, is “the thinking that the bivalent booster is not necessary.” In addition, ongoing education and access to vaccines remain important “because there is a lot of misinformation.”

    “The messaging has to be clear: You need to get the bivalent booster,” Sanders says, “especially now after the holidays and [when] new variants are emerging.”

    COVID and Congregate Living

    With older Americans more vulnerable to serious effects of COVID-19, a question that comes up is: What about settings where they live together, such as nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, and other care centers? Earlier in the pandemic, these locations faced greater infection control challenges with the coronavirus.

    “Long-term care professionals have known since day one that older adults with chronic conditions are most vulnerable when it comes to this virus. They have been bedside to unspeakable tragedy these past 3 years,” Gifford says.

    “Unfortunately, ageism has been on full display during this pandemic, as evidenced by long term-care facilities begging public health officials for resources to no avail in the beginning,” he says.

    So where are they now?

    On the plus side, defenses and preventive measures have come a long way since the pandemic started, Gifford says. “While older adults are still most vulnerable, we have the tools to help protect them from serious illness and hospitalization. First and foremost, seniors need to stay up to date on their COVID vaccinations, which means getting the updated, bivalent booster.”

    Florida at the Forefront

    The three U.S. states with the most residents ages 65 and older are California, Florida, and Texas. As a percentage, more than 1 in 5 Floridians, or 21%, for example, are in this age group, according to 2021 U.S. Census numbers. 

    With one of the country’s most vulnerable older populations, the Florida Health Care Association in Tallahassee continues to promote the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters. Kristen Knapp, senior director of strategy and communications for the association, says, “While the booster may not prevent infections, we know that it can help residents from becoming very sick or being hospitalized.” 

    COVID-19 vaccination is not a requirement for resident admission or staff employment. But Knapp says that, vaccinated or not, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 is required to follow infection control protocols.

     The Feds Get Involved

    On Nov. 22, the White House announced a campaign to promote boosters in older adults. The focus is on reaching seniors and other communities hardest hit by COVID-19, making it even more convenient to get vaccinated, and increasing awareness through paid media.

    The initiative includes new enforcement guidance through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to ensure nursing homes are offering updated COVID-19 vaccines as well as timely treatment to their residents and staff.

    Shortly thereafter, LeadingAge joined forces with American Health Care Association to create an “All Hands on Deck” initiative to help achieve the White House goals. One strategy is to get hospitals more involved. This is important, Sanders says, because about 90% of nursing home admissions involve people transferred from a hospital. 

    Ongoing Vigilance

    Future variants continue to be a threat, but the vaccines are incredibly effective in preventing hospitalizations and death, experts emphasize. 

    “We continue to monitor and prepare for anticipated surges, like this winter’s, and encourage everyone, including our residents and staff, to get their boosters,” Gifford says.

    There needs to be an ongoing vigilance that this is a community issue, Sanders says. “There’s a human tendency to want to push it away and say, ‘oh it’s their problem.’ 

    “Really, it’s all of our problem, and if we all take steps to protect ourselves and each other, we’ll be better off as a society.”

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