Study identifies who is most at risk of tuberculosis
People born in countries with a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) and living in the United States have higher rates of TB disease, and may need more focused screening, according to new Kaiser Permanente research. The study also found higher rates of TB among patients with certain high-risk medical ...
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Doctors assess glaucoma risk among younger adults
Eye specialists at Kaiser Permanente Southern California studied whether using a standardized testing criteria among younger adults could improve care, reduce unnecessary testing, and potentially reduce ...
Five questions for … Dr. Aniket Kawatkar
Aniket Kawatkar, PhD, MS, is a research scientist who is interested in understanding the drivers of health care utilization and their associated economic, clinical, and patient-reported outcomes. Dr. ...
Bariatric surgery reduces costs for patients with Type 2 diabetes
A Kaiser Permanente found that bariatric surgery reduced health care costs for adults with Type 2 diabetes and obesity. The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in February 2025. “The ...
Many U.S. teens may be eligible for weight loss surgery
March 1, 2025In a Kaiser Permanente Southern California study, 1 in 23 adolescents met the eligibility criteria for metabolic and bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery. The findings suggest that about 1 million adolescents across the United States could be eligible for the procedure. “Understanding the population of adolescents who qualify for weight loss surgery is ...Read more...Research leads to finding ways to improve outcomes for heart failure patients with chronic kidney disease
February 18, 2025Research by physicians at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center is helping patients with heart failure to transition more smoothly and safely to dialysis if they develop chronic kidney disease. “We wanted to look at whether patients with heart failure have any differences in how they transition to dialysis compared to those patients without heart ...Read more...Medicaid enrollees less vaccinated during pregnancy across US
February 18, 2025Most individuals in the United States who are pregnant are not getting the vaccines that could protect them — and their babies — from COVID-19, flu, and whooping cough, a new study shows. This is especially true among those who are on Medicaid. The nationwide study on vaccination during pregnancy was published in the American Journal ...Read more...Intensive blood pressure control and patients with chronic kidney disease
January 16, 2025The benefits of intensive blood pressure shown in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) also helps patients with chronic kidney disease, according to new research led by Kaiser Permanente and Stanford University. The study was published in January 2025 in JAMA Network Open. The SPRINT clinical trial included adults with hypertension and elevated cardiovascular ...Read more...Study highlights the impact of electronic media use on young people
January 6, 2025Young people who frequently used electronic media, such as computers, television, and social media, had less physical activity, more stress, and modest cognitive challenges. The study was published in January 2025 in Preventive Medicine. “Our research found an association between electronic media use and a negative impact on youth,” said the study’s lead author, Deborah Cohen, ...Read more...New study sheds light on incidence of IgA nephropathy
January 6, 2025A recent Kaiser Permanente study described the incidence of IgA nephropathy, an autoimmune kidney disease, nationally, as well as among people of different race and ethnicities. The study was published in the American Journal of Nephrology in November 2024. “IgA nephropathy is a rare disease. Attempts to determine its incidence in the United States have relied ...Read more...RSV vaccine protects older adults against severe illness
December 16, 2024A new study by Kaiser Permanente has shown that the ABRYSVO respiratory syncytial virus vaccine is very effective in reducing emergency room visits and hospital stays due to RSV among older adults. “This Kaiser Permanente research demonstrated the real-world effectiveness of RSV vaccination among those 60 and over,” said lead author Sara Y. Tartof, PhD, MPH, ...Read more...Study finds air pollution may increase risk of preterm birth
December 2, 2024Exposure to a specific kind of air pollution, fine particulate matter, during pregnancy may significantly increase the risk of spontaneous preterm birth, which can be dangerous for both the mother and the baby, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in JAMA Network Open. “Consistent with other study findings, this current study has demonstrated that there ...Read more...5 questions for … Dr. Javed Sheikh
November 22, 2024Javed Sheikh, MD, was recently named 2024 Physician Researcher of the Year by the Southern California Permanente Medical Group. Dr. Sheikh is the vice area research chair for the Los Angeles area on the Regional Research Committee. He is chief of the Department of Allergy and Immunology at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center and ...Read more...Kaiser Permanente’s vaccine side-effect monitor bolsters safety
November 22, 2024After COVID-19 vaccines became available in December 2020, several smartphone-based reporting systems were developed to monitor vaccine side effects. They included V-safe from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, like most large surveillance systems, they had imperfections. Kaiser Permanente Southern California collaborated with the CDC and others to create a new system in April ...Read more...