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Drs. Dasgupta and Sarswat review how ATTR cardiomyopathy remains under-recognized despite its prevalence in older patients with heart failure, emphasizing clinical red flags across cardiac and systemic manifestations. They outline a practical diagnostic pathway that prioritizes early identification using light-chain evaluation, bone scintigraphy, and genetic testing to distinguish transthyretin subtypes and initiate timely, disease-modifying therapy.

Drs. Saver and Sanossian discuss ISC 2026 data highlighting neurologists’ frequent inaction on markedly uncontrolled hypertension in high‑risk stroke patients and the need for specialists to “own” blood pressure management at every visit. They also review refinements in patent foramen ovale (PFO) risk stratification, including Pascal algorithm-defined “possible” PFO cases, and explore how a “clinical trial effect” may lower stroke risk through greater patient engagement.

Drs. McMahon and Kalunian discuss how patients with lupus nephritis face a markedly higher risk of cardiovascular disease and how traditional risk calculators fail to capture the added danger from chronic inflammation, steroids, and disease-specific factors. They call for a paradigm shift toward aggressive, early, and continuous cardiovascular protection—including tighter blood pressure targets, earlier statin use, lifelong hydroxychloroquine when possible, and close multidisciplinary management from the time of diagnosis.

This episode of the PeerDirect Medical News Podcast examines the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak in Congo and concerns over weakening global public health infrastructure, reviews new Phase III obesity data showing substantial weight loss with Lilly’s triple-agonist retatrutide, and highlights promising ASCO 2026 lung cancer data for a TROP2-directed ADC combined with pembrolizumab in frontline NSCLC.

Drs. Humphries and Swigris describe how AI-driven CT analysis can detect subtle imaging features of ILD and UIP, outperforming visual reads for risk stratification and prognosis. They highlight how these tools may enable earlier identification of patients at high risk for fibrosis progression while also stressing current limitations, including opacity of algorithms, data dependence, and the need to adapt imaging hardware and clinical workflows.

Drs. McMahon and Kalunian discuss how the latest lupus nephritis guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology and European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology are shifting care from short-term, reactive treatment to longer-term, continuous maintenance—often 3 to 5 years or more—to better prevent kidney flares and preserve renal function. They highlight emerging data on biologic-based triple therapy (including belimumab); the importance of biomarkers and repeat biopsies; and the growing push toward personalized, sometimes indefinite, therapy for high‑risk patients.

Drs. Chandwani and Kuruvilla explain that migraine and facial pain often share trigeminal system mechanisms, leading to frequent misdiagnosis as dental, musculoskeletal, or sinus problems, possibly resulting in unnecessary procedures. The speakers emphasize CGRP-targeted therapies, careful mechanism-based diagnosis, and multidisciplinary collaboration across neurology, orofacial pain, physical therapy, and behavioral health to improve outcomes for patients with complex facial pain and migraine presentations.

Drs. Wierda and O’Brien discuss new combination treatments for CLL that achieve exceptionally high rates of undetectable disease, especially with triplet regimens. They also show that venetoclax-based retreatment works very well, supporting a move away from chemoimmunotherapy.

Drs. Yiu and Emami continue their wrap-up of the highlights from the 49th Annual Macula Society Meeting, focusing on new developments in imaging technologies, AI, and drug delivery for retinal diseases. They also touch on emerging basic science topics like the gut microbiome and metabolomics, and how these may support more personalized, systems-level approaches to eye disease.

Drs. Mantia and Berg continue their discussion of ESMO 2025 data on HER2‑directed antibody–drug conjugates in urothelial cancer and the importance of routine HER2 testing. They highlight the promising efficacy and manageable toxicity of these agents across disease stages and raise future questions about how best to sequence them.