This issue highlights recent research and guidelines about spotting, preventing, and calming flare-ups across different conditions. Each item focuses on practical steps you can discuss with your care team to protect your day-to-day health.

#1 Biologic add-on treatment to cut COPD flare-ups

What’s new: NICE now recommends the medicine dupilumab as an add-on treatment for some people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who keep having flare-ups despite usual care.

Why it matters:

• Trials suggest dupilumab can lower COPD attacks by about one-third in people with a certain blood pattern.
• Fewer attacks can mean less time in the hospital and more steady breathing day to day.

Try this: If you have frequent COPD flare-ups, ask your lung specialist whether you have raised blood eosinophils and if dupilumab or other add-on options might fit your plan.

Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

#2 RSV protection greatly cuts severe breathing flares in infants

What’s new: A large study from Italy found that a single-dose RSV antibody (nirsevimab) for babies reduced emergency visits and hospital stays for lung infections by about half in the first year of life.

Why it matters:

• Fewer severe RSV infections mean less worry, less time in the ER, and safer first winters for infants.
• High coverage in a community can ease stress on hospitals during respiratory virus season.

Try this: If you are expecting a baby or care for a young infant, ask your child’s clinician if RSV preventive shots like nirsevimab are available and recommended where you live.

Source: Emerging Infectious Diseases (CDC)

#3 Time-restricted eating to steady weight and blood sugar

What’s new: A review of 41 trials found that limiting eating to a daily time window, especially earlier in the day, modestly improved weight, waist size, blood pressure, blood sugar, and fats in adults at metabolic risk.

Why it matters:

• Better weight and blood sugar control can lower the chance of future heart, liver, and diabetes flare-ups.
• Focusing on when you eat, not only what you eat, can be a simple change that fits into busy routines.

Try this: Talk with your clinician or dietitian about trying an earlier eating window, such as eating meals within 8–10 hours and finishing by late afternoon, to see if it suits your health and schedule.

Source: BMJ Medicine

#4 E-cigarettes and staying smoke-free after quitting

What’s new: In people who had already stopped smoking in a trial, those who kept using e-cigarettes were less likely to go back to smoking than those who switched to nicotine replacement alone over one year.

Why it matters:

• Every day without cigarettes lowers the risk of lung, heart, and circulation flare-ups.
• Having a workable plan for cravings may help you stay quit longer.

Try this: If you recently quit smoking, ask your clinician which tools (e-cigarettes, nicotine replacement, medicines, or combos) are safest and most realistic for you to avoid relapse, and how to plan to eventually reduce nicotine.

Source: Addiction (Wiley) / PubMed

#5 Heart-healthy routines with the American Heart Month toolkit

What’s new: The CDC released a toolkit with blood pressure logs, visit checklists, and simple messages to help people and clinics focus on heart disease and stroke prevention.

Why it matters:

• Tracking your blood pressure and medicines can help catch problems early before they lead to emergencies.
• Simple worksheets and checklists make it easier to remember questions and goals at doctor visits.

Try this: Download a blood pressure log or visit checklist from the toolkit and bring it to your next primary care appointment to review your heart and blood pressure plan.

Source: CDC – National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

#6 GLP-1 medicines and lower risk of repeat limb problems in diabetes

What’s new: A large study in people with type 2 diabetes who already had serious limb problems found that those started on GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines had fewer new severe limb events and amputations than those started on another common drug group.

Why it matters:

• Better control of blood sugar and blood vessel risk can reduce painful flare-ups in the legs and feet.
• Lower risk of further limb damage can support staying active and independent.

Try this: If you have type 2 diabetes and past serious foot or leg problems, ask your clinician whether a GLP-1 medicine is an option for you and how it fits with regular foot checks and shoe care.

Source: JAMA Network Open

#7 Using wearables to watch walking speed and mobility

What’s new: A review of studies found that walking speed measured by wearables in daily life is a promising way to track function, and one such measure is already accepted by a European regulator for a rare muscle disease trial.

Why it matters:

• Changes in how fast you walk can warn of rising frailty or recovery, sometimes before you notice symptoms.
• Continuous tracking at home can help you and your team spot trends between clinic visits.

Try this: If you use a smartwatch or step counter, note your usual walking pace or time for a set distance, and share any steady changes with your clinician or physical therapist.

Source: Frontiers in Digital Health

#8 Better urgent-care teaching to calm asthma attacks

What’s new: A NICE project using updated asthma guidelines in urgent and emergency care reported better clinician confidence in handling asthma attacks and in teaching patients how to use inhalers and modern treatment plans.

Why it matters:

• Clear, up-to-date care in the ER can shorten attacks and help prevent repeat visits.
• Good inhaler teaching helps you get the most from each dose and can reduce sudden breathing flares.

Try this: If you have asthma and visit urgent care or the ER, ask staff to watch your inhaler technique and to review your written asthma action plan before you go home.

Source: NICE

#9 New biologic option for nerve disease flare control (CIDP)

What’s new: A real-world case series of people with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) found that most improved over 3–6 months after starting intravenous efgartigimod, with few side effects reported.

Why it matters:

• Better control of nerve symptoms can reduce weakness flares and support walking and hand function.
• Having a steroid-sparing option may lower long-term side effects from older medicines.

Try this: If you live with CIDP and still have relapses or steroid side effects, ask your neurologist whether newer biologic options like efgartigimod are being used or studied at your center.

Source: Journal of Neuroimmunology

#10 Tracking skin symptoms to manage hidradenitis suppurativa

What’s new: A review of 26 studies in people with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) found that several patient questionnaires, such as the HiSQOL-17, reliably capture symptom flares and quality of life changes.

Why it matters:

• Regular tracking of pain, drainage, and daily impact helps your team see how well treatments are working between visits.
• Using the same questions over time makes it easier to notice early warning signs of a flare.

Try this: If you have HS, ask your dermatologist about using a brief symptom or quality-of-life questionnaire at each visit, and keep simple notes at home when you notice changes.

Source: JAMA Dermatology

Keep in mind

• Every person and condition is different, so what helps one person’s flare-ups may not fit another.
• Use these findings as ideas to discuss with your clinician, not as rules to follow on your own.
• Never start, stop, or change prescription medicines without medical advice, even if a study sounds promising.
• Simple habits like good sleep, regular movement, smoke-free living, and taking medicines as prescribed still make a big difference over time.