Introduction: There are no national estimates for blood pressure–lowering prescription trends among the U.S. pediatric population. This study describes trends in blood pressure–lowering prescription fills among individuals aged 3–17 years by sex and age group. Methods: Data were obtained from IQVIA's Total Patient Tracker database covering 94% of all outpatient retail prescription fills in the U.S. The key outcome was blood pressure–lowering prescription fills during 2017–2023, utilizing a list of 113 generic medications from 21 drug classes. In addition, a subset of 20 medications recommended in the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics guideline was examined. Annual population percentage and percentage change compared with 2017 were reported, and average annual percentage change was estimated using Joinpoint regression. Results: From 2017 to 2023, blood pressure–lowering prescription fills among those aged 3–17 years increased slightly from 1.93% (95% CI=1.88%, 1.98%) to 2.09% (95% CI=2.04%, 2.14%). Among males, blood pressure–lowering prescription fills remained stable (between 2.32% and 2.38%; average annual percentage change= −0.3%; p=0.545), whereas fills among females increased by 23.9% (from 1.49% to 1.84%; average annual percentage change=4.16%; p<0.001). The sharpest increase occurred among females aged 13–17 years (from 2.26% to 3.17%; average annual percentage change=6.3%; p<0.001). Prescription fills for guideline-recommended medications either remained stable or declined, with some variation by sex and age group. Conclusions: Results indicate growth in blood pressure–lowering prescription fills, especially among females aged 13–17 years. Increases were driven by medications not included in the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics guideline, suggesting that blood pressure–lowering medications may be increasingly prescribed for conditions other than pediatric hypertension. © 2025

Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection that primarily affects the lungs. The condition is caused by Histoplasma organisms, which are often found in soil contaminated with bird or bat droppings. On January 17, 2025, a Georgia infectious disease physician notified CDC of suspected histoplasmosis cases among 12 members of an extended family from households in Georgia, Texas, and Washington. The ill family members included six adults aged 42-49 years and six children aged 8-16 years. They had recently returned from Costa Rica, where they toured a cave linked to a previous histoplasmosis outbreak (1).

BACKGROUND: Many medications can have blood pressure (BP)-elevating effects, which might negatively impact BP control among people with hypertension. This study examines trends in prescription fills for BP-elevating and antihypertensive medications, individually and concurrently, among US individuals. METHODS: Quarterly trends of concurrent and individual fills for BP-elevating and antihypertensive medications were reported using the nationwide sample from IQVIA's Total Patient Tracker database, covering 94% of all retail prescription fills in the United States. We identified 1387 products containing BP-elevating medications and 240 products containing antihypertensive medications. Percentage change from Q1/2017 and average quarterly percent change from the joinpoint regression were used to present trends overall and by sex and age group (0-17, 18-44, 45-64, 65-74, and ≥75 years). RESULTS: From 2017 to 2023, fills remained stable for BP-elevating medications alone and increased for antihypertensive medications alone (9.5% increase; from 10.1% to 11.0%; P<0.001). Concurrent fills for antihypertensive and BP-elevating medications increased by 15.9% (from 5.4% to 6.2%; P<0.001). Fills for BP-elevating medications were higher among adult women compared with men; among women aged 18 to 44 years, this was primarily due to the use of combined oral contraceptives. In Q4/2023, fills for BP-elevating medications were most common among those aged 65 to 74 years (females=30.7%; males=20.4%). CONCLUSIONS: These results provide the first nationwide trends in concurrent prescription fills for BP-elevating and antihypertensive medications, indicating an increasing trend. Our findings might inform clinician decision-making regarding medication selection for patients with hypertension.