Fake News Effecting Medicine

Traditionally, the public puts great trust in medical physicians and assumes, when he or she is in contact with them, that they will be getting science-based medicine from them.  Following is an example of how even physicians can be influenced by fake news.

There is an effective treatment that can reduce disability from the acute onset of a stroke, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA).  However, it must be administered within a few hours of onset or it will not be effective.  The problem is that there is significant "fake news" about the dangers of this treatment based on results from faulty research conducted about 20 years ago.  As a result, some emergency room physicians and neurologists are refusing to administer it even when appropriate.  This article presents the issue, and this article on the latest research confirms that presently the only issue is not effectiveness or safety but what is the best dosage.

(WebMD)