Conditions and Diseases

Physicians writing on KevinMD about the diseases they treat and the people who have them: cancer and its screening arguments, pain and the drugs that treat it, diabetes and the obesity argument, mental illness and who gets treated for it, and the decisions at the end of a life. Five maintained records draw on this archive: Cancer: what physicians say, in their own words, Opioids: what physicians and pain patients say, in their own words, End of life: what physicians say, in their own words, Diabetes and obesity: what physicians say, in their own words, and Mental health: what psychiatrists and physicians say, in their own words.

Should you get a COVID-19 antibody test?

Christine Lau, MD

June 28, 2020

Antibody testing, also called serological testing, can be used to determine whether an individual is currently infected with COVID-19 or has previously been infected with COVID-19 and recovered. Unlike the molecular testing (PCR tests), which detects the presence of genetic material from the virus from a nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab, these antibody tests identify exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus which causes COVID-19) by looking for antibodies generated by the immune …

The social worker and a patient who lost her son

Raymond Abbott

Conditions and Diseases

June 27, 2020

Debby Ann has a pit bull, and I remembered that when she called me recently. It had belonged to her son, who is now deceased. He was murdered. She wants to meet me for lunch.

Debby Ann is a pretty lady, at least she was the last time I saw her. We worked together for a while. She has an especially pretty face, and nice blond hair. In her twenties, I …

Safe restaurant practices as crisis therapy: lessons from a bartender

Cory Michael, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 27, 2020

With a leftover airline credit to spend, I recently decided to take a quick trip down to southern California and make one of my routine treks along Interstate 5 from San Diego to Orange County. I wanted to see how the area was dealing with the pandemic and enjoy some sun.

No trip would be complete without a visit to my favorite bar in Encinitas, which had expanded its barbecue offerings …

Ensuring equity and coverage for future coronavirus vaccinations

Daniel H. Low, MD, Amish Dave, MD, MPH, Rajneet Lamba, MD, and Nancy Belcher, PhD

Conditions and Diseases

June 26, 2020

With promising early results of a coronavirus vaccine, there is increased excitement among the American public and policy-makers for a possible resolution to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, despite cheerleading by the scientific community and industry leaders, numerous uncertainties remain. Even with a favorable trial, the earliest “doable” COVID-19 vaccine, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious …

How can we stop the spread of coronavirus?

David Galinsky, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 25, 2020

I have chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and I do not want anyone to infect me. Because of my leukemia, I have low immunoglobulin levels, so I am extremely cautious. If I were to become infected, it would mean that I did something to put myself in danger. We have been telling people for the last three months to socially distance, but people still want to go to bars and restaurants and …

Is COVID-19 contraction risk lower in ER than in routine activities?

Terence Sanger, MD, PhD

Conditions and Diseases

June 24, 2020

With COVID-19 continuing to spread, some might assume that the one place to avoid is a hospital emergency room. After all, the space is filled with health care providers who work in close contact with sick people.

This assumption could be harmful to a person in need of emergent medical care, and now, thanks to a study we recently conducted, we also know it’s likely incorrect.

Our study found that health care …

The story of an Indian doctor with vitiligo

Dhaval Desai, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 24, 2020

“Alright, sir, that’s the plan, and we will take good care of you. What questions do you have for me?” I asked after discussing the patient’s condition and hospital course. The patient looked satisfied and nodded as if he understood the plan, and asked: “Well, one question, where are you from?” I immediately let out an internal sigh, knowing where this conversation was going and replied, “Well sir, I was …

A new ICU reality that may not disappear soon

Aula Ramo, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 23, 2020

Barriers. Barriers of yellow tape and plastic mark our makeshift rooms. Red zippers define the “ENTER” and “EXIT.” In the middle is a window of still clearer plastic, partially obscured by taped ECGs. Barriers are put up to keep us safe, but they can do so much more, if we let them.

A tap on the plastic window has become the universal command of attention from the nurses, residents, and respiratory …

Mental health among Asian American health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Oscar Chen, Dong Gue Oh, Zhang Huang, and Sarah Y. Song, MD, MPH

Conditions and Diseases

June 22, 2020

Fear, despair, and exhaustion are emotions collectively expressed by health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Years of health care experience has not equipped us with ways to maintain our mental wellbeing in the face of current pandemic, as evidenced by painful stories of fellow colleagues who have lost their lives. An especially vulnerable group among health care providers are Asians, who account for Read more…

Mental health among Asian American health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

The forgotten letter a social worker wrote on behalf of a psychiatrist

Raymond Abbott

Conditions and Diseases

June 21, 2020

Patricia, she is maybe 40. She is mentally ill. Her mother was shot while cooking in her kitchen with a rifle someone was fooling with, and the weapon went off. Patricia was there to see her mother’s head just about blown off. She was 16 then.

I don’t know why I mention the long-ago shooting, except it never goes far out of my mind when the subject is Patricia.

Persons like Patricia …

The pandemic exposes the need for humanism

Dominique Gelmann

Conditions and Diseases

June 20, 2020

Before COVID-19, I could only ponder the importance of human connection in medicine, of narrowing the physical and emotional space between physician and patient. I wondered where we had wandered as a profession, one struggling to reconnect with the humanistic principles upon which it was founded. Though the incredible value of modern medical advancement is undeniable, progress in the field has been mirrored by a regression in engaged presence. The …

What does it mean to be responsible during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Rebecca Elia, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 19, 2020

As women physicians, especially physician-moms and women physicians of color, we have handled and achieved more than the vast majority of the population, in order to reach our current status of physician.

We do because we can.

We are Superwomen. Until we’re not.

Without thought, we take on others’ responsibilities, because we can.

In addition to our own personal responsibility to ourselves and to our loved ones, we take on the responsibilities of our …

Technological change and mental health: How will the workforce of the future cope with the fourth industrial revolution?

Samoon Ahmad, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 19, 2020

Work is a necessary part of life. More than simply a means to a paycheck, work gives individuals a sense of dignity and accomplishment. Feeling as though one is participating in meaningful work, whether it is contributing to a massive project or an individual artistic pursuit, allows one to feel as though they have a purpose.

While this urge to create or work appears to be a universal human trait, the …

Masks are not a partisan issue. They are a public health issue. #AmericaMaskUp

Vineet Arora, MD, Shikha Jain, MD, Laura Zimmermann, MD, Ali Khan, MD, Amisha Wallia, MD, and Eve Bloomgarden, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 19, 2020

The second surge of COVID-19 that was predicted after individuals across the country celebrated the Memorial Day holiday seems to have begun. Cases in Arizona have nearly doubled since the holiday weekend as hospitals in the state are reaching capacity. Oregon and Utah have paused reopening in the midst of spikes in numbers of cases …

Are you a mask wimp? Get over it.

Raghav Gupta, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 19, 2020

As the reopening was being evaluated, I found myself contemplating the routine use of a mask in public. I was already wearing it 12 hours a day in the hospital. On one of the clinic days, after constantly conversing while wearing the mask, I also found out the hard way that I don’t have the taste buds for non-woven sub-micron thin polypropylene spaghetti. The prospect of wearing one while going …

Read more…

Are you a mask wimp? Get over it.

The nation’s best hospitals must remain focused on COVID-19

William F. Parker, MD, Monica E. Peek, MD, MPH, Brian H. Williams, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 18, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over

COVID-19 continues to devastate communities across the U.S., with 100,000 deaths and climbing. Health care workers have rushed to the frontlines without hesitation to respond to the needs of our patients. Fortunately, due to social distancing and other public health measures, the coronavirus caseload may be plateauing and even decreasing. As a nation, we have largely avoided the Read more…

The nation’s best hospitals must remain focused on COVID-19

Dissecting systemic racism in health care

Rhea Raj

Conditions and Diseases

June 18, 2020

A couple of months ago, I had a lecture on the “Principles of Epidemiology and Public Health.” I remember looking at the graphs taken from the American Heart Association and noting that the incidence of developing coronary heart disease or myocardial infarction was higher in black men compared to their white counterparts. I thought to myself, “So this means that race is a risk factor in …

When COVID hits memory care

Heather Awad, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 18, 2020

“Have you ever been on a cruise?” Betty asks.

It’s a strange question in the age of COVID-19, where thousands of people have been stranded on large ships over the past few months. I’m a wound physician who rounds at nursing homes, and my gloved hand holds her warm, wrinkled foot. I’m looking at a wound on her ankle that is almost healed.

“I went on a cruise before, but it was …

Read more…

When COVID hits memory care

What could go wrong with the coronavirus vaccine?

David Galinsky, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 17, 2020

What could go wrong with the coronavirus vaccine? I have opinions. I am not a virologist or an infectious disease specialist. I am just a doctor who has been following the pandemic in the journals and in the newspapers. But I am worried because there is a lot that could go wrong.

There are the usual problems that we all know about. The vaccine will not work because it does not …

A social worker remembers a tortured soul

Raymond Abbott

Conditions and Diseases

June 16, 2020

By profession, Donna Dillon is a photographer. She wouldn’t like to be described as a “professional” anything, but the quality of her photos make her deserving of the term.

But disarray and inertia characterize Donna now, by her own description. “My life’s work is stuffed into little places, and I sit relatively immobile, before the prospect of the bequeathment. I have set up a will, but it is sort of desperate, …

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