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.

Drinking and smoking associated with migraine headaches

Kristina Fiore

July 2, 2010

by Kristina Fiore

Drinking coffee and alcohol, smoking, and lack of physical activity all appear to be associated with migraine and tension-type headaches in teenagers, researchers found.

High consumption of cocktails appeared to put students at the greatest risk for these headaches, increasing the odds almost three-and-a-half-fold, Astrid Milde-Busch, PhD, of Ludwig Maximilians University Munich in Germany, and colleagues reported online in the journal Headache.

“Rather unexpectedly, recommendations to increase fluid intake as …

Chemicals that cause cancer can’t be accurately studied

Josh Herigon, MPH

Conditions and Diseases

July 1, 2010

Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times writes about a new report from the President’s Cancer Panel calling attention to the role common chemicals may play in the development of cancer.

The overarching message is that we should be exercising much more caution in our trust of chemicals.

I am not familiar with the nuances of regulatory policies for chemicals, but (as Kristof points out) the “existing regulatory presumption [is] that …

Children of lesbian mothers have healthy psychological growth

Kristina Fiore

Conditions and Diseases

July 1, 2010

by Kristina Fiore

Children born to lesbian mothers appear to have healthy, if not better, psychological development when compared with average American children, researchers have found.

In the first prospective cohort study of its kind, these children were found to have better social, academic, and overall competence and significantly fewer social problems than typical American children, according to Nanette Gartrell, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and Henry Bos, PhD, …

Vitamin D myths and advice for patients

Jan Gurley, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 29, 2010

As the mountain of vitamin D research showing its importance grows to Everest heights, you may be wondering about some statements that are thrown around as “truth.”

Here are some fun vitamin D myths to pass along to friends, family and loved ones, because, when it comes to vitamin D, you want to get your dose (even of information) just right.

1. Just go out in the sun, already. That will fix …

Read more…

Vitamin D myths and advice for patients

Prevent bullying by accepting healthy aggression

Claudia M. Gold, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 28, 2010

“Momma, have you ever felt like there’s a puzzle and there’s a piece missing and you find the piece and it fits? When I’m with the Maasai all the pieces fit.”

This is a quote from my friend Roland, a seven year old boy, on a trip to Tanzania with his mother. He was on a safari and, using a stick, he was learning how the Maasai use spears to protect …

A cardiologist discusses screening for vascular disease

Eric Van De Graaff, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 28, 2010

Just last week I saw a full-page ad in the newspaper for a series of medical screening tests — EKG, echocardiogram, aortic ultrasound, and the like (all interpreted by “certified doctors”) — that a person could arrange for oneself or a loved one.

We newspaper readers were told we could arrange to have these tests performed without a doctor’s order as …

Supplemental oxygen during cardiac arrest resuscitation

MedPage Today

Conditions and Diseases

June 26, 2010

by Michael Smith

Administering high concentrations of supplemental oxygen during resuscitation after cardiac arrest is associated with increased inhospital mortality, researchers said.

So-called blood hyperoxia resulting from being given pure oxygen after cardiac arrest was associated with an 80% increase in the risk of death, compared with patients whose blood gases were normal on admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), according to Stephen Trzeciak, MD, of Cooper University Hospital in Camden, …

California pertussis epidemic may be caused by vaccine refusal

MedPage Today

Conditions and Diseases

June 24, 2010

by John Gever

California is facing what could be the state’s biggest outbreak of pertussis since 1958, its top public health official said.

“Whooping cough is now an epidemic in California,” said Mark Horton, MD, MSPH, director of the California Department of Public Health, in a statement. “Children should be vaccinated against the disease and parents, family members and caregivers of infants need a booster shot.”

As of June 15, 910 cases had …

Screening studies that blur the mortality and case fatality line

Marya Zilberberg, MD, MPH

Conditions and Diseases

June 21, 2010

When do tests improve mortality?

This is a question well worth asking, particularly as we argue about the merits of mammography screening. The USPSTF has really stirred up the hornet’s nest with this one, and the politicians cannot help but get on their populist pulpit, ignoring the facts completely.

But the question remains, do screening or diagnostic tests that are more sensitive save lives? We all hear that mortality from many diseases …

Indoor tanning is associated with melanoma

MedPage Today

Conditions and Diseases

June 20, 2010

by Michael Smith

Indoor tanning is associated with a 74% higher risk of melanoma, researchers said.

And, in a large case-control study, some forms of indoor tanning machines were associated with a four-fold increase in the risk of skin cancer, according to DeAnn Lazovich, PhD, of the University of Minnesota, and colleagues.

The risk rose in a dose-response fashion depending on years of use, hours of use, or number of sessions, Lazovich and …

Radiation or watchful waiting for prostate cancer treatment?

Charles Bankhead

Conditions and Diseases

June 19, 2010

by Charles Bankhead

There is still not enough evidence to show that radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer is better than surveillance, according to a report prepared for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Only retrospective analyses have compared irradiation with no treatment or no initial treatment. Data comparing the relative efficacy of different types of radiation therapy also are insufficient to permit definitive conclusions regarding efficacy, safety, and toxicity, …

8 insomnia tips to help you fall asleep without drugs

Jill of All Trades, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 19, 2010

Difficulty with sleep is one of the most common patient complaints presenting to the primary care office.

Chances are, you will suffer from difficulty with insomnia at some point in your lifetime. It can be distressing, and cause difficulty with functioning during your wake hours. The first thing you may want to do is to run to the doctor for a prescription for a medication to help you sleep.

However, you don’t …

Gay men and whether they should donate blood

MedPage Today

Conditions and Diseases

June 18, 2010

by Michael Smith

It’s time to revisit the touchy issue of gay men and blood donation now that accurate HIV testing is widely available, Canadian researchers argue.

The lifetime ban on giving blood for men who have had sex with other men was justified in 1983 when HIV testing was relatively insensitive but can no longer be supported, according to Mark Wainberg, PhD, and colleagues at Montreal’s …

Diagnosis requires seeing patient problems with a wide lens

Jerome Groopman, MD and Pamela Hartzband, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 11, 2010

Susan Sorensen, FACP, an internist and hematologist in Palo Alto, Calif., told us of a case where the correct diagnosis took more than a year to make. The patient was a 24-year-old woman who had developed weight loss, fatigue and intermittent chest tightness. She was seen in a local emergency department, and was told that she should consult a pulmonary specialist. A chest X-ray and EKG appeared normal.

Over the next …

Wii Sports and Wii Fit Plus exercise equivalents

William R. Yates, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 11, 2010

Regular exercise has been shown to be helpful in the prevention and management of a variety of clinical neuroscience conditions including: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, major depression and anxiety disorders. However, motivating people to get involved in a regular exercise program is a significant challenge. Wii Sports and Wii Fit Plus may provide the motivation edge for some patients to start and maintain an exercise program.

The Wii video game system …

Treating a child with fever and leukemia

StorytellERdoc, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 10, 2010

I walked into Room 35 to find a three year-old lying on the hospital cot. Her father sat alongside her bed, whispering softly to her. The patient appeared quite tired, wiped-out even, and if it weren’t for her complacent eyes tracking my every move, I would have thought she might be sleeping.

She was visiting our ER because, after a few days of cough and congestion, she had developed a fever. …

Demerol used to treat shivering in patients

Christian Sinclair, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 9, 2010

If you have spent anytime with a palliative care team in a hospital you will know of their efforts to essentially blacklist Demerol (meperidine) from use in the hospital.

Some hospitals have removed it or restricted it from the formulary all together. In medical culture, Demerol has been a go to opioid peri-OR and mostly favored by surgeons. The drug has been purported to be less likely to cause biliary spasm, …

Causes of stroke in young adults

MedPage Today

Conditions and Diseases

June 9, 2010

by Todd Neale

The recent stroke suffered by Delaware’s attorney general Beau Biden, who is 41, has highlighted the fact that people of all ages are vulnerable, despite seemingly good health.

A statement from Timothy Gardner, MD, medical director of the Center for Heart and Vascular Surgery at Christiana Care Health System in Newark, Del., where Biden was initially treated, said he had suffered a “mild stroke,” although it remains unknown whether …

Read more…

Causes of stroke in young adults

Peer review may require random over-reads

Larry Husten, PhD

Conditions and Diseases

June 9, 2010

“Let’s kill all the lawyers.” It’s every doctor’s favorite Shakespeare quote. And if you’re giving a talk to doctors there’s no better way to get the audience on your side than by starting with a lawyer joke.

But perhaps we shouldn’t be too hasty about killing all those lawyers. As recent commentary about the Mark Midei case makes clear, modern medicine doesn’t know how to police itself. And until medicine does …

Clinical judgment and when neurologists should order an MRI

Vernon Rowe, MD

Conditions and Diseases

June 8, 2010

With healthcare reform dominating the news recently, MRI and other imaging tests have become the (misguided) targets of many critics.

Although MRI makes up only one-half of one percent of total healthcare expenditures, it is easy to demonize since the average healthcare consumer can understand imaging much easier than the diagnosis related groups (DRGs), hospital facility fees or insurance contracts that have a much greater impact on the cost of health …

Conditions and Diseases

Conditions and Diseases

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts