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.

What is the biggest risk for soldiers fighting overseas?

Conditions and Diseases
February 6, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today

by John Gever, MedPage Today Senior Editor

More than 85% of American military medical evacuations from the Middle East were not the direct result of enemy action, but the result of non-battle injuries and disease, researchers said.

Of some 34,000 military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan who shipped out for medical reasons from 2004 to 2007, only …

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What is the biggest risk for soldiers fighting overseas?

The specialty of underwater medicine, and an interview with a dive physician

Conditions and Diseases
February 5, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Kristina Fiore

Physicians tend to prefer intellectual hobbies — chess, reading, writing. Dr. Alfred Bove is no exception. His hobby often requires application of his expertise in physiology. You know him as the president of the American College of Cardiology. But you may not know that his heart belongs to the sea.

Bove’s interest in scuba diving …

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The specialty of underwater medicine, and an interview with a dive physician

Leg and buttock pain can be signs of peripheral arterial disease, especially in patients with diabetes

Conditions and Diseases
February 4, 2010

by Michael Jaff, MD

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), a condition commonly correlated with diabetes, also known as a “silent killer,” affects at least one in every three diabetics over the age of 50 and approximately eight million Americans in total over the age of 40. Although PAD is prolific among diabetic and senior populations, current data show that public and physician knowledge of the disease is startlingly low, with only 25 …

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Leg and buttock pain can be signs of peripheral arterial disease, especially in patients with diabetes

A comprehensive plan to fight obesity begins at an early age

Conditions and Diseases
February 2, 2010

Originally published in HCPLive.com

by Jeffrey Gene Kaplan, MD, MS

In a given year in the U.S., 1/4th of US men and 2/5ths of US women attempt to lose weight, unfortunately, they often fail to keep the weight off.

Sobering statistics that we see all around us, particularly poignant in my office as a pediatrician. Clearly a multifaceted approach is required, but the most …

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A comprehensive plan to fight obesity begins at an early age

How the stress of caregiving can lead to stroke

Conditions and Diseases
January 31, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Michael Smith, MedPage Today North American Correspondent

The strain of caring for a disabled spouse is associated with an increased risk of stroke, researchers found.

The risk is increased for men, and especially African-American men, according to William Haley, PhD, of the University of South Florida, in Tampa, and colleagues.

On the other hand, there was no significant …

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How the stress of caregiving can lead to stroke

Should society consider purchasing and selling tissues and organs?

Conditions and Diseases
January 31, 2010

by Michael Kirsch, MD

Choose the best answer.

To stimulate organ donation, we should provide organ donors with:

* Cold, hard cash
* Upgrades to business class on any flight within the continental United States for 1 year
* College tuition discounts for up to 3 children
* Income tax relief
* First row Bruce Springsteen concert tickets
* A certificate of appreciation

There is a reason that we don’t ask families of kidnapped victims what our policy should …

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Should society consider purchasing and selling tissues and organs?

Will New York’s ban on salt really make patients healthier?

Conditions and Diseases
January 29, 2010

Originally posted in MedPage Today

by Mike Himowitz

I have a libertarian streak that compels me to shout “Nanny State!” when local governments put up speed-trap cameras to extort money from otherwise law-abiding citizens who drive a few miles over artificially low limits. Same for legislators who want to make me a criminal for calling my wife on my cell phone to ask her if I should pick up anything at …

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Will New York’s ban on salt really make patients healthier?

The National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC) response to the USPSTF breast cancer screening recommendations

Conditions and Diseases
January 26, 2010

I’ve been given permission to deliver the National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC) position statement. It does a far better job with a critique of the USPSTF Screening recommendations than I did when I shared my first thoughts. As the President for the NCBC, I want to acknowledge the work done on behalf of our organization by our Policy Chairpersons, Drs. John Bell and Barbara Rabinowitz, both of whom are …

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The National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC) response to the USPSTF breast cancer screening recommendations

Extended military deployments to combat areas increase stress, anxiety and depression among families

Conditions and Diseases
January 26, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today

by John Gever, MedPage Today Senior Editor

The longer that U.S. Army soldiers spent in Iraq and Afghanistan, the greater the likelihood that their wives would seek psychiatric treatment, researchers said.

The risk that a woman would receive a new mental illness diagnosis during her husband’s deployment was significantly higher when he was overseas for a year …

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Extended military deployments to combat areas increase stress, anxiety and depression among families

10 cost effective preventive medicine services

Conditions and Diseases
January 25, 2010

Here are the top 10 preventive services. These items were chosen by the National Commission on Prevention Priorities, and highlight those preventive services including immunizations, screenings, preventive medications, and counseling that give “the most bang for the buck.”

For an in depth discussion of methods and results, read Am J Prev Med 2006;31(1):52–61

Discuss Daily Aspirin Use

This counseling does not mean everyone should take aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke, but …

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10 cost effective preventive medicine services

How television can shorten your life

Conditions and Diseases
January 24, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Todd Neale, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Too much television watching could be shortening lifespans, a study of Australian adults showed.

Aussies who reported watching four or more hours of TV a day were 46% more likely to die during a 6.6-year period than those who watched less than two hours a day, according to David Dunstan, PhD, of Monash University in Melbourne, and colleagues.

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How television can shorten your life

Primary care doctors should discuss organ donation with patients

Conditions and Diseases
January 21, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Charles Bankhead, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Primary care physicians rarely discuss organ donation with patients, even though most of the doctors believe organ donation is within the scope of their practice, a survey of primary care physicians showed.

Fewer than 4% of physicians said they discussed organ donation with patients, compared with 30% who discussed end-of-life issues. …

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Primary care doctors should discuss organ donation with patients

How to prevent diabetes with diet and exercise

Conditions and Diseases
January 20, 2010

By all accounts, Frances Vasquez ought to be a diabetic. Raised on a diet of fried steak, fried pork chops and lots of rice, her father, mother, and two sisters suffered from the disease. At age 47, Frances was overweight and already experiencing high blood sugar.

But over the past 11 years, Frances has been able to avoid diabetes, and her sugars are now normal. By participating in a ground-breaking, government-funded …

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How to prevent diabetes with diet and exercise

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What diseases can arise from the lack of clean water in Haiti?

Conditions and Diseases
January 15, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Michael Smith, MedPage Today North American Correspondent

The lack of clean water in the stricken Haitian capital fosters conditions that may spawn an epidemic of enteric disease.

“Having large numbers of people in close proximity and not using appropriate sanitation can potentially spark those epidemics, particularly if people are forced to drink surface water,” said Rebecca Dillingham, …

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What diseases can arise from the lack of clean water in Haiti?

Balancing the risks and benefits of cancer screening is an individual decision

Conditions and Diseases
January 13, 2010

by Abraham Verghese, MD

I can’t get over the incredible images generated by our latest CT scans and MRI’s. The details of organ anatomy and the 3D reconstructions they can do are just amazing. One side effect of getting such fine resolution, is that more and more we are stumbling onto abnormalities that we were not necessarily looking for–incidentalomas, we call them.

Sometimes the discovery is fortuitous and lifesaving. But often …

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Balancing the risks and benefits of cancer screening is an individual decision

Why doctors in the United States order so many CT scans and MRI tests

Conditions and Diseases
January 13, 2010

It’s commonly thought that health care in the United States is heavily dependent on diagnostic testing.

But how do we compare with the rest of the world? Perhaps these graphs, courtesy of the New York Times can provide a stark illustration.

Here’s the data regarding CT scans, showing the number of tests per 1,000 people. Guess which country’s on top:

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Why doctors in the United States order so many CT scans and MRI tests

How sleeping late can lead to depression in teenagers

Conditions and Diseases
January 12, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Todd Neale, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Later parent-set bedtimes and correspondingly shorter sleep durations appear to be related to the development of depression in adolescents, a cross-sectional analysis showed.

In addition to depression, adolescents with later bedtimes also had a greater risk of having suicidal thoughts, James Gangwisch, PhD, of Columbia University in New York City, and …

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How sleeping late can lead to depression in teenagers

National Influenza Vaccination Week: Time to take stock of our influenza vaccination efforts

Conditions and Diseases
January 11, 2010

The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American Medical Association.

by Nancy H. Nielsen, MD

Back in September, I wrote in this space about ways physicians can prepare their practices to handle this challenging flu season and mentioned the importance of vaccination for all health care professionals. Today as National Influenza Vaccination Week begins, this is an excellent opportunity to remind ourselves, …

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National Influenza Vaccination Week: Time to take stock of our influenza vaccination efforts

Is erectile dysfunction associated with restless leg syndrome?

Conditions and Diseases
January 9, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Charles Bankhead, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Men with restless leg syndrome (RLS) had a significantly increased risk of erectile dysfunction compared with men who did not have the neurologic disorder, data from a large cohort study showed.

The likelihood of erectile dysfunction increased with the frequency of restless leg episodes, reaching an adjusted risk apex about …

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Is erectile dysfunction associated with restless leg syndrome?

How similar is pandemic H1N1 influenza to the seasonal flu?

Conditions and Diseases
January 8, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Todd Neale, MedPage Today Staff Writer

Pandemic H1N1 influenza behaved much like seasonal and previous pandemic flu viruses in an early, isolated outbreak at a New York City high school, researchers found.

Natural history and transmissibility characteristics were similar in an April outbreak that sickened about 800 students and staff members, according to Justin Lessler, PhD, …

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How similar is pandemic H1N1 influenza to the seasonal flu?

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