A tearful Avril Lavigne breaks down during an interview with Good Morning America as she opened up about her fight with Lyme disease. The 30-year-old singer is just the latest celebrity to be affected by Lyme disease which is now reported in 49 out of 50 states. Lyme disease is now the fastest growing infectious
Disease
16Apr
Treating Sleep Apnea May Ward Off Memory Decline
Can sleep apnea be the doorway to early onset Alzheimer’s disease? “In a group of 2,470 people, average age 73, researchers gathered information on the incidence of sleep apnea, a breathing disorder marked by interrupted breathing and snoring, and the incidence of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.” The study shows that people “became cognitively impaired an
Health IT to Support Care for People with Chronic Conditions
A comparative analysis of how four high-income nations—Australia, Canada, Denmark, and the United States—are using health information and communications technologies (ICTs) to manage care for chronically ill patients identified four key themes: 1) National strategies are implemented and adapted on a regional level. 2) Each country struggles to ensure that patients’ clinical information is transmitted from
What do patients really want to know before their scan?
There’s a lot of talk about patient safety in medical imaging and managing the risks of medical radiation. Both are important concerns, but are they what patients are most focused on when they undergo an exam? Perhaps not, according to an August 22 talk at the American Board of Radiology Foundation’s (ABRF) national medical imaging
Unnecessary repeat cholesterol tests common: study
One-third of people with heart disease have their cholesterol levels checked more often than guidelines recommend, a new study of Veterans Affairs (VA) patients suggests. Researchers said such extra testing may be a waste of time and money if it doesn’t lead to improvements in patients’ health. The findings are “very unsurprising,” according to Dr.
Medicare Savings Coming for Diabetic Supplies
Starting July 1, seniors with diabetes should be able to save some money when they buy the blood sugar testing supplies they need to monitor their disease. That’s when Medicare kicks off a new cost-saving program that will require beneficiaries to order these supplies through a national mail-order program or a Medicare-approved pharmacy. Right now,
A Change of Heart: Stem Cells May Transform Treatment for Heart Failure
The emerging field of regenerative medicine may one day revolutionize the treatment of heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders, solve the organ donor shortage problem, and completely restore damaged muscles, tendons and other tissues. The key, researchers are learning, is to give the body a kind of starter kit—made of various proteins, fibers or cells—or to
ICD EFFECTIVENESS FOR WOMEN
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators, or ICDs are devices implanted inside of the heart to prevent sudden cardiac death in patients with advanced heart failure. Studies have proven these devices to be effective for men, but new studies may indicate that they are ineffective for women. The study analyzed results from five previous ICD trials and found
EGGS, GUT BACTERIA, AND HEART DISEASE
A study published earlier this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, outlines a link between gut bacteria, diet and heart disease. When gut bacteria digests certain compounds found in red meat and eggs, a metabolite called TMAO (trimethylamine-N-oxide) is produced. High levels of blood TMAO are linked to the clogging of arteries, and
GENE THERAPY FOR HEART FAILURE
Gene therapy works by attracting the body’s stem cells to the areas of the heart that is damaged. The patient’s heart muscles are infused with three different doses of a drug carrying a gene for a protein that is believed to attract stem cells to damaged tissue. The activity of this protein naturally goes up
