Don't Get Sick!
There are different kinds of anemia, but for this article, the word anemia will refer specifically to iron deficiency anemia. And yes, iron deficiency anemia can make your diabetes test inaccurate. How is diabetes monitored? The monitoring of diabetes treatment is done with the blood test called Glycated Hemoglobin or Hemoglobin A1c or HbA1c for…
What is Performance Status? In medicine, particularly in cancer treatment, Performance Status (PS) is a measure of a cancer patient’s over-all well being and ability to do daily activities. PS gives the oncologist (cancer specialist) an idea if the cancer patient can handle the treatment plan. Cancer treatment may involve a combination of chemotherapy, radiation,…
Apologies to the faithful reader who checks this website regularly for new posts. I have been swamped preparing for an Internal Medicine recertification exam that will be held next month. The exam covers all the specialties like cardiology, neurology (brain), general internal medicine, nephrology (kidneys), hematology and oncology (blood and cancer problems), gastroenterology and hepatology…
Hundreds of medical studies are published regularly. Medical Guidelines are made by different physician specialty groups to assist physicians in screening and treatment of various medical conditions. These guidelines are not carved in stone and change with time as better quality studies emerge. The changes are made if the previous medical recommendation or practice…
A report from the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) predicts a shortage of 122,000 physicians by 2032. This shortage will be across the board and affect Primary Care Physicians and ALL specialties. But 2032 is 13 years from now. Why should I care? Diabetes complications and coronary artery disease do not pop out of…
Purpose of this Article To understand what happens in heart failure To know the essential medicines for heart failure To show the effects of exercise on the heart Heart Failure (HF) is a condition when the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the demands of the whole body. HF affects 6.3 to 13.3% of…
Some may think that having a coronary artery disease or a heart attack is not that big of a deal. That is because there are medical procedures that can open up a blocked artery. One way is to have a coronary stent. A coronary stent is a medical device that is inserted inside the blood vessels…
Smoking is a significant risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). It amplifies the negative effect of other CAD risk factors like diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. That is why smokers are always encouraged to quit. How effective is quitting smoking? The benefits of quitting the cigarette habit are seen within weeks. Those…
Who Benefits from This Article? Anyone planning to get old. Anyone who knows or is taking care of elderly people. The Senior, Elderly, or the Young Once. Why do the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) test? The TUG test predicts the risk of falls. Weakness is a reflection of sarcopenia or loss of muscle…
What is Dialysis? Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) usually progresses to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). When that happens, dialysis has to be done to remove the waste materials, salt, and water from the body that cannot be removed by any other means. Hemodialysis Dialysis can be done in two ways. Hemodialysis is when a shunt is…
Insulin resistance leads to Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Obesity, high caloric intake, and a sedentary lifestyle all contribute to insulin resistance. Some medications also cause insulin resistance, and they are commonly used. Thiazides Thiazides are “water pills.” It is one of the front line medications used to treat hypertension as recommended by the ACC/AHA Guidelines….
In the August edition of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, an interesting article caught my eye. The study is entitled The Influence of Change in Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Short-Term Exercise Training on Mortality Risk From The Ball State Adult Fitness Longitudinal Lifestyle Study. The study followed 683 men and women to see what the relationship between their CRF…
This article lists the diseases associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Anyone with three or more of the following five conditions—hypertension, high blood sugar, high blood triglycerides, low HDL, and obesity—qualifies for a diagnosis of MetS. Any single condition in the five components of MetS produces many other reactions that interact with the effects of the…
Glaucoma happens when fluid builds up in front of the eye according to the American College of Ophthalmology. It is a leading cause of blindness in the over 60-year-old age group. Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) occurs when the fluid in the front part of the eye does not drain well. It is usually painless at first….
The pain of renal colic is one of the most severe pains in the emergency department. Kidney stone pains are agonizing and relentless. Usually, the patients are writhing in pain and vomiting and sweating profusely. Kidney stones are formed in the kidney. As the stone travels down the ureter to get to the urinary bladder,…
Heart failure is one of the risk factors or comorbidities associated with death from COVID-19. Heart failure does not happen overnight but can develop over the years. Many people will not know this but many people are unaware that they have Stage A heart failure. Medications for heart failure but attention to the underlying cause…
Hair loss can be a sign of a future heart attack. Hair loss affects 50 million men and women in the U.S. The most common pattern is Androgenic Alopecia (AGA). For this article, androgenic alopecia will be referred to as hair loss. Patterns of hair loss differ between men and women. In Male Pattern Hair…
The underlying problem in Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is not routinely tested but can manifest in the skin. Read on to see if someone you know may be at risk for diabetes. Many are unaware that they have the beginnings of Type 2 diabetes. Years before a person is…
Insulin resistance is the linchpin of many diseases of modern life like metabolic syndrome, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes. Knowing about how insulin resistance develops provides a better understanding of the familiar and deadly diseases that may be affecting you or someone you know. Normal Glucose Metabolism All the cells in the body need a…
caption id=”attachment_2147″ align=”aligncenter” width=”293″] Acanthosis Nigricans in the Armpit[/caption] The dark discoloration in the skin could be Acanthosis Nigricans (AN). AN is typically a dark raised area and can be velvety. It can show up anywhere in the skin. Common locations are the armpits, the face, elbows, knuckles, back of the neck, chest, and groin….