Some diabetes drugs appear to lower the risk that people with type 2 diabetes will develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, a new evidence review says. The risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s is significantly lower in patients treated with metformin or a class of meds called “sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors”, compared with other diabetes drugs,… read on > read on >
Roughly a month after having her second child, Nicole Gerardi-Lukens suddenly felt pressure in her pelvis that was so intense it sent her to the hospital. When doctors told her bladder had prolapsed — meaning that it had slipped from its normal position and was bulging into the vaginal wall — she anticipated surgery and… read on > read on >
Diabetics who sleep too little or too much are more likely to suffer damage to their small blood vessels, a condition that can cause organ damage throughout their bodies. Short sleep duration is tied to a 2.6 times increased risk of small blood vessel damage, also known as microvascular disease, in people with diabetes, a… read on > read on >
Many tweens and teens are filling prescriptions for opioids far in advance of surgeries unlikely to be associated with severe pain afterward, a new study says. Worse, a significant minority continue to fill those opioid prescriptions three to six months after surgery, a sign of possible addiction, researchers found. “Our study found that these patients… read on > read on >
Roughly 20% of Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer at some point in their lives, but it’s not inevitable. Skin cancer is not only the most common cancer, it’s also the most preventable. Most of the time, too much sun exposure is to blame. “When it comes to skin cancer, prevention is key,” surgical oncologist… read on > read on >
After an anesthesiologist may have exposed thousands of people treated at several hospitals in Oregon to hepatitis and HIV, those patients are being advised to get tested for the diseases. Two health care providers in Portland — Providence and Legacy Health — have been told to offer the tests as a safety precaution. “We recently… read on > read on >
Seventeen women in nine states have fallen ill after getting fake Botox shots, with 13 of them landing in the hospital and one requiring a ventilator, a new report warns. In the report, published Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers provided alarming details of patients getting injections outside of a… read on > read on >
A new report finds research is sorely lacking on how chronic illnesses affect women, and it urged government agencies to do more to investigate how these diseases strike women differently. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine analysis, commissioned by the Office of Research on Women’s Health and released Wednesday, noted that women are… read on > read on >
Almost 10% of women who get COVID during pregnancy develop long-lasting symptoms, and a new study suggests doctors may be overlooking them. “I doubt most obstetric clinicians are as aware of Long COVID as perhaps we should be,” said study co-leader Dr. Torri Metz, vice chair of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Utah Health.… read on > read on >
Restrictive gun laws can decrease suicide rates among children and teenagers, but they don’t seem to lower their risk of being murdered, a new study says. States with laws requiring safe storage of firearms and mandatory waiting periods had lower suicide death rates among kids younger than 18, researchers report. However, no gun laws appeared… read on > read on >
