Diagnosis is the act or process of identifying or determining the nature and cause of a disease or injury through evaluation of patient history, examination, and review of laboratory data.
Beta-Blockers May Be Associated With Benefits in Patients With Lung Disease – Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may have fewer respiratory flare-ups and longer survival if they take beta-blocker medications, according to a report in the May 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
New criteria proposed for diagnosing fibromyalgia — New criteria include common symptoms such as pain, fatigue, sleep and cognitive difficulties – The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is proposing a new set of diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia that includes common symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive problems, as well as pain.
Physicians should help patients with depression name their problem – Because people with depression often do not recognize they have a problem or are unable to describe their distress, many do not seek treatment. About a quarter of those with major depression are undiagnosed, according to several studies, and fewer than half receive treatment.
Abdominal fat at middle age associated with greater risk of dementia — Study confirms that obesity is associated with lower total brain volume – Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine determined that excess abdominal fat places otherwise healthy, middle-aged people at risk for dementia later in life. Preliminary findings suggest a relationship between obesity and dementia that could lead to promising prevention strategies in the future.
Older married adults whose spouse has dementia are at significantly higher risk for developing dementia themselves, compared to similar older married adults whose spouse never develops dementia. – Husbands or wives who care for spouses with dementia are six times more likely to develop the memory-impairing condition than those whose spouses don’t have it, according to results of a 12-year study led by Johns Hopkins, Utah State University, and Duke University.
Study suggests indoor tanning may be an addictive behavior – Individuals who have used indoor tanning facilities may meet criteria for addiction, and may also be more prone to anxiety symptoms and substance use, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Dermatology.
Eating disorder cutoffs miss some of sickest patients, Stanford/Packard study finds – Diagnostic cutoffs for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa may be too strict, a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital has found.
Researchers discover new approach for identifying smokers at highest risk for developing lung cancer – Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) in collaboration with investigators at the University of Utah, have discovered a new approach for identifying smokers at the highest risk for developing lung cancer.
Breast cancer patients with BRCA mutations 4 times more likely to get cancer in opposite breast – Women with breast cancer before age 55 who carry an inherited mutation in the breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 or BRCA2 are four times more likely to develop cancer in the breast opposite, or contralateral, to their initial tumor as compared to breast cancer patients without these genetic defects.
Dutasteride (Avodart) drug reduces risk of prostate cancer diagnosis in high-risk men – Dutasteride (Avodart) – a drug already prescribed to shrink benign, enlarged prostates has been shown to reduce the risk of a prostate cancer diagnosis by 23 percent in men.
Real-world health nuts: First evidence that walnuts may help fight prostate cancer — Walnuts slow prostate tumors in mice. – Scientists in California are reporting for the first time that walnuts – already renowned as a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids that fight heart disease – reduce the size and growth rate of prostate cancer in test animals.
Feeling lonely adds to rate of blood pressure increase in people 50 years old and older – Chronic feelings of loneliness take a toll on blood pressure over time, causing a marked increase after four years, according to a new study at the University of Chicago.
