Tag Archives: Medical Diagnosis
Health Talk: “Prostate Cancer – Diagnosis And Treatments” (Mayo Clinic)
On the Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Derek Lomas, a Mayo Clinic urologist, discusses prostate cancer, including a new biopsy method.
This interview originally aired Feb. 22, 2020. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer — second to skin cancer — among men in the U.S. One in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. Screening is important because early detection greatly improves the chances of survival. While some types of prostate cancer grow slowly, and may need minimal or even no treatment, other types are aggressive and can spread quickly. If prostate cancer is suspected, a biopsy can confirm the diagnosis.
Learn more about prostate cancer: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-c…
Health: Diagnosing “Essential Tremor” Movement Disorder
From a NextAvenue.org online article (01/07/20):
Essential tremor is a common movement disorder — more common than tremors that come with Parkinson’s disease — and the most common neurologic condition affecting people 65 and older. It is estimated that 10 million Americans live with essential tremor, according to the International Essential Tremor Foundation.
About half of people with essential tremor inherited the condition. But the severity and affected body parts can differ from generation to generation, and researchers still haven’t pinned down the gene or genes responsible.
Tremors typically happen when people try to use their hands for a task. Activities such as shaving can be difficult’ people often need to use safety razors or electric razors to avoid cutting or nicking themselves. Also, difficulty holding a utensil makes eating a challenge for many people with essential tremor.
Health: “Feather Duvet Lung” Left Undiagnosed Risks Irreversible Lung Fibrosis (BMJ Case Reports)
From a British Medical Journal (BMJ) online release:
Although he had no pet birds, on closer questioning he had recently acquired a duvet and pillows containing feathers. His symptoms, chest radiograph and lung function tests improved after removal of all feather bedding, and he was also started on oral corticosteroid therapy. Our case reinforces the importance of taking a meticulous exposure history and asking about domestic bedding in patients with unexplained breathlessness. Prompt recognition and cessation of antigen exposure may prevent the development of irreversible lung fibrosis.
A 43-year-old non-smoker was referred with a 3-month history of malaise, fatigue and breathlessness. Blood avian precipitins were strongly positive. Lung function testing confirmed a restrictive pattern with impaired gas transfer. A ‘ground glass’ mosaic pattern was seen on CT imaging, suggestive of hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
Feather duvet lung (FDL), is an immunologically mediated form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), also sometimes called extrinsic allergic alveolitis. FDL is caused by inhalation of organic dust from duck or goose feathers found in duvets and pillows. Antigen inhalation triggers an immunological cascade, resulting in lung parenchymal inflammation. Repeated exposure may result in irreversible lung fibrosis.
To read more: https://casereports.bmj.com/content/12/11/e231237
Boomers Health Tip: Costochondritis Chest Pain Can Feel Very Similar To Onset Of Heart Attack (Harvard Medical School)
From a Harvard Medical School article:
Costochondritis is caused by inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs and the breastbone, called the costosternal joints (see illustration). This uncommon condition can trigger a stabbing, aching pain that’s often mistaken for a heart attack.
The main symptom of costochondritis is chest pain, which may be sharp or dull and gnawing. It tends to get worse when a person takes a deep breath or coughs, and the chest may feel tender and possibly swollen when pressed. In contrast, people in the throes of a heart attack often say they feel chest discomfort rather than chest tenderness, and they describe sensations such as squeezing, tightness, pressure, or feeling like an elephant is sitting on my chest.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/chest-pain-thats-not-a-heart-attack
Future Of Health Care: Skin Sensors Will Reveal Medical Problems Earlier, Then Monitor Recovery
From a Nature.com article:
Thin, soft electronic systems that stick onto skin are beginning to transform health care. Millions of early versions1 of sensors, computers and transmitters woven into flexible films, patches, bandages or tattoos are being deployed in dozens of trials in neurology applications alone2; and their numbers growing rapidly. Within a decade, many people will wear such sensors all the time. The data they collect will be fed into machine-learning algorithms to monitor vital signs, spot abnormalities and track treatments.
Medical problems will be revealed earlier. Doctors will monitor their patients’ recovery remotely while the patient is at home, and intervene if their condition deteriorates. Epidemic spikes will be flagged quickly, allowing authorities to mobilize resources, identify vulnerable populations and monitor the safety and efficacy of drugs issued. All of this will make health care more predictive, safe and efficient.
Boomers Health: Routine Blood Test Leads To Unneeded Anxiety Over Elevated Liver Enzymes
“The doctor asked whether he was sure that he had not taken anything else when he was sick? No acetaminophen? No herbs or supplements? The man was certain. Moreover, his labs were abnormal even before he took the antibiotics. The doctor hypothesized that the man’s liver had been a little inflamed from some minor injury — maybe a virus or other exposure — and the antibiotic, which is cleared through the liver, somehow added insult to injury.”
A few weeks before he got sick, he had blood tests for an application for life insurance. Days later, he heard from his doctor that his liver labs were a little off. There are enzymes in the liver that help with the organ’s work of cleansing the blood. When the liver is injured, these hardworking chemical assistants leak into the circulatory system. The levels of these enzymes, his doctor explained, were double what they should be.
Read more in the NY Times Magazine article by Lisa Sanders, M.D.:
Health Issues: Seizures and Blood Pressure Swings Complicate a Medical Diagnosis
“Seizures are not uncommon in the elderly. Nearly a quarter of those who have a first seizure are over 65. Most are caused by a stroke or a mass; traumatic head injuries can cause them. So can abnormalities in blood chemistry. In the emergency room, the man had no sign of any of these, despite a thorough exam and extensive testing and imaging.”
The patient had both neurological and psychiatric symptom, which complicated a speedy diagnosis. A “new group of disorders” involving the “immune system wrongly attacking the brain” was a final diagnosis. Read the NY Times Magazine article in the link below to learn more:
Boomers Daily 