Diabetes Archive

A 2022 study found that women under 55 experiencing heart attacks have different leading risk factors than men in this age group. For women, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, and low household income are strong risk factors for heart attack.

Lactose intolerance can develop at any age, prompting gas, bloating, nausea, or diarrhea after people eat or drink dairy products. Secondary lactose intolerance can happen after the small intestine is jolted by surgery, illness, or injury.

The American Heart Association recently revised its checklist for achieving optimal heart health. Adequate sleep was added, and updates were made to previous recommendations for diet, cholesterol and blood sugar measurements, and nicotine exposure.

Everyone experiences acute (short-term) diarrhea at some time. The unpleasant experience often resolves on its own in a few days, but there are situations that require medical attention. Examples include bloody diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, a high fever, and episodes that continue for a week or longer. A medical consultation can help determine if diarrhea is related to a specific bacterium or parasite, a medication side effect, a food intolerance, or an inflammatory bowel disease.

Several conditions can cause people to feel cold when others are warm. These include low body weight, skipping meals, feeling fatigued, and having a thyroid condition or a low red blood cell count (anemia).

Ten years of data suggest that AREDS2 supplements are associated with a reduced risk of macular degeneration progression without any increase in lung cancer risk, according to a follow-up study published online June 2, 2022, by JAMA Ophthalmology.

Some people with newly diagnosed mild to moderate open-angle glaucoma have another option for first-line treatment. Instead of using prescription eye drops initially, they can have a laser procedure called selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT). SLT uses light pulses to help clean up debris clogging the eye's natural drains. Clogged drains lead to elevated eye pressure that damages the optic nerve. SLT's effects wane after three to five years, at which point it may be necessary to have the procedure again, or to begin using eye drops to treat glaucoma.

Mouth conditions unrelated to the teeth can cause discomfort and affect mouth function. Examples include canker sores, dry mouth, and thrush. Canker sores are painful ulcers that develop in the lining of the mouth or gums. Chronic dry mouth is a lack of saliva. Thrush is an overgrowth of the fungus Candida albicans that appears in the mouth as white patches or sores. Treatment for these conditions may involve simple therapies to try at home or prescription treatments.

Older adults exposed to light while sleeping at night may be more likely to have obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes compared with adults who sleep in darkness.

Hair loss is common in the months after recovering from COVID-19 infection. It can also happen in people with long COVID or because of mental stress from the pandemic. COVID-related hair loss is a form of telogen effluvium, a condition in which normal hair shedding ramps up after intense physical or mental trauma. Hair regrowth usually takes six to 12 months. People can speed and support hair regrowth by avoiding harsh hair habits, checking nutrient levels, and applying minoxidil (Rogaine) to the scalp.