Diseases & Conditions Archive

Clots that form in a leg or arm vein can be deadly; prevention is key.

Blood clots are lifesavers when they seal a cut. They can be dangerous, even deadly, when they form inside an artery or vein. A blood clot inside a coronary artery can trigger a heart attack; one inside an artery feeding the brain can set off a stroke. Inside a leg vein, a blood clot can cause deep-vein thrombosis. Never heard of it? You're in good company. In a survey conducted by the American Public Health Association, barely one-quarter of adults were aware of the disease, and even fewer were familiar with its signs and symptoms. That's a sad state of affairs for a circulatory disorder the U.S. Surgeon General and others say is a critical health problem that causes enormous health consequences and numerous deaths each year. To draw attention to this overlooked condition, the Surgeon General has issued a "Call to Action" on it.

Deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) is a clot that forms in a vein that runs deep inside a leg or arm. Pulmonary embolism (PE) is its most serious — and often deadly — complication. One or both strike upwards of 600,000 Americans a year, killing at least 100,000. That's as many deaths as caused by breast, prostate, and colon cancer combined. And one-third of the survivors are left with long-term health problems.

I have a plugged left ear problem. It usually starts about 4 p.m. and lasts about three to four hours. I cough, clear my throat, yawn, close my nostrils and blow - nothing seems to help.

Q. You wrote about weak, brittle fingernails with longitudinal ridges. I have strong nails with horizontal ridges. What causes this, and what can I do about it?

A. You may be referring to Beau's lines, which are grooves that run horizontally across the nail plate. They usually develop when nail plate growth, which begins in the nail matrix (located under the cuticle), is temporarily disrupted. This can occur with direct injury to the nail matrix; an inflammatory condition such as psoriasis; infection around the nail plate; repetitive picking at the nails or cuticles; or even a manicure. Systemic causes include a common side effect of chemotherapy, nutritional deficiencies, illnesses accompanied by high fever, metabolic conditions, and diminished blood flow to the fingers (from Raynaud's phenomenon, for example).

Warm temperatures are a welcome prospect for women with Raynaud's (ray-NODES) phenomenon, a disorder that causes small blood vessels in the extremities to constrict during shifts from warmer to cooler temperatures. It affects mostly the hands, often the feet, and more rarely, the nose, lips, and ears, causing them to suddenly lose color and become cold and numb. More common in women than in men, Raynaud's is an exaggerated vascular response to the cold and, in some people, to emotional stress.

Raynaud's with no known cause, called primary Raynaud's phenomenon, occurs mainly in women under age 30 and is generally more bothersome than disabling. It can usually be managed by avoiding unprotected exposure to the cold and taking measures to keep warm, such as wearing warm socks or gloves around the house or to bed. Raynaud's can be more dangerous when it's related to some underlying condition. This rarer form of the disorder, called secondary Raynaud's phenomenon, occurs later in life and often in people (men as well as women) with connective tissue diseases, such as scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, or other autoimmune disorders. These conditions can damage blood vessels and change their response to cold or stress, sometimes resulting in problems with dexterity or ulcerated skin. Secondary Raynaud's is also associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, certain types of work (such as the use of vibrating tools), medications that constrict blood vessels, and damage to blood vessels from smoking, chemicals, and chemotherapy agents.

Millions of Americans get sinusitis each year. The key to a quick recovery is proper drainage, which is best achieved by staying hydrated, inhaling steam several times daily, taking decongestants, and sleeping with the head elevated.

Recent reports have women wondering if they should stop taking this widely prescribed osteoporosis drug.

In 1995, the FDA approved alendronate (Fosamax) for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, a bone-weakening condition that affects more than eight million women and causes 1.5 million fractures each year in the United States. Fosamax increases bone mineral density and significantly reduces the risk of spine, hip, and wrist fractures in women with osteoporosis and in those with low bone density that doesn't meet the criteria for osteoporosis (a condition called osteopenia).

Q. I'm 26 and positive for HPV. Is there any point in my getting the new HPV vaccine?

A. There are 30 to 40 strains of sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV). The vaccine Gardasil targets the four strains most closely linked to cervical cancer and genital warts. For women not already infected with these strains, Gardasil is almost 100% effective at preventing genital warts and cancerous or precancerous lesions of the cervix. That's why public health officials recommend that girls ages 11 to 12 be vaccinated — before they become sexually active.