Diseases & Conditions Archive

An estimated 30 million Americans experience some level of hearing loss, but only about 20% of them seek hearing aids. Many people can't accept they can't hear well, or won't act on symptoms. People should seek help if they have trouble hearing conversations, TV, and other sounds, and should see a doctor quickly if they have hearing loss in only one ear, pain, ear drainage, or vertigo. Visits with an audiologist and otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor) are typically needed to get prescription hearing aids. Over-the-counter hearing aids are expected to be available online and in stores starting in late 2022.

Each year, millions of couples face one partner's serious diagnosis with a condition such as cancer, heart or kidney failure, or neurological illness, among others. People can support their partners through a difficult diagnosis and treatment by keeping communication open, maintaining daily routines, becoming informed about the medical condition, attending doctor visits, adding assistive devices in their home, getting wills and other legal documents in order, and seeking and accepting help from others.

In August 2022, the FDA approved a new category of safe, regulated hearing aids to be sold over the counter. The devices are meant only for people with perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss who need to amplify the volume of sounds around them.

A 2022 study found that people with chronic kidney disease were less likely than similar adults without the condition to eat fruits and vegetables. Researchers said more studies are needed to determine if this dietary pattern is a cause or a result of the disease.

In recent years, treatment options for inflammatory bowel disease have expanded rapidly, with new types of drugs, new medications within existing classes, and new combinations of treatments for some patients.

Life expectancy is one measure of the general health of a population. In the US, life expectancy had been climbing for more than a century — until the pandemic. After dropping in 2020, it dropped again in 2021, and some population groups fared worse than others.

Dry eye disease can redden eyes and make them sting, burn, or hurt. Relief may require a combination of strategies.

Nearly half of all people with inflammatory bowel disease have symptoms that occur outside of the gastrointestinal tract. These conditions, known as extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs), can affect the musculoskeletal system, eyes, lungs, and other areas of the body.

Inflammation is the hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis, and is also thought to play a role in the development of dementia. Could the inflammation-suppressing medicines for RA lower risk of dementia? Some research points in that direction, but more is needed.

A 2022 study found that people with COPD who reported poor sleep had significantly higher risks of experiencing flare-ups of worsened breathing. Poor sleep may more accurately predict COPD flare-ups than a person's smoking history, researchers said.