Diseases & Conditions Archive

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Weak kidneys? Pay attention but don't worry excessively

Kidney function declines with age in some people. A heart-healthy diet and lifestyle will protect your kidneys. Once kidney function reaches a certain low level, medication and other steps to protect the kidneys may be necessary.

Ask the doctor: How can positional vertigo treatment affect tinnitus?

Q. I have positional vertigo and use the Epley maneuver for that. Will the Epley maneuver also help my tinnitus?

A. The Epley maneuver is a series of head movements that can help many people with positional vertigo—a condition that causes dizziness, including a feeling that you are spinning, tilting, off-balance, or about to pass out. This type of vertigo often arises from the inner ear, which is part of the body's balance mechanism. Calcium specks (canaliths) can collect in the inner ear, causing vertigo. The Epley maneuver is intended to reposition these canaliths and diminish or eradicate vertigo. Most benign vertigo gets better with time, medications, the Epley maneuver, or a combination of all three.

AMD: a preventable form of vision loss

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can be stopped or slowed if caught early enough. Regular eye exams are crucial.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common cause of vision loss in later life, damages the part of the eye (the macula) that provides clear central vision. Being aware of AMD's earliest symptoms and having regular eye exams may catch the disease in its early stages, allowing treatment in some cases and lifestyle modification in others.

Hepatitis C treatment extends life

Successful treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection reduces death from all causes, not just those directly related to the liver, according to a study in the The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

In a chronic infection, HCV takes up residence in the liver. This can lead to scarring (cirrhosis) and ups the risk for liver cancer and liver failure. Drug treatments aim to reduce viral activity to an undetectable level. The JAMA study focused on 530 people given a combination of drugs to suppress the HCV infection. In about a third of the participants, the virus reached an undetectable level. Compared with the people treated less successfully, the risk of death from any cause dropped from 26% to 9%.

No generation gap found in diabetes education

Older people in their 60s and 70s with diabetes benefited just as much as younger diabetics by attending classes to learn how to keep their blood sugar in check, according to a study in Diabetes Care.

About 27% of people over 65 have diabetes. This has spurred interest among doctors in finding the best way to help their older patients. Do older adults respond better to individual diabetes counseling rather than group settings?

Ask the doctor: Supplements for age-related macular degeneration

Q. I've heard that age-related macular degeneration is a common cause of blindness. Do copper, zinc, or lutein help prevent it?

A. There's no clear and certain answer, but there are few large randomized studies of nutritional supplements in preventing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A study called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) included 3,640 people ages 55 to 80. Some did not have AMD, but others already had mild to severe AMD. The people were assigned to one of four treatment groups: antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene); zinc and copper; antioxidants plus zinc and copper; or placebo. The combination of antioxidants, zinc, and copper seemed to reduce the risk that people who had mild AMD would go on to more severe AMD. However, it didn't protect people without AMD from getting AMD. Another large randomized trial called AREDS2 is under way to test if lutein, zeaxanthin, or omega-3 fatty acids slow the progression of the most common type of AMD, called dry AMD. It is possible that results will be known later this year. One large randomized trial including 5,205 women reported that B vitamin supplements might reduce the risk of developing AMD. The women were given either a placebo or a combination of vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid. After more than seven years, the women given vitamins had about a 30% lower risk of developing AMD. The results of this study are encouraging, but they need to be confirmed by other studies before they are accepted as valid.

New pill better targets rheumatoid arthritis

It's the first oral therapy approved for RA in more than 15 years.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is much more common in women than men, and there is currently no cure or means of preventing the disease. However, in November 2012, the FDA approved a potent new treatment for people who have not had success with methotrexate (Rheumatrex), the standard initial therapy for RA symptoms. The new drug is tofacitinib (Xeljanz).

Are painkillers also killing your hearing?

Frequent use may be a preventable contributor to hearing loss.

When you think of risk factors for hearing loss, over-the-counter painkillers probably aren't among them. But a Harvard study published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that frequent use of ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) may be an important contributor. In the study, women who took the pain relievers at least twice a week were at a greater risk for hearing loss, and more frequent usage increased the risk by up to 24%. The findings are similar to a study of men and hearing loss, although aspirin was also found to contribute to risk in that study.

New thinking on migraine triggers

Suspected triggers for migraine with aura may not be as strong as some people think. Research suggests that a person who experiences migraines with aura can cross a trigger off the list if exposure to it for three months doesn't cause a problem.

Sugary beverages raise diabetes risk; coffee and tea don't

Sugar-sweetened beverages, whether caffeinated or decaffeinated, appear to be associated with higher risks of developing type 2 diabetes in both men and women. Coffee and tea appear to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

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