Medical devices Archive

The average cough, typically due to a cold or other respiratory virus, lasts three weeks or less. A lingering or chronic cough lasts eight weeks or longer. Most causes of chronic cough aren't serious, such as bronchitis, seasonal allergies, or medication side effects. People should see a doctor if over-the-counter treatments haven't worked or if they experience signs such as breathlessness, wheezing, chest pain, blood in the sputum, weight loss, or fatigue. Before an appointment, people should track their cough and note its patterns to offer clues for diagnosis.

Common causes of persistent or recurrent swallowing difficulty include medication side effects, an inflamed esophagus, an enlarged thyroid, among others. A doctor can conduct several tests to help identify the problem and offer appropriate treatment.

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a condition marked by involuntary movements of the face or limbs, caused by long-term use of certain drugs, many of which are for mental health conditions. An ad for a once-daily drug to treat TD leaves some important questions unanswered.

Osteopenia is the precursor stage to osteoporosis (weak, thin bones that break easily). Ways to treat osteopenia include taking medications that slow bone loss and reduce fracture risk, exercising, eating protein- and calcium-rich foods, taking a calcium supplement to make up for a lack of dietary calcium, taking a vitamin D₃ supplement to help absorb calcium, and avoiding excessive alcohol intake. Vibration therapy (standing on a small vibrating platform) is not yet proven to be effective.

People who have trouble swallowing pills can try several strategies, such as changing head position when swallowing, adding pills to food that's easy to swallow, and breaking up pills into smaller pieces.

The way people's bodies absorb and process medications changes as they age. This, along with additional health problems, muscle loss, or frailty, can make seniors more vulnerable to drug side effects and interactions. Adults 65 and older use more over-the-counter drugs than any other age group in the United States. Nonprescription drugs to reconsider include aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, proton-pump inhibitors, and older types of antihistamines.

Leadless pacemakers, which are no bigger than a multivitamin pill, are far less prone to complications that traditional pacemakers, which have long leads (wires). These wires may become infected, dislodged, frayed, or broken. Scar tissue or blood clots can form around the leads, which may hinder blood flow and cause pain and swelling. Thanks to recent advances, most people who need pacemakers may now be candidates for leadless devices. However, doctors have less experience with what happens with leadless pacemakers over the long term-and they cost two to three times as much as a traditional pacemaker.

The specialized cells of our immune systems help to keep us healthy and free of infectious diseases. Immunotherapies teach those same cells to recognize and destroy cancer. Researchers are reporting promising results with a different method that involves engineered cells studded with receptors that bind to specific targets on cancer cells.