Diseases & Conditions Archive

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Defend yourself from diverticulitis

Adequate fiber can protect against this painful colon condition.

Image: Shidlovski/Getty Images

About half of Americans ages 60 to 80 have diverticulosis, a condition in which pea-sized pouches, called diverticula, bulge outward from the colon. After age 80, almost everyone has it.

Most of the time the pouches don't cause any problems, but if the diverticula become inflamed or infected, the result is diverticulitis, which produces symptoms like fever, nausea, vomiting, and pain or tenderness in the lower abdomen. It's unclear why this happens, but it's generally thought that the pouches become infected after stool or bacteria get caught in them.

How do you avoid kidney stone attacks?

On call

Q. I want to avoid another kidney stone attack. What's your advice about diet, coffee, tea, and alcohol?

A. The foods you eat and the amount of fluid you drink can contribute to some types of kidney stones. Certainly, you can help prevent recurrent kidney stones by paying attention to your fluid and food intake.

Should I get a COVID-19 antibody test?

Ask the doctor

Q. Should I get a test for COVID-19 antibodies, even though I've never had any symptoms and I don't think I've had the virus?

A. A blood test for COVID-19 antibodies tells you if you have been infected in the past; it does not accurately tell you if you are currently infected. You can get an antibody test through your doctor, or possibly through a testing center set up by your state or city.

Should adult kids get a COVID-19 test before a visit home?

Ask the doctor

Q. Should I make my kids get tested for COVID-19 before they come to visit me?

A. As we go to press, in most communities in the United States and Europe, the virus still is widespread — particularly among young adults. Many young adults who become infected do not develop symptoms, and therefore may not suspect they are infected. Worse, they may be shedding the virus and able to infect others. Older people are more vulnerable to becoming severely ill from the virus than young adults (although some young adults and even children can become very ill). So if my kids had symptoms that might indicate they had COVID-19, I'd ask them not to come. If they had no symptoms but were living in a "hot spot," I'd ask them to get tested before they traveled — and not to visit if they tested positive. I would hate not to see the kids, but it's a sacrifice we have to make until we control the virus.

5 action steps for quitting an addiction

Because change is so difficult, it's useful to have a guide when attempting to kick an addiction to drugs, alcohol or behavior. Research shows that the following steps can help you move toward your recovery goals. You have the greatest chance of success if you adopt all five steps.

1. Set a quit date. It might be helpful to choose a meaningful date like a special event, birthday, or anniversary.

What are the long-lasting effects of COVID-19?

Ask the doctor

Q. I read that the death rate from COVID-19 is going down, but that people who recover from the infection still can remain sick for a long time. Is that true?

A. It is true, but we don't yet know how big the problem is: COVID-19 has been with us for only a year, and there hasn't been enough time to know the long-term effects.

Why am I itchy all over?

The potential causes may be hard to pin down. Here are some of the most common ones — and what to do about them.

Sometimes it's easy to know why a particular part of your body is itchy. Maybe you have a bug bite, allergies, or a visible skin condition such as eczema. It's harder to know the cause when there's nothing obvious behind all-over, generalized itching. "It's the most common skin complaint in people over age 65," says Dr. Kenneth Arndt, a dermatologist and former medical editor of the Harvard Special Health Report Skin Care and Repair.

Potential causes

Generalized itching has many potential triggers. One is aging. "The skin barrier doesn't work as well as it used to, and things that may not have irritated you before may now be absorbed in the skin and cause itching," Dr. Arndt explains. "The skin also develops a somewhat impaired immune response, a reduction in fat and blood flow, and altered sensory perception, making it more prone to itching."

What to expect after COVID

Experts say that while there are many unknowns about long-term COVID effects, it's hoped that more information will be available soon.

A growing number of Americans have now experienced a bout of COVID-19, and doctors are only just beginning to learn more about the aftereffects of the infection.

"Reports are coming out describing long-term lung effects — which is not surprising, as scarring may occur and cause permanent impairment — and also of neurological, cardio­vascular, and kidney effects," says Dr. David Christiani, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a pulmonary physician at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Shingles: What triggers this painful, burning rash?

If you have chickenpox as a child, the virus stays in your body, and can emerge later in life as a painful, burning rash called shingles. It’s not fully understood what triggers a resurgence of the virus, but factors that weaken the immune system increase the risk of developing shingles, and it is more common in people over age 60.

Telemonitoring tied to fewer heart attacks, lower medical costs

News briefs

If your doctor or pharmacist offers a service to monitor blood pressure measurements you send from home (called telemonitoring), consider taking advantage of it. Past research has shown that telemonitoring — often paid for by Medicare — may help you reduce your blood pressure. And a study published online Aug. 31, 2020, by Hypertension suggests telemonitoring is also associated with a long-term reduction in heart attacks, strokes, and medical costs. The recent study is a follow-up to a randomized controlled trial from 2013 that divided 450 people into two groups: those who received routine primary care, and those who received a year of telemonitoring services with a pharmacist who helped manage their treatment. People in the telemonitoring group had lower blood pressure for up to two years afterward, compared with people who received routine care. In the recently published follow-up, which followed the same participants for five years, researchers found there were about half as many heart attacks, strokes, and hospitalizations in the telemonitoring group as there were in the group that received routine care. Because there were fewer cardiovascular problems, people in the telemonitoring group also saved an estimated $1,900 each in medical costs.

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