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Ocrevus is groundbreaking because, while it has been very effective for RRMS, it is also the first medication approved to treat primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), a less-common form of the disease. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 85 percent of people with MS have RRMS, while 10 to 15 percent are diagnosed with PPMS. Before Ocrevus, there was very little doctors could do for their patients with PPMS other than provide medications and other therapies to treat the symptoms....

From a survey of 487 adults, researchers found that respondents rated physicians wearing casual attire (such as fleece jackets and softshell jackets) as less professional and experienced than those wearing a white coat. Results were determined by participant response to photographs of male and female models wearing various types of physician attire (white coat, business clothes, and scrubs). Julie Parsonnet, MD, an infectious diseases specialist and professor of medicine at Stanford University, wasn’t surprised that white coats gained a patient’s respect....

Chronic Symmetrical Peripheral Neuropathy The largest group of polyneuropathies, they develop gradually over time and affect nerves throughout the body.Acute Symmetrical Peripheral Neuropathy Rare, this severe, rapidly developing form of polyneuropathy affects nerves throughout the body and is most often seen in Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the peripheral nervous system and can be fatal.Multiple Mononeuropathy Involving damage to at least two distinct nerve areas, this form of polyneuropathy can result from vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels), sarcoidosis, and some forms of cancer....

For the study, researchers followed about 6,800 adults in Iran for five years, starting when the subjects were 50 to 75 years old. All the participants received information on lifestyle habits that can prevent heart disease, like maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding cigarettes, getting plenty of exercise, and eating a diet low in salt, sugar, and fat. Roughly half of them also got a daily “polypill” combining two blood pressure drugs, cholesterol medicine, and aspirin....

The number of pregnancies complicated by high blood pressure doubled in the United States — to around 80,000 cases a year — between 2007 and 2018, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2020 this month. The researchers reviewed 50 million live births between 2007 and 2018 from the national CDC Natality Database. The team also found that the risk of prepregnancy hypertension was more than twice as high for non-Hispanic Black women than it was for white and Hispanic women — a significant finding since CDC data shows that Black women are 3 times more likely to die of childbirth than white women....

“It’s likely a viral or bacterial infection,” says Toribio Flores, MD, ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist for the Cleveland Clinic’s Head and Neck Institute at Independence Health Center in Ohio. A sore throat can take many forms — it can be scratchy or itchy, burn, or cause painful swallowing. Many times a sore throat is accompanied by a pesky cough which can irritate the tender throat even more. Many common colds and viruses can cause a sore throat that typically subsides within a few days....

The pandemic has upended my life and disrupted my family; my most recent disappointment was not being able to visit my mom in Southern California for her eightieth birthday. With a vaccine I envision being able to see my parents sooner rather than later. My daughter should be able to return to the University of California in Riverside, which announced plans to hold in-person instruction in the fall. At the same time, I’ve wondered if the vaccines are safe for me, a person living with psoriasis taking an immune-modulating biologic, Skyrizi....

Scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City also found that larger health warning labels on cigarette packs may help improve the odds of experiencing a one-day relapse. “A successful first day of abstinence is one of the most important predictors for prolonged smoking cessation, and little is known about why women may find this period more challenging than men,” said first author João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia, MD, postdoctoral fellow in the department of epidemiology at Columbia University, in a press release....

Here are their stories. “There’s not an instruction manual to being the daughter of someone who’s ill,” says Audrey. “It is terrifying to have a parent who is sick in the way my mother is. I sometimes feel very angry that someone like my mother…has had to have this kind of experience.” But the diagnosis never stopped Lisa from attending all her children’s baseball games and dance recitals. “I wanted to give [my children] everything that I had, to give them the best start in life,” she says....

RA most often affects the distal joints symmetrically, such as both hands, wrists, and knees. Whether you have just been diagnosed with rheumatic disease — or someone you love has — there is a lot to process. This explanatory guide will help you do that in a proactive and measured way. You’re constantly finding yourself managing symptoms, whether through medication, alternative treatments, or lifestyle changes, often through personal trial and error....

For this reason, the impact of psoriasis on overall health and well-being is more than skin deep; it also can have serious mental and emotional effects. Social anxiety is an especially common complication of psoriasis. Research published in January 2017 in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research reported that the more severe the disease, the higher the level of social anxiety, particularly among teenagers and young adults. “We live in a culture where how you look is very important,” says Ann Rosen Spector, PhD, a clinical psychologist in Philadelphia....

Usually, the pancreas churns out more than enough digestive enzymes to absorb nutrients from food. But conditions such as chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, or cystic fibrosis and procedures such as pancreatic surgery can cause enough damage to the pancreas that people no longer produce enough of those enzymes. “You have to lose about 90 percent of the digestive enzyme capacity of the pancreas before losing the ability to digest sufficient nutrients,” says Dr....

Signs of Depression: Looking Inward It may be difficult for you to recognize when depression is returning. “Often, the problem is that people don’t have insight into what’s happening to them,” says Adele Viguera, MD, associate director of the perinatal and reproductive psychiatry program at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “They try to explain it away; they tend to minimize what they’re going through.” Tracking your moods and symptoms can help you understand your emotions and spot signs of depression, such as slight changes in your mood, and situations or events that could trigger a depressive episode....

Receiving a PNH diagnosis can feel overwhelming, but you’re not alone. Look in the right places, and you might be surprised how robust both in-person and online support systems can be. There are people out there who can provide you with solace, understanding, and companionship, as well as evidence-based information about PNH and the latest treatments. Teresa van Oort, a licensed clinical social worker and the clinical program manager at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, urges people to reach out for support soon after being diagnosed with PNH....

Penicillin has proven to be effective at killing Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis. The cost of penicillin G benzathine varies. Most health insurance will cover it, with a possible copay depending on your plan. If you don’t have insurance, you may pay anywhere from $15 to $50 or more for the medication. You should abstain from sexual contact until your treatment is completed and blood tests have confirmed that the infection is cured....

According to Lee Schwamm, MD, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for TeleHealth and vice president of virtual care for Mass General Brigham in Boston, “Telehealth was predominantly a small or boutique practice for most hospitals prior to COVID-19, but once the pandemic hit, we pretty much shut the door to most patients. Telehealth was an amazing opportunity to continue patient care virtually.” Dr. Schwamm reports that the MGH neurology department went from seeing less than 1 percent of their patients via telehealth visits before the COVID-19 pandemic, to 90 percent in the first two months of stay-at-home orders....

But while the Anxiety and Depression Association of America reports that anxiety disorders are highly treatable, only 36.9 percent of people with a disorder actually receive treatment. In fact, the signs indicating an anxiety disorder can seem so commonplace that it’s possible for someone not to realize they have a formal condition at all. RELATED: The United States of Stress How so? Simply put, anxiety symptoms can range from life-altering phobias, such as the fear of driving, to seemingly normal occurrences, like headaches or fatigue....

What Is the Jenny Craig Diet? The Jenny Craig diet is a weight loss program that involves meeting with a supportive consultant. You will meet with your personal consultant at your local Jenny Craig center or over the phone if you are doing the program from home. Your consultant will assess your eating habits, activity level, and motivation level, and customize the Jenny Craig weight loss program so it will work best for you....

1. Are HIV and AIDS the Same Thing? No. HIV is a virus, while AIDS is a stage of advanced infection. Specifically, HIV, or the human immunodeficiency virus, is an infectious virus that gradually breaks down a person’s immune system, leaving the body less able to defend itself against viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. These infections, which are called “opportunistic,” tend to be mild in the early stages and can become progressively worse as the immune system is depleted....

While there are some notable differences between varieties (wild versus farmed, for example), salmon is packed with nutrients that are linked to positive health outcomes, including omega-3 fatty acids, and registered dietitian-nutritionists say that eating two or three servings of fish like salmon per week is a great way to reap the benefits. This guide explains all the benefits of salmon and how you can get more into your diet....