Health

Xeroderma pigmentosum is caused by gene mutations that prevent DNA repair following damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Affected populations: Xeroderma pigmentosum is a rare genetic disorder that makes people's skin extremely sensitive to the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) light. Both males and females , and it can affect people from different ethnic backgrounds. XP is estimated to affect approximately 1 person per million in the United States , but it is more common in other regions of the world, including . For example, in Japan, are estimated to...

The symptoms: The patient, who had previously been diagnosed with lung cancer, had been hospitalized because the cancer had spread and was pressing on his spinal cord. During treatment, he was given a high dose of glucocorticoids, which reduce inflammation and are sometimes used as part of cancer treatment or to counter chemotherapy side effects. But after four days, the man developed an itchy rash and mild diarrhea. What happened next: Doctors examined the rash, which looked like red, wavy lines all over the patient's body. The clinicians found that...

On June 26, 2020, three months after the coronavirus pandemic had seized the United States, the American Academy of Pediatrics, which represents about sixty-seven thousand pediatric physicians, issued guidance on reopening schools. “The AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school,” the statement read.

More and more older Americans want to know their Alzheimer's status, survey finds Older Americans want to know if they are in the early stages of Alzheimer's and would happily take a blood test to find out, according to a national survey. The survey of 1,700 people 45 and older, part of a from the Alzheimer's Association, found growing interest in testing, diagnosis, and treatment for the deadly disease. More than 7 million people in the United States are now living with Alzheimer's, according to the report. – Nearly four...

Updating immunizations is also a common covered service at these appointments. The vaccine for HPV, or the human papillomavirus, provides protection against an infection that can cause several types of cancer. Federal health officials recommend being immunized for HPV at age 11 or 12, though the vaccine also can be administered later in life. A patient who needs blood tests for a specific medical concern — as Aiken did, for medication monitoring — could be required to pay part of the bill. That’s the case even if the blood test...

You amass quite a lot of gear when you’re expecting a new baby, and while some of it can be considered extraneous, a lot of it is positively de rigueur. One item that I was sure would be superfluous has become as essential for my own sleep as it is for my child’s is a sound machine. Specifically, the Yogasleep Hushh white noise machine. Thanks to the inundation of baby products that can accompany the birth of a child, I own a couple of other, much fancier, sound machines, including...

The one bad thing about chronic back pain (aside from the obvious) is that the causes can be multiple, varied, and complex. The good thing about chronic back pain is that effective short-term solutions do exist and are easily accessed without a prescription. We got in touch with several different physical therapists and pain management experts to tell us just what those products are. But, before we share their recommendations, all of our experts cautioned that these products are by no means adequate substitutes for professional care, nor standalone solutions...

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When President Trump signed an executive order this month to try to reduce drug prices, the pharmaceutical industry scored a big win.

Within 90 days, the order said, Trump’s staff should put together a report “re-evaluating the role of middlemen,” who have been the target of one of the most sweeping and expensive lobbying campaigns in recent years.

Then came a crushing blow. On April 9, 2011, Henderson arrived home to discover his father’s body lying face down, motionless, on his bed. This initial horror was followed by another: That some potent pills Henderson had stashed in his bedroom had been opened. An autopsy later revealed the pills had triggered his father’s fatal heart attack. Like many others in his group, Henderson ended up addicted to cocaine and heroin, and spent much of his early adulthood bouncing from prison to the streets. As a child, Eric Henderson was...