Diseases & Conditions Archive

Adults need an annual flu shot and a Tdap booster every 10 years. People over 60 need a shingles shot, and those over 65 should have two pneumonia vaccines.

For many women, bunions and rigidity are two of the most common—and painful—problems with the big toe. Both are easily treated.

Ask the Doctor

Q. I had a colonoscopy recently and it detected hemorrhoids. I don't have any symptoms. Should I be doing something to get rid of them?

A. Like you, approximately 40% of people with hemorrhoids have none of the common symptoms—bleeding, anal itching, and pain. Their hemorrhoids may be found on a routine physical examination or during a test done for other reasons, such as a colonoscopy for colon cancer screening.

Atrial fibrillation (afib) is affecting far more people than it did 50 years ago, according to a study published July 11, 2015, in The Lancet. Afib is an irregular heartbeat that makes the heart's upper chambers (the atria) quiver, rather than pump steadily. This can lead to the formation of blood clots, which can travel in the blood to the brain and cause a stroke. The Lancet study found that afib cases quadrupled from 1958 to 2007 among 9,500 people. But there is some encouraging news: the study also found that the risk of stroke associated with afib decreased 74% in the last 50 years, and the risk of death decreased 25%.

Why the ups and downs? Researchers point to epidemics of obesity and diabetes as part of the reason, as well as increased awareness of the condition and better detection methods. Meanwhile, improved recognition and treatment of other diseases, such as high blood pressure, may be helping to reduce the cases of stroke and early death linked to afib. So, this study provides further evidence of the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and keeping blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol under control. In addition to reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other illnesses, you also reduce the risk of getting afib and developing complications from it.

Repeated nocturnal bathroom calls are bothersome, but self-help steps and targeted treatment offer relief.

Boosting your fitness level may help decrease the symptoms of the most common heart rhythm disorder, according to a study published online June 22 by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The disorder—atrial fibrillation, or afib—causes an irregular, rapid heartbeat that can lead to shortness of breath, dizziness, and fainting.

The study included 308 people with afib who were also overweight or obese, a condition that raises the risk of afib. The participants answered questions about their afib symptoms and underwent tests to determine their fitness levels, which were described in metabolic equivalents, or METs. (METs measure your level of exertion and are based on how much oxy-gen your body uses during activities; sitting still is 1 MET, and brisk walking is 3.)

Q. My doctor used to check my liver function once a year after I started taking a statin drug to lower my cholesterol, but he doesn't anymore. Why not?

A. Your doctor appears to be following the latest recommendations from the American Heart Association and the FDA. When statin medications were first approved, doctors did periodic blood tests to check for liver injury. Three decades later, it is clear that serious liver injury from statins is a rare side effect and that routine blood testing does not help identify people at risk for statin-related liver problems. Therefore, routine monitoring is not a good use of money and time.

Ask the doctor

Q. What's the fastest way to get rid of a cold sore? Is it possible to prevent them?

A. Cold sores, also called fever blisters, are bothersome and painful fluid-filled blisters on or around the lips. They are caused by infection with herpes simplex virus (usually type 1). Cold sores heal on their own in seven to 10 days. However, antiviral medications can modestly shorten the healing period. One-day treatment with the prescription antiviral drugs famciclovir (Famvir) or valacyclovir (Valtrex) shortens cold sore symptoms by one to two days. These oral medications are most effective when taken at the first sign of a cold sore, such as a burning or tingling sensation. Antiviral creams are less effective and need to be applied several times daily for five days.

Get to know your triggers and ways to prevent flare-ups.

If a growth or mole looks like a melanoma, the doctor will take a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. This entails removing either a sample of tissue or else the entire growth and some surrounding skin, and examining the tissue under a microscope to determine whether it's cancer. Depending on how deep a melanoma is, additional tissue may have to be removed. In some cases, lymph nodes may be removed, too. A procedure called sentinel node biopsy can show whether the lymph node nearest the tumor contains any cancer cells. If it does, surgery to remove additional nodes right away can improve survival.

In addition to surgery, treatments for melanoma include immunotherapy (which strengthens the immune system against the cancer), chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Newer, so-called targeted treatments include drugs that target specific genetic changes seem in people with certain forms of melanoma. For example, about half of melanomas have genetic changes (mutations) in a gene called BRAF, which signals melanoma cells to grow and divide quickly. Drugs that inhibit BRAF, such as vemurafenib (Zelboraf ) and dabrafenib (Tafinlar), and related proteins are now available.