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Tag: health concern

  • Mini Stroke Symptoms: What To Watch Out For

    Strokes can be among the scariest things to happen to a person. Often they can come by total surprise.

    It’s important to know that in addition to being watchful of a full-on stroke, you should be wary of having mini-strokes.

    These mini-strokes are called transient ischemic attacks or TIAs. They occur when a certain part of the brain is deprived of oxygen. The culprit tends to be a small blood clot.

    Unlike a full-on stroke, a TIA is usually over within ten minutes and doesn’t cause permanent damage. This can lead an individual to mistakenly believe that TIAs are harmless. This simply isn’t the case.

    Experiencing one or more TIAs can serve as a warning that you may soon experience a major stroke!

    Anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000 people per year are thought to experience a TIA. Studies find that African Americans as an ethnic group are most at risk. As are the elderly.

    Though certain groups are more likely to experience a TIA than others, it’s important for EVERY individual to be mindful of their health in this regard.

    What symptoms should you watch out for?

    For any stroke or TIA, there is an acronym you should apply called F.A.S.T.

    Face drooping

    Arm weakness

    Speech difficulty

    Time to call 9-11

    While these are the most common signs that someone is experiencing a TIA or stroke, there are other symptoms to look out for

    Sudden weakness or numbness (not just in the face or an arm, but throughout one side of the body, vision problems in one or both eyes, confusion, disorientation, and dizziness are additional symptoms.

    If you suspect that you or someone else is experiencing either a TIA or stroke, it’s important to get medical help IMMEDIATELY.

    A blood clot may not dissolve on its own; it’s simply not a condition you can afford to “wait out”.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Lung Cancer, A Deathly Danger Has New Options

    Lung cancer, which is the leader cause of cancer death in the United States, kills more people than breast, colon, ovarian, and prostate cancers combined according to the Mayo Clinic. This is a worldwide health concern that reports 1.6 million new cases every year.

    According to Edward S. Kim, M.D., “Lung cancer remains one of the most difficult-to-treat cancers. New prognostic markers to guide treatment decisions in early-stage, non-small cell lung cancer are necessary to improve outcomes for patients.”

    Symptoms may include heavy coughing, producing blood when coughing, headaches, chest and bone pains, headaches, and a shortness of breath. Though smoking is a main cause of the disease there are additional factors that can increase the odds of a potential diagnosis. Other factors include exposure to second hand smoke, radon gas, asbestos, and a family history of the disease.

    Many tests have been used to monitor the disease such as x-rays, CT scans, biopsies, and sputum cytology. Typical treatment options include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and targeted drug therapy. However, there are now additional options.

    A new potential test, myPlan Lung Cancer test, has shown to be a predictor in lung cancer deaths.

    Mark Capone, the president of Myriad Genetics Laboratories, said, “myPlan Lung Cancer is an important new molecular diagnostic tool that will help physicians in predicting the aggressiveness of early-stage lung cancer in conjunction with conventional clinical parameters. Publication of these data is an important milestone as we prepare to launch myPlan Lung Cancer later this fiscal year.”

    European residents will be happy to hear that additional sources are available. The European Commission has recently authorized afatinib monotherapy to treat Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) where afatinib will be sold under the name of GIOTRIF.

    A spokesman from Boehringer Ingelheim, Professor Klaus Dugi, the Corporate Senior Vice President of Medicine said, “We are delighted with the decision by the European Commission. We hope this will be the first of many registrations for drugs from our in-house oncology research program. The approval of afatinib in Europe reinforces our commitment to bringing the right treatments to the right patients. This is a significant step towards meeting the substantial unmet need in lung cancer treatment.”

    [Image Via Wikimedia Commons]