30 percent to 40 percent of senior citizens fall each year, which places falls as the leading cause of accidental death among older adults in the U.S. Although it is impossible to prevent all falls, both improving balance and employ "fall-proofing" behaviors in and around the home to reduce risks.
Irritable bowel syndrome is among the most common gastrointestinal problems in the United States. Between 7 percent and 20 percent of Americans experience symptoms but many shy away from discussing the problem and end up missing out on effective treatment for the syndrome.
Many older Americans have not adequately planned for living with such a costly and devastating illness. But it's critical for all of us to plan for this type of future care, both financially with a financial advisor and through stating our wishes to family members, long before dementia takes hold.
Whether they work for a university or a corporate laboratory, scientists doing research in the life sciences now have one more reason to come to Michigan.
Rheumatoid arthritis cripples the hands of many who have the disease, but doctors are divided over what the best treatment is -- surgery or drugs. Now, a new study aims to settle the debate, and help hundreds of thousands of patients get the right therapy at the right time.
Most experts agree that the American system of medical malpractice insurance and litigation has to change, and soon, to keep health care going strong. A Nov. 14 forum will bring together experts from many fields to discuss the problem, and possible reforms.
Surgeons have had mixed success in growing new human jawbones after radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Researchers are studying rats to determine how and why distraction osteogenesis works and have found clues to the uneven clinical results.
Scientists have identified a gene that controls the amazing ability of adult stem cells to self-renew, or make new copies of themselves, throughout life.
Surgeons have been able to strip tiny blood vessels from rats and re-engineer them to be more effective when implanted in a new animal. The findings could benefit people who need blood vessels for vascular bypass surgery.
In a study of how teens search the Internet for answers to health questions, researchers found that misspelled words, ambiguous search terms and an imprecise approach to scanning a Web site often prevented students from finding the information they sought.
For patients whose aortas are threatening to burst, surgery can be a lifesaver. But a new study finds there's a sizable difference in death risk depending on what kind of surgeon "“ and hospital "“ a patient chooses for the repair of an aortic aneurysm.
For those who take certain painkiller drugs regularly to help ease arthritis pain or other chronic aches, the relief comes with a tradeoff: a quadrupled chance of developing painful ulcers over the long term. But a new study may offer a promising way to prevent this unwelcome effect.
Only a tiny percentage of stroke victims who could be saved by the quick delivery of emergency therapy actually get the right treatment in time. But a new study shows community education can fight what stroke experts call the biggest travesty in the treatment of the third biggest killer.
In a discovery that reinforces the importance of the mouse to human genetics, scientists have discovered two gene mutations that appear to be responsible for similar neurological disorders in mice and men, including a rare ataxia that strikes only Cayman Islanders.
One quarter of Americans come down with the aches, pains and chills of the flu, and 20,000 die from it each year. Prevent the flu with a vaccine. Two options in flu vaccines are now available "“ traditional and a new nasal spray.
From their lungs and hearts to their brains and eyes, premature babies start life with a range of health problems that may never get better. Fortunately, many women who are pregnant or planning to get pregnant can do a lot to keep their babies from being born too early.
Genetic testing for the two major genes known to account for a number of breast cancers is becoming more available. And along with testing, genetic counseling at specialized centers is offering much-needed advice to woman at high risk of developing the disease.
Seventy million Americans have some form of arthritis. While medication relieves symptoms of pain and stiffness, it is occupational therapy that is helping people regain mobility and independence by changing harmful habits and further protecting the joints during everyday life activities.
No matter what its cause, pain of any kind can place a serious burden on a person's ability to work, play and live life. But this burden of pain is heavier for some than for others "“ and a new study finds that members of racial and ethnic minorities often bear the worst of it.
Angioplasty may save more heart attack patients than clot-buster drugs if it's given swiftly, as shown in recent studies. But if care is delayed "“ as is often the case under real-word conditions "“ the difference between the two therapies narrows with every minute that goes by.
The University of Michigan Medical School is installing Steven F. Bolling, M.D., as the first Gayle Halperin Kahn Professor of Integrative Medicine, thanks to a generous $2 million endowment gift from Mark Kahn in memory of his wife, Gayle.
Research at the nation's first comprehensive depression center will soon have a new home, thanks to a new $4M federal grant. The money will help fund research space that will allow researchers to study the biological roots of depression and bipolar disorder, conduct diagnostic tests, and develop new treatments.
A single mutation in a single gene is enough to slowly rob people of their ability to walk. And while the inherited defect itself is rare, its discovery may help unravel the mysteries of much more common paralyzing conditions, from spinal cord injury to Lou Gehrig's disease.
Add one more item to the list of extra risks that the uninsured face: The risk of death from problems with the aorta, the body's largest blood vessel. Not only are they more likely to escape diagnosis until their aortas burst, but they also do worse even if they get treated.
Larry Kramer, internationally renowned author, playwright and AIDS activist, will deliver the Horace W. Davenport Lecture in the Medical Humanities. His talk, sponsored by the U-M Center for the History of Medicine, takes place Tuesday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m. in the U-M Rackham Auditorium.
In the wake of the death of actor John Ritter from aortic dissection, top international experts on the rare, often misdiagnosed and usually fatal condition are available to speak to media.
A cancer therapy will now be available to Medicare patients under a new ruling. This marks the final leg in Bexxar's journey from the concept and laboratory stage to widespread clinical use against non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
An anti-angiogenesis drug shows promise in studies of three different disease families, including multiple forms of cancer. The drug, tetrathiomolybdate or TM, wages war against copper, choking off tumor growth, fibrosis and inflammation.
A tiny protein already linked to deadly prostate cancer is now being implicated in lethal breast cancer, and it may soon help doctors tell cancer patients just how dangerous their tumors are. The protein helps cancer cells invade nearby tissue and form colonies, but leaves "fingerprints".
As if the ordeal of waiting for, receiving and living with an organ transplant weren't enough, a new study finds that people who get a second chance at life from new hearts, lungs, livers or intestines are very likely to have their lives cut short by failing kidneys.
The high cost of the Prevnar vaccine is affecting how some doctors choose to provide it. While most of the 700 doctors surveyed recommend the vaccine, which protects against bacterial meningitis and other diseases, almost one in three has cost-related concerns about providing it.
In the United States, adolescent self injury, frequently known as cutting, has become alarmingly common. Physicians estimate that almost 3 million people, most of them adolescents, exhibit this dangerous behavior.
America's children and teenagers are too fat, they don't get enough exercise, and they're doomed to a lifetime of health problems if they don't lose weight
Even with lifesaving medical care available, men still worry about how the possible side-effects of their prostate cancer treatment will affect their overall quality of life and the intimate relationship they have with their partner.
New innovations in contraception, from hormone-based medications to internal devices, are giving women more birth control alternatives that fit better in today's lifestyles "” providing women with nearly effortless methods and safer choices.
The world of medicine is changing faster today than ever and a large part of that change is due to the increasing numbers of clinical trials. These trials test everything from drugs to medical devices, to innovative treatment protocols, all on volunteer patients.
The media's coverage of depression has changed dramatically in the age of Prozac. Articles are now far more likely to depict women's mental issues in relation to gender-stereotyped roles rather than in medical terms. But descriptions of depression in men have not shifted in the same way.
The University of Michigan Medical School has announced that pediatric oncologist Valerie Castle, M.D., will be appointed chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, pending approval by the U-M Board of Regents. As chair, she also will be named as the first David Murray Cowie Professor of Pediatrics.
Scientists have discovered a gene that turns a chronic inherited neurological disorder "“ which produces tremor and muscle weakness in laboratory mice "“ into a lethal disease that paralyzes and kills them within a few weeks of birth. The gene is one of a small group of recently discovered modifier genes that interact with other genes to alter the physical effects of inherited diseases.
Scientists have identified defective stem cells as the key to a serious, sometimes life-threatening, intestinal disorder called Hirschsprung's disease, which affects one in 5,000 newborn infants.
Pseudoseizures resemble epileptic seizures. When seizures are prolonged or unusual in character, that should raise concern about whether patients have pseudoseizures, rather than epileptic seizures.
Age-related cataracts affect about three-quarters of all Americans by the age of 75. About half of the men and women suffering from cataracts will have significant enough changes in their vision to warrant treatment to restore their vision.
Brought on by a combination of students' vulnerable age and the stress and demands of college life, depression and related conditions can strike for the first time in college, or come back to haunt those who had first battled it in high school.
A gene mutation discovered in a family whose members have an eye disease that looks like age-related macular degeneration, but is inherited by an exceptionally high number of relatives, may help researchers learn more about the molecular basis of AMD.
Food allergies, especially peanut allergies, are on the rise among school-age children and although the common reactions are sometimes just a cough or a sneeze, these allergic reactions lead to more than 30,000 emergency room visits a year in this country.
Scientists have identified a new gene that, when mutated, causes one type of nephronophthisis "“ a rare disease that leads to kidney failure in infants and children. Scientists also found intriguing links between NPHP2 and a life-threatening genetic disorder called polycystic kidney disease in adults.
More than 2 million Americans with rheumatoid arthritis are caught in the middle of a debate among physicians over which treatment "“ medications or hand surgery "“ will help their ravaged fingers and wrists most.
Most women who have undergone hysterectomy for non-cancerous diseases can forgo annual Pap smear exams, according to new research. The study found that even in the best conditions, women add only three weeks to their lives by having regular screenings. It's the first study to look at the value of Pap smear screenings for women who have had a hysterectomy.
The U-M Regents approved on Thursday a $38 million building project that will lead to construction of the nation's first Comprehensive Depression Center. The new facility will also incorporate Ambulatory Psychiatry and Substance Abuse programs as well.
When Katie Couric had a colonoscopy on national TV, she did more than raise public awareness of the colon-cancer screening test "” she also raised the rate at which Americans signed up to get their own colons checked. A new study shows that colonoscopy rates nationwide jumped more than 20 percent after Couric's on-air test.
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