Is Crohn's in Your Genes?
A study from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Genetics Consortium (NIDDK-IBDGC) has found a possible genetic link to the development of Crohn's disease. Read on to find out if your genes might put you at risk.
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Exploring the Possible Genetic Causes of Alzheimer's Disease
For Alzheimer's disease patients and their families, a diagnosis of the progressive, incurable condition is life-altering. While medication and treatment for the condition have improved over the years, recent research examining possible genetic causes of Alzheimer's disease could offer these patients and their families renewed hope in the future, including possible treatments—and perhaps even a cure.
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Striking Back at Depression After a Stroke
The key to surviving stroke isn't a single factor—patients need timely intervention, quality medical care and rehabilitation services in equal doses. In many cases, surviving the initial stroke is just the beginning of recovery. Once the patient is on the road to wellness, conditions such as depression can become an issue. A recent study from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) found that behavioral interventions for stroke patients could decrease depression.
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Are You at Risk for Testicular Cancer?
You know your husband inherited a lot of things from his father—his height, his love of baseball, and his dark hair. You may be surprised to learn, however, that your husband may also have inherited a genetic predisposition to a certain type of testicular cancer. Recent research from the National Institutes of Health indicates that links exist between testicular germ-cell cancer—the most common form of the disease—and a family's genetic make-up. Read on to learn more about this important research.
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Is Breast Cancer Biological?
According to the American Cancer Society, as many as one in eight American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during the course of her lifetime. While you may already know about the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 "breast cancer genes," you might not realize that researchers are still studying the variety of genetic and biological factors that may contribute to beating breast cancer. Read on to learn more about their latest discovery.
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Can Weight Loss Reduce Urinary Incontinence?
No one enjoys discussing it, but urinary incontinence is extremely common. In fact, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, millions of Americans—especially those over 50 years of age—deal with urinary incontinence. A recent study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that for a specific segment of the population moderate weight loss may help quell symptoms.
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The Heart-Lung Connection
More than 12 million Americans are currently living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). While this common lung condition can exhibit symptoms including shortness of breath and wheezing, for some patients, these symptoms are mild to almost non-existent. A recent study from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), however, found that even patients with asymptomatic to mild COPD may have impeded heart function.
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Genetic Links to Lung Disease
Conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can take your breath away—literally. While neither of these diseases has a cure, treatments are available to help people living with asthma and COPD live fuller, healthier lives. A new study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) may shed light on some of the genetic factors that make certain segments of the population more prone to developing lung disorders.
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Helping Kids with Autism
While some medication-based treatment plans for children with autism, an increasingly common condition, have shown positive results, a new study sponsored through the efforts of the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology (RUPP) Autism Network suggests that medication-based treatment programs are most effective when combined with structured training programs to help parents gain the necessary skills to help their children control their behavior.
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Decoding Parkinson's Disease
Impacting between one and two percent of American adults over the age of 60, Parkinson's disease severely impacts the quality of life in patients and makes it difficult for them to perform tasks they otherwise enjoy. There is no cure for this chronic, progressive illness, but genetic research may give patients and their families new hope. Recent findings suggest that researchers have been able to link a new genetic mutation to Parkinson's disease.
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