The fall months are upon us, and that means that the potential for seasonal allergies, runny noses and sinus infections increases. Sinus infections happen when fluid builds up in the air-filled pockets (sinuses) in the face. This allows germs to grow. Viruses cause most sinus infections, but bacteria can also be the culprit. However, Jessica… Continue reading What You Need to Know about Sinus Infection
Tag: antibiotics
Is Telemedicine The Best Choice for KIds?
Doctors who have “telemedicine” visits with pediatric patients prescribe antibiotics more often than do urgent-care clinics or regular office visits, according to new research. Many health insurance companies offer coverage for “direct-to-consumer” telemedicine visits, in which people use their personal devices to connect with doctors. These types of visits are becoming more common for both… Continue reading Is Telemedicine The Best Choice for KIds?
Understanding Adverse Drug Reactions
For most treatable health conditions, patients expect to take at least one prescription drug if not multiple depending on the condition or the severity of the health issue being treated. Most people, however, don’t anticipate experiencing any sort of adverse drug event (ADE). It is difficult to imagine a drug injuring someone in the process… Continue reading Understanding Adverse Drug Reactions
When Should You Treat Acne? Right Now
The most common skin condition in the United States? No surprise that it’s acne, which affects up to 50 million Americans every year. But even though it’s so prevalent, it can be hard to get accurate information about it. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), many teenagers and young adults think they should… Continue reading When Should You Treat Acne? Right Now
Newborn Syphilis Is on The Rise
Cases of congenital syphilis, passed from mother to baby during pregnancy or delivery, have more than doubled since 2013. The number of reported cases jumped from 362 in 2013 to 918 in 2017, according to the annual Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 2017 figure… Continue reading Newborn Syphilis Is on The Rise
Drinking More Water Reduces Bladder Infections in Women
Women who drank an additional 1.5 liters of water daily experienced 48 percent fewer repeat bladder infections than those who drank their usual volume of fluids, according to a new study. “That’s a significant difference,” said senior author Dr. Yair Lotan, Chief of Urologic Oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and professor with the Simmons… Continue reading Drinking More Water Reduces Bladder Infections in Women
Get Ahead of Sepsis
Infections can put you and your family at risk for a life-threatening condition called sepsis. Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It’s what happens when an infection you already have – in your skin, lungs, urinary tract, or somewhere else – triggers a chain reaction through your body. It’s life-threatening, and without… Continue reading Get Ahead of Sepsis
How to Treat Deep, Painful Pimples
If you’ve ever gone to bed with clear skin and woken up with a massive, painful pimple on your face, you’re not alone. According to members of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), acne is the most common skin condition in the United States, affecting up to 50 million Americans annually. Acne comes in many… Continue reading How to Treat Deep, Painful Pimples
Managing Antibiotics Not Enough to Reverse Resistance
Merely reducing antibiotic use will not be enough to reverse the growing prevalence of antibiotic resistance to some types of bacteria, researchers say. Besides passing along the genes bestowing antibiotic resistance to their offspring, many bacteria can also swap genes among themselves through a process called conjugation. There has long been a debate, however, as… Continue reading Managing Antibiotics Not Enough to Reverse Resistance
Antibiotics for Dental Procedures Linked to Superbug Infection
Antibiotics prescribed by dentists may contribute to the growing problem of Clostridium difficile (C. diff), a serious and potentially deadly infection that causes severe diarrhea, suggests research presented at Infectious Disease Society of America’s IDWeek 2017 in San Diego. And many of those antibiotics are likely unnecessary, researchers note. A release from the society notes… Continue reading Antibiotics for Dental Procedures Linked to Superbug Infection
Antibiotics for Simple Staph Infections?
Although the overuse of antibiotics has raised concerns about whether to give the medicines to children with simple staph infections, new research indicates that doing so may reduce the risk of such infections later on. That conclusion was reached by investigators led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. It was published online… Continue reading Antibiotics for Simple Staph Infections?
Time to Drop “Complete the Course” Message for Antibiotics
The deeply embedded message that patients should “complete the course” of antibiotics to avoid antibiotic resistance for themselves and others is not backed by evidence and should be dropped, according to Professor Martin Llewelyn at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and colleagues who published their article in July 2017 in The BMJ. A release from… Continue reading Time to Drop “Complete the Course” Message for Antibiotics
Why Antibiotics Fail
When a patient is prescribed the wrong antibiotic to treat a bacterial infection, it’s not necessarily the physician who is at fault. The current antibiotic assay — standardized in 1961 by the World Health Organization and used worldwide — is potentially flawed. So says University of California-Santa Barbara biologist Michael Mahan, whose lab has developed… Continue reading Why Antibiotics Fail
Ineffective Antibiotics and A Serious Kidney Infection
It’s already widely known that there’s an increase in illnesses and deaths linked to medication-resistant bacteria. Now, UCLA-led research shows how these bacteria are making it more difficult to treat a common but severe kidney infection. Pyelonephritis — an infection of the kidney usually caused by E. coli bacteria that can start as a urinary… Continue reading Ineffective Antibiotics and A Serious Kidney Infection
A Test for Whether Antibiotics Are Needed
Researchers at Duke Health are fine-tuning a test that can determine whether a respiratory illness is caused by infection from a virus or bacteria so that antibiotics can be more precisely prescribed. A release from Duke reports that the team of infectious disease and genomics experts has developed what they call gene signatures, patterns that… Continue reading A Test for Whether Antibiotics Are Needed
ACP, CDC Offer Advice on Prescribing Antibiotics
The American College of Physicians an the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise physicians to think twice before prescribing antibiotics for common respiratory infections. Antibiotics are overused for the common cold, bronchitis, sore throat, and sinus infections – illnesses that often resolve on their own In a paper published in January 2016 in Annals… Continue reading ACP, CDC Offer Advice on Prescribing Antibiotics
Antibiotics In Food Can Affect Patients
Scientists are saying that hospitals should combat the spread of antibiotic resistance by refusing to buy meat from animals that were given antibiotics for growth promotion. For the last two years, University of California San Francisco Medical Center has been phasing out meat from animals that were routinely fed antibiotics, and now nearly a third… Continue reading Antibiotics In Food Can Affect Patients
Blueberry Extract Could Help Fight Gum Disease
Gum disease is a common condition among adults that occurs when bacteria form biofilms or plaques on teeth, and consequently the gums become inflamed. Some severe cases, called periodontitis, call for antibiotics. But now scientists have discovered that wild blueberry extract could help prevent dental plaque formation. Their report in American Chemical Society’s Journal of… Continue reading Blueberry Extract Could Help Fight Gum Disease