There has been a sharp increase in cases of mumps this year in England – but the viral illness which can cause swollen glands (and, more rarely, testes) has been around for a very long time. Way back in the 5th Century BC, Hippocrates is thought to be the first person to have recorded the… Read More »
U.S. health officials confirmed 71 new cases of measles last week, putting this year just a few dozen cases shy of becoming the worst year on record since the disease was said to be eradicated from the U.S. in 2000.
Forgive the autobiographical nature of this post, but here’s a recap on how I started down the path to becoming an infectious disease (ID) doctor. To begin, understand that my first year of medical school was rough going. In hindsight, this wasn’t surprising. After majoring in English during college (with a minor in the Harvard Lampoon to develop… Read More »
A drug used to help control blood sugar in people with diabetes has now been shown to help prevent or slow kidney disease, which causes millions of deaths each year and requires hundreds of thousands of people to use dialysis to stay alive. Doctors say it’s hard to overstate the importance of this study, and… Read More »
Conditions So often your lumps, bumps, rashes, and red spots are harmless. Occasionally, they’re a sign of something far more serious. Here’s how to tell the difference. Your neck looks dirty A rash-like discoloration called acanthosis nigricans “almost looks like dirt but has a velvety feel,” says Todd Sontag, DO, a family medicine specialist with… Read More »