Linda Fugate PhD

When was the last time you had a tetanus shot? Have you had your adult pertussis booster yet? Do you get the recommended influenza vaccine every year? And what about those other adult ...

Food poisoning (infectious gastroenteritis) typically causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Usually these symptoms clear up in about a week, but some patients develop lifelong problems. Maryn ...

Choosing surgery is a big decision for many health issues. Fortunately, advances in surgical technique offer less invasive options with improved outcomes for many patients. Myasthenia gravis ...

IgA is a protein that is part of the immune system's defense against infection. In patients with IgA nephropathy, the protein forms deposits in the kidneys and interferes with their function. ...

Guillain-Barre Syndrome is an autoimmune disorder of the peripheral nervous system, causing weakness and tingling sensations. Patients may need a mechanical ventilator to help them breathe, ...

Graves disease is an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland. Up to 90 percent of adult patients have some changes in the muscle tissue around the eyes, while 25 to 50 percent have clinical eye ...

Degos disease is a rare but deadly condition that develops mostly in patients with autoimmune disorders, including lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome. It is also called malignant ...

Some degree of hearing loss is common with age. Most types are irreversible, but autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) is an exception. Maria C. Buniel and colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic ...

Celiac disease is an underappreciated issue in women's health, according to Sveta Shah. Up to 8 percent of women with unexplained infertility may be affected, compared to about 1 percent of the ...

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Balo's disease, or concentric sclerosis, is an unusual variant that tends to progress rapidly. The American ...

Most of us have heard that too much salt is bad. Ordinary iodized table salt is almost all sodium chloride, with a small amount of potassium iodide. It's the sodium that causes problems for ...

Up to 25 percent of women who have two or more spontaneous miscarriages have antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), according to the web site of the APS Foundation of America (APSFA). Other names ...

Ankylosing spondylitis is a form of arthritis that affects primarily the spine. The Spondylitis Association of America web page explains that spondylitis means inflammation of the spine, and ...

The relationship between autoimmunity and lymphoma may become clearer with the study of autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome, or ALPS, according to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases ...

Autoimmune disease strikes women in 75 percent of cases, according to the American Autoimmune Diseases Association (AARDA). One of the less common types is Addison's disease. In this ...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune disorder that is divided into two major categories, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Standard treatment includes anti-inflammatory ...

Norovirus infection can make for a miserable cruise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site, this gastrointestinal virus causes acute gastroenteritis, which is ...

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease that most commonly affects women under the age of 50. The skin, joints, kidneys, and brain are the primary sites affected. Women with ...

The death of a young Navajo man in 1993 alerted Americans to the risk of hantavirus infection. Since that time, cases have been reported in 32 states. The Centers for Disease Control and ...

Antibiotic resistance of important bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus motivates researchers to look for antibiotic potential in different sources. Honey is a promising candidate. Dr. P. H. ...

Autoimmune diseases in general are difficult to diagnose, according to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association web site. Dr. S. Zeerleder of the University of Amsterdam, the ...

A Texas law that took effect in January 2012 requires nearly all college students to be vaccinated against bacterial meningitis. Jessica Vess of KVUE News reported that the state legislature ...

Antibiotics are not appropriate for most acute respiratory infections, according to a report by Linda F. McCaig of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, patients continue ...

Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection that can cause serious illness in patients with compromised immune systems, including rheumatoid arthritis patients who take immunomodulatory drugs. ...

Colds, allergies, and sinus infections can block the nasal passages with mucus and swelling. Neti pots are widely available to irrigate the nose with salt water. Dr. James T. C. Li provided a ...

Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacteria that often lives on the skin without causing harm. When it penetrates the skin through a cut, sore, or surgical intervention, it can cause staph ...

Both Steve Jobs and Ralph Steinman made the news for their deaths from pancreatic cancer in 2011. Steve Jobs was the wealthy businessman who ran Apple Computer. Ralph Steinman was a scientist who ...

An appendectomy is surgery to remove the appendix, which is a small extension of the intestines. Appendectomy is the most common emergency surgery performed worldwide. It is the standard ...

Liver cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death. The American Cancer Society estimates 26,190 new cases in the United States and 19,590 deaths for 2011. Liver transplantation is the ...

Tetanus remains a rare but life-threatening disease, caused by the toxin of a spore-forming bacterial species. The bacteria and their spores are widely distributed in soil. The Centers for Disease ...

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common type of primary brain cancer. Current treatments with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are less successful against brain cancers than against other ...

Pomegranates are sweet, tasty fruits that have been valued since ancient times for their health benefits as well as their flavor. Julie Jurenka provided a review. The Ayurvedic and Unami systems ...

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Early detection and treatment are easy in principle, but in practice many of these cancers are diagnosed only after they have metastasized. The ...

Rhinosinusitis is the medical term for inflammation of the nose and sinuses, caused by infection or allergies. It is a major health problem in the United States. Dr. Eli O. Meltzer of the Allergy ...

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in U. S. females. The American Cancer Society estimates 71,340 deaths from lung cancer in American women in 2011. For men, the number is only ...

Autoimmune disease is a major cause of illness and disability for women. There are over 100 serious illnesses caused by the autoimmune process. The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association ...

Urban air pollution from automobile traffic contains low levels of carcinogens in the form of ultrafine particles. Since large population numbers are exposed to this type of pollution, even a ...

Tuberculosis is the infection most likely to cause death in HIV patients, according to a series of articles in the October 20, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Treating the two ...

Colorectal cancer is second only to lung cancer in the number of cases diagnosed in the United States, and it is one of the top cancer killers for both men and women. Fortunately, most cases can ...

Bronchitis is a common complication of viral respiratory infections, including colds and flu. It is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes, the main air passages in the lungs. The U. S. National ...

Higher socioeconomic status is usually associated with better health, but the opposite is true for breast cancer patients. A Canadian study of 226,169 cases showed that women from higher income ...

Whooping cough is on the rise in teenagers and adults, even though they were vaccinated as young children. Jennie S. Lavine of Pennsylvania State University and colleagues investigated the trends ...

Radiation therapy is a common part of cancer treatment. Advances in both imaging technology and radiation delivery provide more a more specific attack on the cancer with less damage to surrounding ...

The respiratory infection diphtheria has been almost eradicated by vaccines. But not quite. Most of us hear about it only in terms of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine. The ...

No one wants to be cured of cancer just to die of a heart attack. Unfortunately, many of the chemotherapy agents used to treat cancer have damaging effects on the heart. Physicians must carefully ...

Pneumonia remains a major health issue, even with the availability of antibiotics and vaccines. The medical literature includes distinctions between community acquired pneumonia (CAP), ...

Vulvar cancer is one of the least well-known cancers of the female reproductive system. It develops in the external female genitals, known as the vulva. The U. S. National Library of ...

Children still die from influenza in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages better vaccination coverage to prevent these deaths. Lenee Blanton and ...

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States for both men and women. Overall, lung cancer rates are on the decline along with rates of tobacco usage. However, there are ...

Sore throat is one of the most common symptoms that sends people to doctor's offices. Antibiotics can help if the cause of a sore throat is bacterial, but most cases are caused by viruses. Dr. ...