The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 20 million people in the United States suffer from chronic kidney disease. Diabetics or individuals with elevated blood pressure are considered to be at higher risk than others of suffering the condition. In fact, the American Diabetes Association says diabetes is the main cause of end-stage kidney disease and...
Read MoreA new study has found that even mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can lead to permanent cognitive impairment. The study, published in a recent edition of the medical journal Neurology, focuses on the use of a very specialized form of MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging. The test, called DTI, or diffusion tensor imaging, provides an image of the brain...
Read MoreMany doctors consider their profession an art. Medicine has its creative aspects to be sure, but it is more deeply rooted in science. Anatomy, biology, chemistry are all aspects of medical practice and discoveries mean diagnostic methods and standards of care are constantly being refined. Today, we are at a point where nearly every specialty has its own set...
Read MoreResearchers who study patient safety say that hundreds of thousands of Americans die every year as a result of errors in care delivered in the nation’s hospitals. Depending on who is offering up the numbers, death estimates run anywhere from about 200,000 to 440,000 annually. Making the numbers all the more disturbing is that these deaths are considered preventable....
Read MoreIt sounds like something out of science fiction but brain researchers at a number of centers around the country hope to make it science fact. The question they are tasked with answering is whether it is possible to create a device that would help victims of severe brain injury recover one of the most elusive of faculties — the...
Read MoreWhen the car is broken, you take it to the mechanic. When your body is broken, you take it to the doctor. Sadly, though, it is probably fair to say that when it comes to gauging the quality of care we receive in either instance, chances are good we’re more confident in the value our mechanic is delivering to...
Read MoreObstetricians generally agree that talking about the risks of environmental hazards with their pregnant patients would be doing the women a great service. But a recent survey of practitioners in that specialty reveals few bring up the subject. Why? That the issue is a serious one is not in dispute. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,...
Read MoreKansas City is a great place to live. That doesn’t mean it is without its issues. According to The Kansas City Star, the city has earned the dubious distinction in each of the past four years of being one of the most deadly cities in the United States. The basis of that tag is the number of homicides recorded....
Read MoreIt’s summer time. Children are out of school and on their bicycles all around the Kansas City area. The risk of one of them getting hurt in a collision with a car or truck is higher just because of the greater volume of traffic. Anyone who has ever witnessed or been the victim of such an accident knows that...
Read MoreDoctors have known for some time that diabetes increases the risk of heart disease, so you would think that a heart attack would be a clue that a patient should be checked for diabetes. Unfortunately, a new study out of the University of Missouri at Kansas City suggests that such checks often are overlooked. The consequences of such a...
Read More