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Injectafer (ferric carboxymaltose) is used to treat iron deficiency anemia. This is related to different sources, including poor nutrition, menstrual bleeding, and poor absorption. It comes as an injection administered by infusion. It is useful for people who cannot take iron by mouth or have experienced side effects or unsuccessful treatment responses from oral forms of iron. It is also prescribed to people who have long-term chronic kidney disease. Keep reading to learn more about iron deficiency anemia, how Injectafer therapy works, and the side effects and adverse effects associated with Injectafer....

What Is Invokana? Invokana (canagliflozin) is a prescription oral medication used to help lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. It can also be used to reduce heart- or kidney-related risks if you have type 2 diabetes and established heart disease or diabetes-related kidney problems, respectively. Invokana is a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor. It works by blocking the SGLT2. Cotransporters are proteins that allow different molecules to transport from one place to another in the body....

If someone in your immediate family has been diagnosed with high cholesterol, you may be wondering if you, too, are at risk. This article will discuss how high cholesterol can be hereditary, as well as how healthcare professionals diagnose and treat the condition. What Is High Cholesterol? Cholesterol is a fatty molecule that your cells need to function. These molecules are made in your liver, but they also come from your diet and other sources....

Lisinopril is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) and heart failure. It also improves survival when it is taken after a recent heart attack or stroke. Known by the brand names Prinivil and Zestril, lisinopril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. ACE inhibitors cause the blood vessels to dilate (widen), lowering blood pressure. These medications block the activity of ACE, resulting in reduced angiotensin II, which acts directly on the blood vessels....

Following illness or injury, some people may find themselves living with one eye—also known as having “monocular vision.” Once this vision loss occurs, it may be overwhelming to think about what comes next, especially in situations where the loss was sudden. Here’s how to cope with living with one eye from the emotional, physical, social, and practical standpoints so you can continue to live a full life. Emotional People who find themselves with any type of serious, unexpected vision loss—including living with one eye—tend to go through seven different emotional phases of adjusting to their new life....

Whether it’s Medicare for All or lowering the age you qualify for Medicare, there have been many proposals to make Medicare available to more people. This article will discuss how President Biden’s proposal for Medicare at 60 would work and how that could be both good and bad. The Medicare Population Medicare has provided health insurance for people 65 years and older since 1965. In its first year alone, it covered 19 million people....

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition in which a person has recurrent and excessive thoughts that are intrusive, unpleasant, and usually irrational. People with OCD may perform repetitive behaviors, such as hand-washing, counting, or checking doors, to manage the anxiety caused by these thoughts. Standard therapy for OCD includes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention (ERP). Medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may also be prescribed....

Mild arthritis is not an actual diagnosis, but rather a description of symptoms. When we think of arthritis, we usually think of debilitating joint pain and joint deformity. However, not all cases and types of arthritis will result in these severe symptoms. In fact, arthritis symptoms can range from mild to severe. If arthritis is caught and diagnosed early, treatment can help slow disease progression and keep mild arthritis from becoming severe....

Obesity has been deemed a risk factor for a more severe case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Defined as weight that is higher than what is considered a healthy weight for a given height and a body mass index (BMI) of over 30 for adults, obesity affects more than 650 million people worldwide. Obesity is linked to impaired immune function and has been shown to worsen outcomes from COVID-19. For example, people with obesity have a greater risk for hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, ventilation difficulties due to decreased lung capacity, and even death....

Personality disorders are characterized by patterns of thinking, feeling, behaving, and interacting that deviate from cultural expectations and cause significant distress and problems functioning. Personality refers to the way a person behaves, thinks, and feels, and is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. People can develop a personality disorder in adolescence or early adulthood. There are 10 personality disorders, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)....

An ophthalmologist performs photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) surgery to improve vision by altering the shape of your cornea. Lasers are used to fix refractive errors (the way your eye bends incoming light). For patients who want to see better, PRK can serve as an effective alternative to LASIK or other procedures. Here’s what you should know about PRK surgery. What Is PRK Surgery? PRK surgery is a form of laser eye surgery for patients who want to reduce their reliance on eyeglasses or contacts....

Pleural mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that causes the abnormal and malignant cell growth of the pleural layer of the lungs. Pleural mesothelioma is typically caused by exposure to asbestos, which may have caused individuals to inhale asbestos fibers. This type of cancer affects the respiratory system, initially, though this condition may spread to other areas of the body. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of pleural mesothelioma develop each year....

Qvar Redihaler (beclomethasone dipropionate) is an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) prescribed for long-term control of asthma symptoms in adults and children age 4 and over. Used twice daily, Qvar delivers medication directly to the lungs. While safe and effective for treating persistent asthma symptoms, it is not for acute episodes (asthma attacks). Qvar Redihaler replaced the original Qvar asthma inhaler in 2017. There are currently no generic versions. Uses Qvar belongs to a class of drugs called corticosteroids (also known simply as steroids) that temper the immune response and help relieve inflammation....

As men get older, the levels of testosterone in their blood often drop. This drop in testosterone has been hypothesized to lead to various things, such as decreases in sexual function, energy, mood and clarity of thinking, as well as anemia and bone breaks. Testosterone supplementation is used by some healthcare providers to help with such issues. In recent years, there has been increased interest in the clinical utility of testosterone supplementation in older men....

One of the most common sleep disorders in people with sleeping difficulties is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is diagnosed with a test called an overnight sleep study that records the activity of the body during sleep. A sleep study can provide doctors with important information about a person’s sleep cycle, including how often and how long their breathing pauses (called apnea). One of the most important measurements is a person’s oxygen level during the different stages of sleep....

Smoking cessation is also known as quitting smoking. Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, a highly addictive substance produced by the tobacco plant. Nicotine withdrawal effects often make quitting smoking difficult. Despite the difficulties in stopping, most adult cigarette smokers want to quit. In 2015, 68% of adult smokers wanted to quit. More than 50% of adult smokers made an attempt to stop in the previous year. In 2018, 55.1% of adult smokers said they attempted to quit in the previous year, but fewer than 10% of adult smokers succeeded in quitting....

A new study finds that people from lower-income communities were less likely to follow stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic because they could not afford to comply or their work could not be done remotely. Key Takeaways A study shows that following stay-at-home orders was a luxury many low-income people couldn’t afford.Many unvaccinated adults have not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine yet because they can’t afford to miss a day of work due to potential side effects....

Thyroiditis means inflammation of the thyroid gland. There are several different types of thyroiditis, depending on what is causing the gland to be inflamed in the first place, like an infection versus an autoimmune process. Symptoms of thyroiditis, either those of an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), or an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism), tend to occur in phases. A clinical examination, in addition to blood and imaging tests, is needed to diagnose thyroiditis....

Tinea manuum is a type of skin infection that is usually caused by the same type of fungus that causes athlete’s foot. Also called ringworm, this infection is contagious and can spread to different parts of the body. This article will explore the types of tinea infections, what causes them, and who is at risk, as well as what to do if you develop one of these infections. Types of Tinea Manuum Tinea is the name given to a group of infections caused by a fungus, known most commonly as ringworm....

What Is Tracleer? Tracleer (bosentan) is an oral prescription medication in the endothelin receptor antagonist drug class. It is primarily used to treat a disorder known as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Tracleer targets natural pockets on your cells known as endothelin receptors. There are a couple of types of these receptors: Endothelin receptor subtype A and subtype B. In PAH, endothelin has higher than normal levels in the body. Normally, endothelins cause blood vessels to get smaller or constrict....