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The reason why lung cancer is increasing in never smokers, especially young women, isn’t clear. That said, we do have some idea what is not causing the rise, as well as risk factors that might play a role but don’t entirely explain why rates should be rising (such as genetic predisposition). Unfortunately, the stigma of lung cancer as being a “smoker’s disease,” and the relative lack of funding compared with other common cancers, are leaving critical questions unanswered....

This week, federal officials urged a pause in the administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine due to reports that some vaccine recipients developed severe blood clots. The clots, called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), appeared in six people out of the 6.8 million people who have already received the vaccine. Key Takeaways The blood clots some people develop after oral contraceptives are different from those seen in some people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine....

Lactose is a type of sugar found in dairy products, like milk. Cow’s milk is the most common type of milk used to make dairy products. But the milk from all mammals contains lactose, including goat, sheep, and buffalo milk. Even human breast milk contains about 7% lactose. For all the foods we eat, the body has specific digestive enzymes to help break down the nutrients into smaller pieces to be absorbed and metabolized....

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are oral medications that lower blood pressure. They are used to treat a variety of heart-related conditions including high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and heart failure. They are also used to help control the progression of diabetes and kidney disease. This article looks at ACE inhibitors, their uses, precautions, and contraindications. It also discusses how to take and store ACE inhibitors, and what some of the side effects might be....

Anticipatory grief is grief that occurs before death. It is common among people facing the eventual death of a loved one or their own death. Most people expect to feel grief after a death but fewer are familiar with grief that shows up before a life ends. Because this kind of grief isn’t often discussed, you might worry that it’s not socially acceptable to express the deep pain you’re feeling. As a result, you may not get the support you need....

About 1 in 12 people in the U.S. have asthma. Sometimes, the condition causes only minor and intermittent issues. Other times, it becomes a persistent and serious problem, impacting one’s daily activities. This article is part of Health Divide: Asthma in People of Color, a destination in our Health Divide series. Meet the Expert Farah Khan, MD, is a board-certified allergist/immunologist who treats pediatric and adult patients in private practice in Northern Virginia....

What Is Auryxia? Auryxia (ferric citrate) is a type of drug called a phosphate binder that helps control phosphorus levels in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are on dialysis. It can also increase iron levels in the blood, which helps treat iron-deficiency anemia in people with severe CKD. Auryxis works by binding to phosphorus in the foods you eat so that it can be removed from the body in the stool rather than being absorbed in your digestive tract....

Having a bitter, sour, or foul taste in your mouth may be a reaction to something you ate. It’s not uncommon to suddenly “burp up” something that didn’t agree with you. However, this symptom can be worrisome if it happens frequently. Three of the more common causes of a bad taste in the mouth are: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) Medications, including chemotherapy Zinc deficiency Any change in the typical taste perception is known as dysgeusia....

Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy treatment. Since chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cells throughout the body, it can also affect the healthy cells that produce hair on the scalp and all over the body. Hair loss from chemotherapy usually starts in the few weeks following chemo. Many chemotherapy medications may cause hair loss, but not all of them will. The hair regrowth begins not long after chemotherapy treatment has ended....

When people think of chlamydia, they’re usually thinking of the bacteria that are sexually transmitted. However, there are other bacterial species within the genus Chlamydia, including Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae). This strain is spread by contact through respiratory droplets and typically causes sinusitis, bronchitis, pharyngitis, and pneumonia. It’s not clear how many people become infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae. However, many people who do get it are able to clear a mild infection on their own....

When an ear infection does not go away or keeps coming back, it is called a chronic ear infection. It often involves a hole in the eardrum, the tissue that separates the outer ear and middle ear, that does not heal. There are three common types of ear infections, but the one that affects the middle ear, known as otitis media, is the most common. The middle ear is the space behind the eardrum....

Chronic gastritis is a medical condition that causes long-term inflammation in the gastric mucosa (stomach lining). The most common cause of gastritis is an infection with a type of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), often before the age of 12. Frequent symptoms of chronic gastritis include indigestion, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and loss of appetite. Over time, gastritis can lead to complications such as ulcers and stomach cancer....

About 37 million Americans have chronic kidney disease or CKD, and 9 out of 10 of those people don’t know they have it. Most people have a pair of kidneys, which are organs located below the ribs that filter the blood to get rid of toxins and process waste to create urine. “Chronic kidney disease” is a medical term that means one or both kidneys slowly become damaged or less able to filter the blood, and over time, may not be able to filter blood at all....

Cost-sharing refers to the fact that you and your health insurer both pay a portion of your medical costs during the year. This article will explain what cost-sharing is, how it works, why it’s used, and what you should expect if and when you need medical care. Your health insurer requires you to pay part of the cost of your healthcare expenses in order to prevent over-utilization of healthcare services, and in order to keep health insurance premiums in check....

Discoid eczema causes a raised, disc-shaped rash with a well-defined border. The patches are itchy, flaky, and may also weep and crust over. It most often develops on the lower legs, but can also appear on the arms, trunk, hands, or feet. Discoid eczema is a chronic condition. The patches can last for months, or years in some cases, and are likely to reoccur. Discoid eczema is also called nummular eczema, nummular dermatitis, and discoid dermatitis....

Uterine fibroids (leiomyomas) are noncancerous growths made of connective tissue and muscle of the uterus. Fibroids range in size. Some are as small as seeds, and others are so big they can enlarge the uterus. You can have one fibroid or many at a time. Up to 80% of people with a uterus experience fibroids at some point during their childbearing years. Though many people with fibroids experience no symptoms, approximately 30% will have symptoms that include pelvic pain and pressure, back pain, and pain during sex....

Many people ask, “Does cancer hurt?” The answer is not simple. There are many different types of cancer pain, and some people with cancer will have a lot of pain, whereas others experience minimal pain. Cancer causes pain in different ways, and several factors can affect the degree of pain. It’s helpful to communicate with your healthcare provider about your pain so that you can get effective pain relief with the fewest side effects....

An erythrocyte sedimentation rate, commonly referred to as a sed rate, is a blood test that is used to diagnose nonspecific inflammation in the body. An elevated (abnormally high) sed rate suggests that there is an ongoing inflammatory process, but this test doesn’t identify where it is in the body or why it’s occurring. Your healthcare provider may order this test during an evaluation for possible rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, to monitor diseases such as cancer, or for other reasons....

Our fingers are important! We use them constantly, all day long: to brush our teeth, to send emails, to cook our meals. When arthritis affects the fingers, everyday tasks become difficult and painful. So what can we do when our finger joints begin to cause problems? This article provides more information about arthritis in the fingers, what causes it, and what you can do to help keep your fingers moving....

Influenza, commonly known as “the flu,” is a virus that affects millions of people in the United States each year. Most people recover after a short bout of illness. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that between 1999 and 2019, 1.8 of every 100,000 people in the U.S. who got the flu died from it. The severity of the flu, and its subsequent impact, changes from year to year....