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) Northeast Ohio Health and Medical Consumer News
But about 10 percent of those who suffer from acid reflux will develop a precancerous condition known as Barrett's esophagus. In turn, about one in 200 of those cases will develop into a type of esophageal cancer that's one of the deadliest cancers to treat. And while those numbers may seem low, the rate of adenocarcinoma esophageal cancer is climbing at such a high rate that new attention is being paid to the cause and treatments for Barrett's and esophageal cancer.The esophagus is a long tube from the pharynx that contracts to help move food into the stomach. People with Barrett's have a damaged esophagus lining and a loosening of the esophageal sphincter, which helps keep food down.
White men over 50, with a history of chronic heartburn, have the highest risk for Barrett's. More>>
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) Doctor, doctor
The American Nurses Study, which churns out data on tens of thousands of women, links oestrogen-containing HRT with reflux of acid from the stomach into the oesophagus - the underlying cause of heartburn. Women taking HRT were some one and a half times more likely than those who had never taken it to report reflux symptoms. Raloxifene (an anti-breast cancer agent that acts on oestrogen receptors) and herbal medicines such as soya (often taken instead of HRT) produced similar results. Common to all treatments is a rise in blood levels of nitric oxide, which relaxes the muscle between the oesophagus and stomach. But don't stop the HRT: talk to your GP about heartburn relief. It should deal with your discomfort.I've just had a baby and have very painful wrists from constantly picking her up. More>>
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) Rare disease often gets misdiagnosed
Our mother, Pat Griffin, became part of this percentage, being first misdiagnosed with acid reflux. The treatment only delayed her true diagnosis.Two months ago, she started experiencing abdominal pain and unusual swelling in her side. Tests revealed that she actually had a tumor.
Unfortunately, even the type of tumor was misdiagnosed as colon cancer. It was not until her surgery that doctors finally discovered she was suffering from a very rare neuroendocrine tumor.
After surgery, her condition quickly worsened, and the late diagnosis prevented her from receiving the treatment she actually needed.
Abdominal pain, flushing, diarrhea, wheezing, skin rash, heartburn, fatigue, heart palpitations, low blood pressure, and weight changes are the most prevalent symptoms of carcinoid/NETs. More>>
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) Panel finds widespread Gulf War illness
He said civilian doctors have diagnosed him with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, dizziness, confusion, acid reflux disease and chronic sinusitis.He was not among the 100,000 U.S. troops who were potentially exposed to low-levels of Sarin gas, a nerve agent, as a result of large-scale U.S. demolitions of Iraqi munitions near Khamisiyah, Iraq, in 1991.
Troops who were downwind from the demolitions have died from brain cancer at twice the rate of other Gulf War veterans, the report stated.
A panel member, Dr. Roberta White, chair of environmental health at the Boston University School of Public Health, found evidence last year linking low-level exposure to nerve gas among in Persian Gulf troops with lasting brain deficits.
The extent of the deficits - less brain “white matter” and reduced cognitive function -- corresponded to the extent of the exposure. More>>