Airway Disease and IBD

Shared inflammatory pathways and genetics may predispose patients with respiratory conditions to developing IBD Ever-mounting evidence is strengthening the link between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and immune-mediated respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Research has suggested that IBD and airway illnesses likely share common inflammatory pathways as well as predisposing

Gender-Specific IBD Burden Heavier for Women

Safe conception and pregnancy during treatment, but also at issue: body image, sexuality, cervical cancer risk Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), affecting approximately one in 500 people in the United States, occurs about equally in men and women. But gender-specific physiologic and psychological differences can have an impact on patient care and outcomes, especially in females

Use domperidone with caution

Clinicians should advise patients taking domperidone for gastroparesis to inform their other heath care practitioners and check to ensure there are no interactions with other medications, writes ACG Past President Dr. David Johnson of the Eastern Virginia Medical School. An American College of Gastroenterology guideline states that gastroparesis patients who cannot take metoclopramide can use

Recurrence of reflux after surgery

A study found 17.7% of patients who had primary laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery experienced recurrent gastroesophageal reflux disease, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. For patients who had recurrent reflux, 16.4% had a second surgery and 83.6% went on long-term anti-reflux medication. Study: 17.7% of patients get GERD after anti-reflux surgery

Adenomatous polyps higher in blacks than predicted

Results from a small group of mostly black patients who participated in a free screening colonoscopy initiative at an urban hospital showed adenomas were found in 78.8%, while advanced adenomas were found in 35%, researchers told the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s annual meeting. Dr. Muhammed Hassan of Howard University Hospital said more research is

A perfect playlist for colonoscopy prep?

Here’s a hilarious list of music that might be appropriate–or inappropriate!–for your “private time” while prepping for a colonoscopy: Retired cantor Janice Woltag Cohen just turned 50. We Boomers all know what that means. It’s Colonoscopy Time! A colonoscopy! That fabulous 50th birthday present you give to yourself. Yes, it’s yucky. But it’s absolutely necessary.

Women injecting drugs at higher risk for Hep C than men

The risk of becoming infected with the hepatitis C virus is 39% higher for women who inject drugs compared with their male counterparts, according to findings published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. The study evaluated data from seven studies on HIV and HCV involving 1,868 people in the US, Australia and Europe who inject

San Diego Health Emergency from Hepatitis A Outbreak

Cases linked to the outbreak of Hepatitis A were first reported in November. As of Friday, more than 15 people in the area have died from hepatitis infections and more than 350 others are ill. San Diego’s homeless population has been hit hardest by the highly contagious hepatitis A virus. According to the World Health Organization most