Articles filed under 'URINARY CONDITIONS'
A study at the University of Minnesota indicated that persons who gave one of their kidneys lived a normal life span and were as healthy as those in the general population. The four-decade study of 3,700 donors is the largest, longest study to examine long-term outcomes. Having one kidney did not raise the risk of kidney failure later in life. Rates of kidney failure were found to be even lower in donors than in the general population.
Findings were published in the January issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. A transplant surgeon from the University Maryland, not involved in the research, greeted the news with enthusiasm. He called this study “a confirmation that living donation is a safe thing.â€
Most former donors tested in this study showed good kidney function and enjoyed an excellent quality of life. Researchers attributed their good, long-term outcomes to the rigorous screening criteria originally used to pick donors. Those who elected to give a kidney were required to be healthy and have no kidney problems, high blood pressure or diabetes. The last two factors are main causes of kidney disease.
Kidneys filter waste and excess fluid from blood. Patients with kidney failure have only two options:Â dialysis or a kidney transplant. The national waiting list is long, with more than 78,000 waiting for a donor with the right matching characteristics. Today, with the rising incidence of obesity and diabetes, the need for donor kidneys has climbed dramatically.
Researchers recognize the sacrifice made by kidney donors. Their generosity of spirit will not go unrewarded if at some time in the future the kidney donor needs a transplant. Those individuals would be given priority on the waiting list.
Study donors were primarily white and younger than the donors of decades later. Results found in this group may not apply to populations donating a kidney today. The main value of this reassuring study is its large size and duration. Living donation has increased in recent years as more people have become willing donors and newer surgical techniques have shortened recovery time. In 2007, nearly 17,000 kidneys transplanted in the U.S. came from living donors.
Source:Â original article by Stephanie Nano, Associated Press; San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland Tribune on January 29, 2009. (blog article by Anna Dabney)
January 29th, 2009
terine Cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, which actually start in the lining of the cells in the uterus. The womb or the uterus is a vital part of the reproductive system in a woman.
Type of Uterine Cancer
Uterine cancer may denote various types of cancers, which occur in a woman’s uterus. Uterine sarcomas, commonly known to be leiomyosarcomas are a type of uterine cancer, which occurs in the muscular layer of a uterus. Endometrial cancer is another type of uterine cancer, which originates from the cells that are located in the glands of the uterine lining or the endometrium. Cervical cancer is a different type of uterine cancer, which is known to arise from the lower portion of a uterus. It extends to the transitional zone of a woman’s cervix and connecting to the upper part of her vagina.
Symptoms of Uterine Cancer
A woman having uterine cancer can notice some common symptoms. However, they may differ from person to person depending upon the disease in consideration. Commons symptoms include painful or difficult urination, unusual discharge or vagina bleeding, extreme pain during the time of having sexual intercourse, a typical pelvic lump, abnormal weight loss, pain in the pelvic region and having never breast-fed. In fact, uterine cancer occurs rarely before menopause, during which a woman have regular menstrual periods.
It generally occurs during the time when the regular menstruation cycle stops. If a woman notices reappearance of bleeding at this stage of her life, she should immediately bring it to the attention of her general physician, as there may be a possibility of uterine cancer.
The most common symptom of uterine cancer is abnormal bleeding from a woman’s uterus after her menopause. The bleeding may be in the form of a blood streaked, watery discharge containing more blood. In some cases, a woman may experience lower abdominal pain too.
Causes behind Uterine Cancer
There are different causes of uterine cancer, which have been discovered till date. Diabetes, obesity, polycystic ovaries having prolonged anovulation, nulliparity or having borne not a single child, lack of menstruation, extended usage of tamoxifen for the treatment of breast cancers and taking unopposed estrogen without progestin are some of the valid causes of uterine cancer.
Diagnosing the Disease
Uterine cancer can be diagnosed by endometrial and endocervical sampling. Apart from these techniques, vaginal ultrasonography is also used to detect the thickness of the endometrium because increased thickness of the uterus may determine some serious cancerous change. Apart from this, the Pap test can also be an accurate way detecting uterine cancer but cannot be termed as a reliable source.
Treatment of Uterine Cancer
The treatment of uterine cancer is performed on the basis of grade and stage of the cancer. Abdominal hysterectomy is a standard therapy, which involves in the surgical removal of the woman’s uterus along with both the ovaries and fallopian tubes, washing of the abdominal cavity to determine malignant cells and the selective removal of the aortic and pelvic lymph nodes. Many doctors prefer usage of hormone therapy that removes the possibility of metastatic cancer. Again, women also opt for radiation therapy for the treatment of their uterine cancer.
Although treatment is a possibility for Uterine Cancer, still you should take immediate action after noticing the symptoms. Don’t let it reach a level from where it cannot be cured!
To Your Health!
About the Author
Abortion Clinic. Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the Orlando Women’s Center in March 1996 to provide a full range of health care for women, including
abortion clinic, physical examinations, family planning, counseling, laboratory services and sexually transmitted disease screening and counseling.
Abortion Clinic.
January 27th, 2009
Results of recent studies have revived the controversy over circumcision in infants. The U.S. leads the way in holding to this practice, although in the past decade or so, the surgical procedure has declined. A 1999 survey of hospital records found circumcision rates varying widely by region — 81% in the Midwest, 66% in the Northeast, 64% in the South and 37% in the West.
In Europe, Asia, and Latin America, baby boys are not routinely circumcised, however Jewish and Muslim faiths traditionally subscribe to circumcision. Recent international studies have cast new light on the subject. Two trials held in Africa involving more than 7,500 men were stopped early because results showed that circumcised adult males had a 51% to 60% lower rate of contracting HIV, the AIDS virus, than their uncircumcised counterparts.
Researchers believe that the warm, moist area under foreskins of uncircumcised men can breed infections. Lifestyle and personal cleaning habits may have more impact on health, however, than the surgical removal of foreskin. In some areas of the world, clean water and soap may not be widely available, and in these areas, circumcision may make sense.
Doctors in the U.S. are split in their opinions on the potential benefits of circumcision. Those opposed believe that circumcision does unnecessary violence to the infant’s genitals, and that the decision should be left to the male in adulthood. Furthermore, they believe that removing a baby boy’s foreskin might diminish his sexual pleasure when he becomes sexually active.
Doctors who favor the procedure point out that studies over the years have shown circumcised males to have lower rates of urinary tract infections, penile cancer (a rare condition), and a variety of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Circumcised baby boys have fewer urinary tract infections and possibly other problems, but these can be treated with antibiotics or other strategies if needed.
Tradition, religion and philosophical beliefs will continue to be factors involved in the emotional choice involving circumcision. In the final analysis, it is up to the parents, guided by information from their baby’s doctor, to make the decision.
Whatever parents decide for their newborn sons will probably be fine, as there appear to be advantages and disadvantages either way. When in doubt, why not leave the penis intact and let the individual decide as an adult?
Source:Â MSNBC
March 5th, 2007
A nationwide, federally funded study involving 322 women having surgery for uterine prolapse showed conclusively that future bladder problems can be prevented with four additional stitches.
Uterine prolapse occurs when the uterus sags into the birth canal and causes pain. Frequent childbirths are generally a contributing factor. About 200,000 women have this condition corrected surgically each year.
The surgery itself can lead to bladder problems unless a second step, called the Burch procedure, is added. This procedure involves placing four permanent stitches (from the vagina to a pelvic ligament), forming a “hammock†that keeps urinary control muscle supported.
Women in the group that did not receive the extra stitches developed bladder control problems with greater frequency than those who did. Also known as “stress incontinence,†urine can leak when a woman coughs, sneezes or laughs hard.
The study showed that only 6% of women given the Burch procedure during uterine prolapse surgery developed urinary control symptoms three months later. Of those who didn’t receive the additional four stitches, 25% developed bothersome and embarrassing stress incontinence.
Because the benefits of the Burch procedure were so obvious, the study was stopped early. The technique was developed in the 1960s by Dr. John Burch, a Tennessee obstetrician. Other methods are also used to treat or prevent urinary leakage, but the study did not examine them.
This study demonstrated for the first time that an operation can actually prevent stress incontinence. Principal investigator Dr. Linda Brubaker of Loyola University pointed out that study findings are a big step forward in providing better solutions for these common women’s health problems.
Source: Associated Press
April 20th, 2006
