When some Oregon patients undergo surgery, they often receive a peripheral nerve block to prevent excess pain. While surgeons usually mark where the block needs to go, the anesthesiologist is the doctor who actually does the procedure. After prepping the...
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Failure To Diagnose
Study highlights MS misdiagnosis issues
A study published in the journal Neurology on Aug. 31 suggests that multiple sclerosis is routinely mistaken for other common medical conditions in patients in Oregon and around the country. The findings were the result of research done by 24 MS specialist...
Impact of misdiagnosing asthma
Asthma involves the swelling and inflammation of the airways and affects more than 25 million people in the country. Approximately 7 million of those are children. Oregon residents who suffer from the disorder or who are parents of children who do should be...
Facts about breast cancer testing
With all the tests used to determine breast cancer, sometimes multiple exams may produce different results. For example, while genetic DNA testing may reveal a low risk for cancer, traditional tests results for the same patient may be the exact opposite. There...
Learning more about rare diseases in Oregon
In the United States, a rare disease is any disease that impacts 200,000 or fewer people. Currently, there are anywhere from 25 million to 30 million Americans who have a rare disease. This means that as many as 1 in 10 people are afflicted with one of these...
Medical errors still exist despite increasing patient safety
Unfortunately, medical errors still occur in Oregon even though most doctors strive to provide top-notch care. A study from John's Hopkins University analyzed data from approximately 35 million hospital admissions to determine why there are about 200,000 deaths...
Why EDS is tough to diagnose in Oregon
What may seem to be tendinitis of the knee or bursitis of the shoulder in some patients may actually be a condition called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. This disorder can also cause some patients to experience chronic fatigue or nausea in combination with sore joints...
The long-term impact of TIAs
Oregon residents may be interested to learn that research from the University of Birmingham disputes the notion that TIAs, or mini-strokes, and their aftereffects are temporary in nature. The study also asserts that clinical guidelines should be revised to...
Debilitating bladder condition rarely diagnosed
While few Oregon residents may have heard of interstitial cystitis, millions of Americans suffer from the painful and sometimes debilitating bladder condition. Physicians too are often in the dark about the inflammatory condition that is also known as painful...
Organizations trying to improve endometriosis care
Oregon women who suffer from endometriosis may be interested to learn that two leading nonprofit women's health organizations are teaming up to increase awareness of the disease and improve treatments. Endometriosis affects approximately 10 percent of women of...