Doctors rank patients’ own assessment of their illness as least important in diagnosis – new study: Ground Picture/Shutterstock Medical paternalism, where “doctors know best” and patient views and opinions are considered to be of lower importance, is viewed as increasingly unacceptable. We are in an age where patient-centred care and shared-decision making is encouraged between …
Like many women, I didn’t know I was autistic until adulthood – how late diagnosis can hurt mental health and self image: Dagerotip/Shutterstock For many women, adult diagnoses of autism are “a light in the darkness”, an epiphany of self-understanding. My “lightbulb moment” came in my late 20s. “They thought you were autistic,” my mum …
Autism: later-life diagnosis doesn’t mean lower quality of life – new research: Our research suggests the age people find out they're autistic does not necessarily impact their quality of life afterward. Lightspring/ Shutterstock A growing number of people are discovering that they are autistic in adulthood. This is especially the case among women, with a …
Foetal alcohol syndrome: facial modelling study explores technology to aid diagnosis: Advances in facial recognition technology may have useful applications in healthcare. Getty Images Foetal alcohol syndrome is a lifelong condition caused by exposing an unborn baby to alcohol. It’s a pattern of mental, physical and behavioural symptoms seen in some people whose mothers consumed …
Ankylosing spondylitis: machine learning could pave the way for early diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis: An X-ray image comparing a healthy spine and one showing signs of ankylosing spondylitis. Suttha Burawonk/Shutterstock Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is the second most common type of inflammatory arthritis, often affecting teenagers and young adults. Symptoms of AS can include back pain, …
Better bipolar diagnosis may reduce suicide rates in boys – new research: Lopolo/Shutterstock Suicide rarely happens in the absence of severe mental health problems. Research indicates that psychiatric disorders are prevalent in up to 90% of adolescents who die from suicide. In particular, what are known as affective disorders, such as major depressive disorder and …
COVID testing led to new techniques of disease diagnosis: progress mustn’t stop now: Covid-19 exposed critical shortcomings of existing diagnostic techniques Michael Tewelde/Xinhua via Getty Images In March 2020, weeks before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, its director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivered a speech in which he emphasised the importance of …
People with endometriosis and PCOS wait years for a diagnosis – attitudes to women’s pain may be to blame: Many women are told not to complain about pain. goffkein.pro/ Shutterstock Former Miss Ireland, Chelsea Farrell, recently shared the story of how she ended up in the emergency room in severe pain with a twisted ovarian …
Endometriosis: understanding how sufferers describe pain could lead to faster diagnosis: Women wait up to eight years to receive an endometriosis diagnosis. Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock Though endometriosis affects an estimated one in ten women of reproductive age, most women with the condition visit a GP over ten times before being referred to specialist care …
Too many neurodiverse children don’t have a full diagnosis – here’s why: It is often at primary school that symptoms of neurodiverse conditions first come to light. AndrewHeffernan Neurodiversity is an elaborate word for all the different atypical ways in which individual brains can function. It covers both learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, and developmental conditions, …
Many East Africans miss out on disease diagnosis. What must be done about it: A researcher prepares reagents for testing the samples for the COVID-19 coronavirus at the laboratory of Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) BRIAN ONGORO/AFP via Getty Images Early diagnosis is crucial for the effective management of any disease. In Africa, this isn’t …
South Africa in the news: Brain Tumor Diagnosis & Therapeutics Market Research Report by Type – Global Forecast to 2025 – Cumulative Impact of COVID-19: Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report “Brain Tumor Diagnosis & Therapeutics Market Research Report by Type – Global Forecast to 2025 – Cumulative Impact of COVID-19” – The report …
Mistake discovered in autism guidelines – many could have missed a diagnosis: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock If a person thinks they might have autism, they will usually see their general practitioner as the first port of call. The GP will use a screening test to help them decide if the person should be referred to a specialist for …
Parkinson’s disease: blood changes may occur years before diagnosis: Patients had fewer lymphocytes in their blood. Alexander Raths/ Shutterstock Although Parkinson’s disease affects around 1%-2% of people over the age of 65, there is currently no cure. And by the time it is diagnosed – typically by identifying problems with movement, such as slower movements …
The benefits of integrating the diagnosis of depression and diabetes treatment: Depression screening must happen in the chronic care clinics. GettyImages Many low- and middle-income countries have a large treatment gap for common mental disorders, including depression. Malawi, where we conducted research into the effects of including depression screening and treatment in diabetes care, is …
South Africa in the news: Ben Stokes says he needed break from cricket after father’s cancer diagnosis: Ben Stokes has admitted his head “wasn’t really in” England’s recent Test series with Pakistan, after it was revealed his father Ged is suffering from brain cancer. Stokes left for New Zealand – where …: “South Africa” – …
South Africa in the news: Stokes ‘didn’t sleep for a week’ after father’s diagnosis: His illness was diagnosed in January when he returned to Christchurch from South Africa where he had been watching England’s four-Test series against South Africa. Ged Stokes was admitted to hospital …: “South Africa” – BingNews Hawks bust illegal gold refinery …
Boris Johnson’s coronavirus diagnosis: what history teaches us about prime ministers and illness: It is routinely claimed that the present situation is unprecedented. Historians are deservedly secondary to epidemiologists as we try to understand how to manage the coronavirus pandemic, but though unable to provide inoculation, they can at least offer rectification. As overstated as …