Disease — Page 2

Sickle cell disease is rife in west Africa – a fresh approach is needed to combat it

Sickle cell disease is rife in west Africa – a fresh approach is needed to combat it: Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest prevalence of sickle cell disease Wikimedia Commons Sickle cell disease refers to a group of inherited blood disorders with symptoms like anaemia and blocked blood vessels. About 80% of the …

Crohn’s disease: bacteria in the mouth may be a cause – here’s why

Crohn’s disease: bacteria in the mouth may be a cause – here’s why: We swallow millions of bacteria each day in our saliva. Maxx-Studio/ Shutterstock Crohn’s disease affects four million people worldwide. The condition causes debilitating symptoms such as chronic fatigue, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, weight loss and malnutrition. Once symptoms develop, Crohn’s is a lifelong …

Rapid weight loss may improve advanced fatty liver disease – new research

Rapid weight loss may improve advanced fatty liver disease – new research: Participants followed the 'soups and shakes' diet to help them lose weight. New Africa/ Shutterstock Around 2% of adults worldwide suffer from a condition called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (Nash), an advanced form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This occurs when fat builds up in …

Microbiome: certain gut microbes may warn of Alzheimer’s disease long before the first symptoms begin

Microbiome: certain gut microbes may warn of Alzheimer’s disease long before the first symptoms begin: sfam_photo/Shutterstock What if the microbes in your gut could act as an early warning system, alerting you that you could be developing Alzheimer’s disease? This might sound improbable, but recent research has found certain microbes are more common in those …

The lesser-known risk factors for heart disease

The lesser-known risk factors for heart disease: Daisy Daisy/Shutterstock Most people know that the risk factors for heart disease are high blood pressure, smoking, raised cholesterol and being overweight. However, many people who have a heart attack do not have any of these traditional risk factors. Research has suggested that conditions such as gout, psoriasis, …

Why understanding how spiders spin silk may hold clues for treating Alzheimer’s disease

Why understanding how spiders spin silk may hold clues for treating Alzheimer’s disease: novama/Shutterstock Really, we should envy spiders. Imagine being able to make silk like they do, flinging it around to get from place to place, always having a strong-as-steel safety line or spinning a comfy hammock whenever they need a rest. The fascinating …

Thousands of badgers being farmed in South Korea could be a disease risk

Thousands of badgers being farmed in South Korea could be a disease risk: Photographer wishes to remain anonymous , Author provided Campaigners in South Korea are celebrating news that the country will ban bear farming by 2026. This follows three decades of uncertainty over an industry dogged by claims of poor welfare conditions, animal abuse …

How good is ChatGPT at diagnosing disease? A doctor puts it through its paces

How good is ChatGPT at diagnosing disease? A doctor puts it through its paces: Phonlamai Photo/Shutterstock For years, many have feared that artificial intelligence (AI) will take over national security mechanisms, leading to human slavery, domination of human society and perhaps the annihilation of humans. One way of killing humans is medical misdiagnosis, so it …

Sudan: violence between army and militia is a symptom of an old disease that is destroying Africa

Sudan: violence between army and militia is a symptom of an old disease that is destroying Africa: A three-day ceasefire to mark the Islamic festival of Eid-al-Fitr in Khartoum appears to be dead in the water as fighting continues in the Sudanese capital. According to the World Health Organization, more than 330 people have been …

Risk of heart disease lower when obesity is due to genetics rather than lifestyle – new research

Risk of heart disease lower when obesity is due to genetics rather than lifestyle – new research: peakanucha/Shutterstock It’s well known that a high body mass index (BMI) has negative effects on our health, increasing the risk of several diseases. This is concerning since nearly one-third of the world’s population is now classified as overweight …

COVID testing led to new techniques of disease diagnosis: progress mustn’t stop now

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 …

TB in children isn’t being controlled – it’s key to fighting the disease for everyone else

TB in children isn’t being controlled – it’s key to fighting the disease for everyone else: In many developing countries TB vaccination for children after birth is mandatory. Paul Kane/Getty Images World TB Day on March 24th will commemorate the day in 1882 when Professor Robert Koch announced in Berlin that he had discovered the …

We’re a step closer to learning how misplaced DNA could influence disease risk

We’re a step closer to learning how misplaced DNA could influence disease risk: Shutterstock DNA is our body’s instruction manual. It contains all the information that our cells need to make proteins and other molecules vital for our development, growth and survival. We inherit two different types of DNA from our parents: nuclear and mitochondrial …

Alzheimer’s disease: problems with the brain’s energy supply could be a cause

Alzheimer’s disease: problems with the brain’s energy supply could be a cause: Mitochondria help ensure our cells have the energy they need to function. ART-ur/ Shutterstock Scientists have been working to understand the root causes of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease for decades now. But one of the reasons we don’t yet have a cure for …

Air pollution can increase the risk of COVID infection and severe disease – a roundup of what we know

Air pollution can increase the risk of COVID infection and severe disease – a roundup of what we know: Tatiana Grozetskaya/Shutterstock The early part of the COVID pandemic led to a significant reduction in air pollution in many parts of the world. With lockdowns, travel restrictions and decreased economic activity, there was a noticeable drop …

Droughts bring disease: here are 4 ways they do it

Droughts bring disease: here are 4 ways they do it: Riccardo Mayer / Shutterstock Countries in the Horn of Africa have been hit by a multiyear drought. Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda are expected to continue getting below-normal rainfall in 2023. Excluding Uganda, 36.4 million people are affected and 21.7 million are in need of …