Featured Articles
Read our latest stories on the people and scientific innovations making a difference in patients’ lives.
Living & Wellbeing
Severe COVID-19 and the Continuing Importance of Protecting High Risk Populations
The concept of "severe COVID-19" can be a frightening one, especially when the term itself is so often misunderstood or confused with having self-assessed severe symptoms of COVID-19.Approximately 80% of those who test positive for COVID-19 have mild to moderate illness.1 But adults 50 and older and people of any age with certain underlying health conditions are at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19. That adds up to two in five people worldwide who are at increased risk for severe COVID...
Living & Wellbeing
Adolescents with Alopecia Areata: What Caregivers Should Know
A lot of kids just want to fit in.1 But for too many, hair loss makes them stand out. For the one in 1,000 children and teens diagnosed with alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the hair follicles, hair loss can create practical challenges.2,3 Youth with AA might feel too self-conscious for selfies, refuse to go out without a hat, or decline invitations to swimming parties or sports leagues for fear their wigs will fall off. In a 2017 study of 69...
Living & Wellbeing
How to Dispose of Unused Medicine Responsibly to Protect the Environment
Would it surprise you to learn that taking prescription medication is part of the daily routine for an estimated 60% of adults in the United States?1 Each prescription comes with extensive instructions about how to take the medication but offers little guidance on how to dispose of unused medicine. Responsible medication disposal is important. Improper disposal of unused or expired medications has the potential to result in pharmaceuticals getting into the environment.2 In fact...
Living & Wellbeing
Five Ways Climate Change Impacts Our Health—and What We Can Do About It
It took a split second, recalls Louise Proud. Something in the air triggered an asthma attack in her 18-month-old daughter. The baby’s lips turned blue as Proud rushed her to the hospital in a panic. Thankfully, the healthcare team helped the child breathe normally, and she was back to herself quickly. But Proud’s sense of safety and stability didn’t snap back so readily. For her, it was a moment of realization about how the environment and health are intimately linked. Proud, who is Vice...
Living & Wellbeing
Heartburn, Acid Reflux, or GERD: What’s the Difference?
For many Americans, Super Bowl Sunday is as much an excuse to dig into snacks as it is to tune in for the game. Each year, we eat more than a billion chicken wings and 10 million pizzas.1,2 Then we wash it all down with more than 300 million gallons of beer. The resulting heartburn is often enough to raise antacid sales at 7-Eleven by 20% the day after the big game.1 For about 60 million Americans, heartburn isn’t an aggravation isolated to one Sunday in February, but a condition they...
Living & Wellbeing
8 Common STDs: What You Need to Know
For many, isolation has been an inescapable part of life during COVID-19. However, new sexually transmitted disease (STD) data indicate that people are still managing to get together and contract more than just the coronavirus. In 2021, more than 2,000 babies were born with syphilis that they contracted from their mothers, according to preliminary Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data on STDs. That figure represents a 108% year-over-year increase.1 While the data are still...
Living & Wellbeing
Finding Breakthroughs in Sickle Cell Disease: Patients and Advocates Lead the Way
In most types of clinical research, a large number of patients participate in studies that explore an experimental treatment or approach. This decades-old process is how some of the most impactful, and even lifesaving therapies have come to be, from cancer drugs to COVID-19 vaccines.1 But what happens when scientists need to study a rare disease, one that doesn’t affect a high percentage of people? And what if those who are affected don’t participate because of social disparities...
Living & Wellbeing
A Ticklist for Staying Safe While Spending Time Outdoors
Whether you like camping, taking the dog out for a walk, or simply spending time enjoying nature, it’s always good to be aware of how you and your family can help protect yourselves when you’re outside. Depending on where you live and spend your time, mosquitoes can carry diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus, Zika, and yellow fever.1,2 Also high on the watchlist are ticks, which are second only to mosquitoes for spreading disease in humans if infected with bacteria, viruses, or parasites.3...
Living & Wellbeing
Are You at Risk for a Blood Clot?
NBC News war correspondent David Bloom was the image of health. In 2003, he was a 39-year-old avid tennis player. His work brought him to Iraq, where he was embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division, advancing toward Bagdad. Ultimately, it wasn’t the war, but a blood clot that killed Bloom, according to a TODAY.com account of his death.1 One night, he went to sleep out under the stars on a tank fender. He called his wife, Melanie, and mentioned that he had leg cramps. The symptom appeared...
Living & Wellbeing
Eczema vs. Psoriasis: What’s Causing My Itchy Skin?
Getting patches of red and itchy skin that may come and go could have you wondering: Is it eczema or psoriasis, and what’s the difference? Eczema and psoriasis are two distinct skin diseases that may require different treatment plans.1 Although they may be difficult to tell apart, a dermatologist (a doctor who specializes in skin conditions) can spot the differences between these two non-contagious and common skin conditions. That’s why it’s important to speak to your healthcare provider to...
Living & Wellbeing
The Differences Between COVID-19 and the Flu
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the onset of a fever, cough, sore throat, or sniffle may have led to frantic online searches for “Is this COVID-19 or the flu?”Even as the Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 has ended,1 it’s still a good idea to understand the similarities and differences between COVID-19 and influenza (the flu) and how to help protect yourself from getting sick. The information may be especially valuable because as spikes in COVID-19 cases occur, including the...
Living & Wellbeing
From Basic Health to Herd Immunity: What is the Purpose of Vaccines?
In our increasingly interconnected world, where illness can spread quickly from person to person, and even country to country, vaccines can offer protection. In fact, the World Health Organization refers to immunization as “one of modern medicine’s greatest success stories” for its ability to prevent and control infectious diseases, such as polio, influenza, and measles.1 Vincenza Snow, MD, who is Pfizer’s U.S. Medical Affairs Policy Lead for Vaccines, agrees with that assessment. “Vaccines...
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