Medical providers have a new tool to help identify people at risk for severe preeclampsia, a potentially fatal high blood pressure condition that occurs in pregnancy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a blood test that can predict with 96 percent certainty whether a pregnant patient will develop preeclampsia within the next two…
If you have pain or a bulge in your abdomen or groin, you could have a hernia. But sometimes it can be hard to tell. Seth Weinreb, MD, a UNC Health surgeon, explains what a hernia feels like, what to do if you might have one and what treatments are available. What is a hernia?…
The vitamin D pill you take because you don’t get enough sunlight. The calcium chew your grandma eats to protect her bone health. The protein powder your teen mixes into a shake before hitting the gym. All of these—and so many more—fit into the enormously broad category of “supplements,” which includes vitamins, minerals, herbs, enzymes,…
Editors note: This story originally ran Oct. 1, 2018 and was updated June 16, 2023. It’s a sobering statistic: 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer. It’s the most-diagnosed cancer in women besides skin cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the United States. “Breast cancer is very common and, if caught…
There are always a million things to do when you’re expecting a new baby. Make sure your list includes getting family and caregivers up to date on their vaccines. “Everyone who is going to be in contact with the baby should have all the standard vaccines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the…
We know our bodies change as we age. Some signs of aging can be seen from the outside—our hair turns gray, and our skin wrinkles. Other signs aren’t as visible because they happen inside our bodies. One common change that can occur with age is that our heart valves don’t work well anymore. This is…
Do your thumb and fingers tingle, burn or feel numb? You could have carpal tunnel syndrome, which is caused by a pinched nerve in your wrist, says UNC Health orthopedic surgeon Jeremy J. Miles, MD. “There’s a nerve that provides feeling to your thumb, index and middle fingers,” he says. “It passes through the carpal…
You might have heard of lupus—but its symptoms are probably less recognizable. In fact, they often mimic the symptoms of other diseases, earning lupus nicknames such as “The Great Imitator” and “The Great Masquerader.” This autoimmune disease can affect any part of the body, from the skin and joints to the brain and kidneys and…
Being pregnant is hard. Getting sick stinks. But being pregnant and coming down with an illness is a special kind of misery. It’s tough to get through 40 weeks of pregnancy without picking up a cold, the flu, a stomach bug or another everyday ailment, especially if you have older children bringing germs home. But…
It was a big deal when Paxlovid became available to the public in December 2021. COVID-19 was still surging across the country, causing high numbers of hospitalizations and deaths. A pill that you could take at home to reduce the risk of serious illness was a game changer. Paxlovid was authorized for adults and children…
You probably don’t give your thyroid much thought. It doesn’t usually demand attention like a growling stomach, a pounding heart, or a racing brain. But this small, butterfly-shaped gland, found in the lower front of your neck, is responsible for keeping those and all other organs functioning right. “It’s a small gland that affects nearly…
When you look down at your bare feet, do you see a big red knot at the base of your big toe? If your answer is yes, you’re probably looking at a bunion, says UNC Health orthopedic surgeon Joshua Tennant, MD. “A bunion is a progressive deformity of the bone,” he says. “When the big…
