Over at Salon, there's an interesting article about the struggle to treat widespread diabetes in rural Appalachia, where a third of the population is thought …
Category: Diseases + conditions
Zebras with different stripes: One patient's story
We've partnered with Inspire, a company that builds and manages online support communities for patients and caregivers, to launch a patient-focused series here on Scope. …
Neglected story of schistosomiasis in Ghana, as told in a sand animation
We in the Western world hear very little about schistosomiasis, much less worry about it. This breathtakingly beautiful video shows us why we should learn to …
Study shows higher rates of untreated kidney failure among older adults
New research is showing age-related differences in whether patients are treated for kidney failure. In a study published today in the Journal of the American …
Expert by experience: Living with, and teaching about, short bowel syndrome
We've partnered with Inspire, a company that builds and manages online support communities for patients and caregivers, to launch a patient-focused series here on Scope. …
Eating-disorder hospitalizations decline
A story in today's Los Angeles Times reports that U.S. hospitalizations for eating disorder treatment dropped sharply - by 23 percent - between 2007-08 and …
Program for managing chronic illness expands nationwide
We've written in the past about the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, a workshop developed in the mid-90s by Stanford's Kate Lorig, DrPH, that has since been …
Chronic illness in childhood: One patient's story
Patients at the country's top children's hospitals are increasingly likely to be chronically ill. This ongoing trend in pediatric medicine might seem counterintuitive at first …
Living – and thriving – with cystic fibrosis
Statistics don't define twins Anabel Stenzel and Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, who were born with cystic fibrosis but are beating the odds at age 40. And yet …
Weight loss, regular exercise may preserve mobility among obese adults with Type 2 diabetes
Overweight or obese adults with Type 2 diabetes may be able to reduce their risk of disability by more than half by lowering their weight …
The challenges of dieting and the promises of bariatric surgery
Today, an estimated 15 million people in the United States are morbidly obese — that is, 50 to 100 percent, or 100 pounds, above their ideal …
Raising awareness about rare diseases
Today is Rare Disease Day, an international event intended to raise awareness of diseases that affect fewer than 1 in 2,000 people. Treatment options for …
Life-threatening diagnosis leads to powerful friendship for two California teens
Diagnosed early in childhood with cystic fibrosis, Emma Greene and Tiffany Senter were for several years able to lead relatively normal lives by managing their …
How one quantified-self patient is working to transform health care
There's a fascinating profile of Larry Smarr, PhD, a physicist turned quantified-self pioneer in Technology Review today. Over the years, Smarr has scrupulously measured and …
Living with a chronic disease in college
I wasn't diagnosed with my chronic illness (an autoimmune blood disorder) until after college, when I was in my early 20s. But I was young …
Research shows kids' health good predictor of parents' future health
I was a pretty healthy kid growing up, something I’ve mostly attributed to my parents’ encouragement of my vegetable-eating, outdoor-playing tendencies. It wasn’t until today …