A recent U.K. study assessed the use of the Perrin technique to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome based on five physical signs of disease. Overall, researchers found the accuracy of diagnosis by allied health professionals was highest when using tests for only two signs: tender coelic plexus and postural/mechanical disturbances of the thoracic spine…
Post-market clinical safety trials have indicated that medications containing both long-acting beta agonists (LABAs) and inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) do not result in more serious asthma-related outcomes than treatment with ICSs alone…
(Reuters Health)—People who undergo joint surgery, such as joint replacements for arthritis, are more likely to become dependent in the years following surgery if they are obese, researchers say. Further research is needed to know why this happens and how to prevent it, the study team writes in British Journal of Anaesthesia.1 “I think there’s…
Receiving an RA diagnosis may be emotional and difficult for patients. By engaging the patient in learning about the disease and its treatment options, as well as cultivating a communicative relationship, rheumatologists can truly help a patient take control of their health…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The Trump administration proposed a rule on Thursday to allow Americans who are self-employed or work for small businesses to buy health insurance that does not comply with all Obamacare requirements in an effort to unwind the 2010 healthcare law. The rule, put forward by the Department of Labor, would allow individuals and small…
(Reuters Health)—When patients misunderstand commonly used medical terms, communication and decision-making may suffer, U.K. researchers say. In a survey of London oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic patients, more than a third of participants did not know the meaning of such terms as benign or lesion and more than half could not define metastasis or lymph…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Generalist doctors, and even many specialists, have relatively poor knowledge of the American College of Rheumatology 1990 and 2010 fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria, according to results of a survey conducted in Canada. “Physicians do not have adequate and homogeneous knowledge of the fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria. Approximately half of physicians did not adhere to…
(Reuters Health)—Older adults who take vitamin D and calcium are no less likely to break their hips or other bones than peers who don’t use these supplements, a research review suggests. Researchers examined data from 33 previous trials with a total of more than 51,000 people aged 50 or older who were living in the…