Doctors have known for years that smoking cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco causes cancer. In fact, by the time the US Surgeon General issued a warning about the dangers of smoking in 1964, there was already overwhelming evidence that smoking was deadly. In the decades since, researchers have discovered many of the ways that smoking causes cance...

Degenerative disc disease is not actually a disease, but rather a group of conditions that affects the joint of the spine. Most common in older adults, degenerative disc disease can cause pain and reduce mobility. Fortunately, doctors can detect and treat these conditions to alleviate discomfort and improve mobility. About Degenerative Disc Disease...

Atherosclerosis is a serious health condition in which calcified plaque builds up inside your arteries. This calcified plaque causes the arteries to become hard and narrow, which can prevent blood from flowing through your veins and increase your risk for blood clots, heart attack, or stroke. But what exactly is calcified plaque? Plaque is a waxy s...

A stroke is a medical emergency that prevents a part of your brain from getting the oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood it needs. More specifically, stroke affects the arteries that carries blood to and within your brain. A stroke can have devastating consequences, including disability and even death. Understanding what happens during a stroke can help...

Doctors often recommend low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for lung cancer for patients who have smoked at some point in their lifetime. Now the results of a new study suggest that LDCT screening are beneficial for people who have never smoked. About LDCTs LDCT scans the patient's chest to create images of the lungs. Doctors scan the ima...

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, which makes it a great time to learn about this serious disease and discover ways to prevent it. About Lung Cancer Cancer is a condition in which abnormal cells grow at a rapid pace to cause tumors. Lung cancer, then, is a disease in which abnormal cells grow in lung tissue. In time, these lung cancer cells ...

If you have COVID-19, your doctor might order a CT scan. Have you ever wondered what doctors look for when they review the results of the CT scan? COVID-19 typically causes fever, shortness of breath, and cough. Doctors usually order blood tests, such as PCR and antigen testing, to diagnose the disease. They also use imaging technology, such as com...

Like many diseases, COVID-19 can be unpredictable. For example, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 seemed to affect mainly the elderly in the earliest days of the pandemic, and now it seems to be affecting younger people. Many of these younger patients get sicker now too. Unpredictability can make detecting and treating a disease difficult, thoug...