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...

COVID-19 affects the lungs to make it hard to breath, but it can also affect other areas of the body, such as the heart and kidneys. A number of recent radiology studies using computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) show that infection with coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, can also affect the brain and nervous system. Docto...

Calcium scoring is a medical test that provides important information about a person's risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke. Also known as coronary artery calcium scoring, calcium scoring measures the amount of calcium in the walls of the heart's arteries. Doctors have been using calcium to assess the heart health of their patients f...

The new coronavirus, now known as COVID-19, is a serious viral infection responsible for more than 90,000 illnesses and more than 3,000 deaths worldwide. Doctors typically use blood tests to diagnose illnesses like coronavirus, but the results of a new study suggests that computed tomography (CT) of the chest might be a better test for the disease....

CT and MRI are two different types of medical imaging that create images of organs and tissues inside your body. While CT and MRI are similar in many ways, there are differences between them. Because of these differences, doctors might choose one imaging method over the other. Both CTs and MRIs are non-invasive and pain-free, and each can help your...

Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of brain conditions that affect memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily life. About 50 million people worldwide have dementia, according to the World Health Organization, and there are almost 10 million new cases each year. There are many different conditions under the u...

Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or "vaping," have been making the news lately. As of October 10, 2019, the CDC had linked vaping with 29 deaths and 1,299 lung injuries. The cases occurred in 49 states, the District of Columbia and the United States Virgin Islands. Illinois and California were the hardest hit, although states like ...

Your doctor may order an MRI, CT scan or other diagnostic tests to learn important information about a disease or injury, and to help in the diagnosis and treatment of the problem. Depending on your exact case, your doctor may request the use of a contrast dye to enhance the results of the test. While the tests and contrast dyes used are generally ...