Depression

An 81-year-old woman with a history of moderate Alzheimer dementia, depression, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus was accompanied to the office by her son for a routine follow-up appointment.

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 15 -- About 1% of bariatric surgery patients die within a year of surgery, researchers here found, and the cumulative case fatality rate approaches 6% after five years.

PITTSBURGH -- There is strong evidence suggesting -- but not proving -- the existence of a causal link between psychological stress and chronic conditions such as depression, cardiovascular disease, and HIV/AIDS, asserted researchers here.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Olanzapine (Zyprexa) labeling will be altered to include stronger warnings about weight gain, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia, according to a statement from Lilly.

LONDON -- Stormy relationships may increase long term wear and tear on the heart physically as well as emotionally, leading to a modestly increased risk of coronary events.

SAN DIEGO -- Adolescents and teenagers with perinatally acquired HIV infection have high rates of neurologic, psychiatric, and cognitive problems that can confound attempts to treat them, investigators reported here.

BOSTON -- Panic attacks may be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events in older women, researchers said.

DURHAM, N.C. -- The combination of fluoxetine (Prozac) and cognitive behavior therapy for depressed teens may accelerate treatment response and protect against suicidality.

For 2 weeks, a 31-year-old man has had a nonhealing, painful abscess on his left shoulder. A week before presentation, he sought treatment at a walk-in clinic; the abscess was incised and drained, and he was given gatifloxacin.

Here: a look at the many possible causes of poorly controlled blood glucose levels, and steps to overcome them.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- About one in seven women were depressed before, during, or after childbirth, according to a study of more than 4,300 women enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente health plan.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Forecasts that physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia would be practiced disproportionately on vulnerable groups, such as the poor, the elderly, and women, did not prove accurate, according to researchers here.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The reason that opioids seem to fizzle for fibromyalgia may be because of reduced receptor activity in regions of the brain that process and dampen pain signals, researchers here found.

BETHESDA, Md. -- An aggressive workplace program for identifying and treating depression is both good medical practice and good business, investigators here said.

AMSTERDAM -- Type 2 diabetes may be linked to mental health disorders, but age and gender may be contributing factors, according to two separate studies.

EDINBURGH, Scotland -- Breathing diesel fumes during exercise, even for a brief period, promoted myocardial ischemia in men who've had a heart attack, researchers here reported.

BETHESDA, Md. -- Tamoxifen significantly decreased symptoms of acute mania beginning as early as five days in patients with bipolar disorder in a small pilot study.

GENEVA, Switzerland -- No individual chronic disease - not angina, not arthritis, not asthma, not diabetes -- is more disabling than depression, according to a World Health Organization study.

ATLANTA -- Suicide rates among children and young adults in the United States rose by 8% from 2003 to 2004, the largest increase in 15 years, CDC investigators reported.

MONTREAL -- Antidepressants that directly enhance serotonin signaling appear to have a much faster onset of action in animal models of depression than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), said investigators here.

MONTREAL -- Vivid dreams of babies in peril are common to pregnant women and newly delivered mothers, often inspiring wakefulness and a postpartum need to check on the infant.

Common eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataract, and age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) (Figure) can have significant systemic ramifications. Recent studies have found that these eye diseases may herald the onset of various types of physical and mental impairment, especially in elderly persons.

For 2 weeks, a 67-year-old obese woman has had episodes of diffuse, nonradiating abdominal pain that last for several hours and are slightly relieved by famotidine/antacid. She rates the pain as 7 on a scale of 1 to 10.

abstract: Common causes of poorly controlled asthma include nonadherence to long-term inhaler therapy; environmental exposures; and uncontrolled comorbidities, such as allergic rhinitis. Adherence can be limited by many factors, including inadequate patient education, medication cost, prior failed treatment, poor physician-patient relationship, unrealistic expectations for therapy, and depression. For patients who have a poor perception of their symptoms, emphasizing the "disconnect" between symptoms and pulmonary function can help motivate them to monitor themselves with a peak flow meter and to adjust their medication accordingly. For patients with allergic triggers, instituting allergen-specific environmental controls can decrease symptoms and urgent care visits for asthma. Chronic rhinosinusitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease can also contribute to difficult-to-control asthma, and treatment of these comorbidities can help reduce asthma symptoms. (J Respir Dis. 2007;28(9):365-369)

BETHESDA, Md. -- Emphasizing that asthma affects different patients in different ways, the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program has issued new evidence-based guidelines on the disease.