Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Years after exposure to the COVID-19 virus, many are still experiencing long-term effects known as long COVID. Dr. Fidaa Shaib, pulmonologist and medical director of Baylor Medicine’s Post COVID Care Clinic, explains what long COVID is like today.

Nigerian authorities confirmed Tuesday that a meningitis outbreak in the northwest was behind the death of at least 26 people over several weeks.

The Texas measles outbreak has grown to 223 cases, the state reported Tuesday morning.

Data presented in the monthly measles and rubella update by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) indicate ongoing transmission of measles across a number of countries in EU/EEA, with a steep rise in cases reported during 2024. After a period of unusually low measles activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, an uptick was initially noted in 2023, with 2,361 reported cases in the EU/EEA.

An Australian medical technology company, Proteomics International, has published a study demonstrating a new blood test significantly outperforms conventional tests in identifying the risk of diabetes-related chronic kidney disease (DKD). The blood test, called PromarkerD, has been previously validated for predicting renal decline up to four years in advance in type 2 diabetes.

A research team led by Prof. Zeng Zhutian from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has identified and named a novel population of bladder-resident macrophages, termed suburothelial perivascular macrophages (suPVMs), which can prevent hematogenous dissemination of uropathogens by releasing macrophage extracellular traps (METs). This finding has been published in Immunity.

Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) is commonly known for causing blisters and sores. But in some cases, the virus can migrate to the eye or nervous system, causing severe, chronic symptoms.

Tanzania has confirmed its first two cases of mpox, the health ministry said Monday, the first time the virus has been detected in an outbreak that has hit several African countries.

A novel analysis of more than 375 published studies concluded that the association between chronic pain and rates of depression and anxiety is staggering. The study, led by investigators at Johns Hopkins Medicine found that 40% of adults with chronic pain experienced “clinically significant depression and anxiety.” Among those most at risk, the analysis showed, were women, younger adults and people with fibromyalgia.

The impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) keeps escalating around the world, and this burden is projected to rise with population growth and aging, according to a study published in BMC Public Health.