Mayo Clinic Health Matters

Last week, the first COVID-19 vaccine was approved for emergency authorization use in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile in the U.S., plans are being made to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, pending approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a committee within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommends that health care workers and elderl...

As the COVID-19 surge sweeps across the U.S., it's crucial that people stay home and avoid gatherings to reduce community spread of the virus. But for some, that loneliness is becoming an epidemic within the pandemic. Social isolation, especially for people in high-risk health care facilities, like nursing homes, is taking a toll on their mental health. Health care professionals say people have an...

Eating disorders are complex medical issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic has created additional challenges for people who battle these disorders. For some, being home with constant access to food is difficult. For others, the lack of social support is a struggle. Now isolation and stress are contributing to an increased risk of people developing eating disorders. In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr....

Pediatric growth charts track growth in infants, children and adolescents. While children can go through brief periods where they gain or lose a little weight, if children don't gain weight or grow well, they may be diagnosed with failure to thrive. On the other end of the nutrition spectrum are children with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This occurs when too much fat is stored in the liver a...

For generations, people have intentionally and unintentionally exposed their skin to the sun. As a result, skin cancer has become the most common form of cancer in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Treatment options are limited for people with skin cancer, especially on the face and more specifically the nose. Dr. Brittany E. Howard, a Mayo Clinic otolaryngolog...

The first COVID-19 vaccines to reach the market are likely to be messenger RNA vaccines, or mRNA. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mRNA vaccines work by teaching cells in the body how to make a protein that triggers an immune response. Unlike many vaccines that use a weakened or inactivated form of a virus, mRNA vaccines do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19. O...

The current COVID-19 surge numbers could worsen in coming days as experts prepare for a post-Thanksgiving holiday increase in cases. Increased positivity rates lead to more people needing hospitalization, straining the health care system and medical staff. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Elie Berbari, chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Mayo Clinic, explains how Mayo Clinic is mana...

More than 12,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a liver transplant, and 1 in 5 of those on the national waiting list will die or become too sick before an organ becomes available. Due to the shortage of available deceased donor organs, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is expanding its living liver donation program. While living donors traditionally have been people who know the recipient,...

Eric Berg has had seizures due to epilepsy since he was 12 years old. This past year, his seizures increased in frequency, affecting his day-to-day life and his ability to work. With encouragement from his fiancee, Eric sought treatment at Mayo Clinic. At Mayo Clinic, experts are using a new way to treat some seizure disorders: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, or rTMS. This treatment ...

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday will look different for families across the country this year. As the pandemic worsens, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends no Thanksgiving travel, instead asking Americans to stay home and celebrate only with their immediate household to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. On the Mayo Clinic Q...

COVID-19 patients may experience a mild case of the illness, and others may experience the most severe symptoms, which can lead to death. There are some patients who recover at home but are monitored as they're healing. For instance, these patients need to check their vital signs daily, including oxygen saturation levels, body temperature an blood pressure. Dr. Tufia Haddad, a Mayo Clinic oncologi...

Autism spectrum disorder is a condition related to brain development that affects how a person perceives and socializes with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behavior. The term "spectrum" in autism spectrum disorder refers to the wide range of symptoms and severity. This special edition of the Mayo Clini...

While testicular cancer is rare compared with other types of cancer, it is the most common cancer in American males ages 15 to 35. Testicular cancer is highly treatable, even when cancer has spread beyond the testicle. Several treatments or a combination of treatments are available, and long-term survival rates are greater than 90%. As a part of men's health and the Movember Foundation's focus on...

When it comes to medical care, men are less likely to seek care than women. While men may typically avoid seeing their health care provider, some problems often prompt them to take action. One complaint that can bring men to the doctor's office is erectile dysfunction, which is the inability to get and keep an erection firm enough for sex. Since erectile dysfunction also can be a sign of an underl...

While the number of COVID-19 cases continues to surge, there is positive news on the vaccine front. In early clinical trial data, two vaccines have now shown at least 90% effectiveness in reducing the risk of infection from the virus that causes COVID-19. While more time and research is needed to understand how long the immunity from a vaccine lasts, experts believe a vaccine could be approved for...

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system and causes seizures. More than 3 million Americans and more than 65 million people worldwide have epilepsy - a key reason that November is recognized as National Epilepsy Awareness Month. Thankfully, treatment with medications or sometimes surgery can control seizures for most people with epilepsy. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A p...

An estimated 47 million Americans are living with cardiometabolic diseases, according to the American College of Cardiology. Cardiometabolic diseases are interrelated conditions that include cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and hypertension, as well as metabolic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Patients with cardiometabolic dis...

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, one of the areas of science and research most affected was laboratory medicine. From developing tests that detect the virus, to testing for antibodies in patients who have recovered, Mayo Clinic Laboratories has been at the forefront of COVID-19 testing and research. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. William Morice II, president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories and c...

The U.S. reached the wrong kind of milestones this past week, reporting the 10 millionth coronavirus case and daily infection rates repeatedly topping the 100,000 mark. Cases of COVID-19 have been spiking for weeks as a third wave of infections spreads across the country. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Gr...

After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men. In the U.S., 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Prostate cancer that's detected early — when it's still confined to the prostate gland — has a better chance to be successfully treated, so it's important that men know their risk factors. The "Movember" movement is encouraging men to grow a must...

Pancreatic cancer tends to spread quickly and early detection is uncommon. For up to 50% of patients, at the time of their diagnosis, the cancer has spread outside the pancreas to other organs. Survival rates are typically 12 to 18 months, but there have been improvements in surgical techniques and chemotherapy. In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Mark Truty, an oncology surgeon, and Dr. Santhi S...

Congential heart defects are the most common birth defect in the U.S., affecting approximately 1 in every 110 (about 40,000) babies each year. Some congenital heart defects in children are simple and don't need treatment. Other congenital heart defects are more complex and may require several surgeries performed over a period of several years. This special edition of the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast fe...

A recent survey conducted on behalf of the American Psychological Association found that nearly 80% of adults say that the coronavirus pandemic is a significant source of stress in their lives. In addition, 60% say that they are overwhelmed by the number of issues America faces, including health care, the economy, racism and political tensions. Now, the holidays are looming, a time of year that of...

Each week, the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast shares the latest information on COVID-19. On today's episode, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, answers listeners' coronavirus questions. Dr. Poland discusses how to stay safe from the virus while exercising outdoors, whether temperature checks help screen for COVID-19, and how to deal with ho...

The second edition of "Mayo Clinic on Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias: A Guide for People With Dementia and Those Who Care for Them" answers many common questions including: When it comes to memory, what is typical aging? What is the difference between Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia? How can you keep your brain healthy? On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, co-editors of the boo...