Prostate Cancer:

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men, first is skin cancer.

African-American men are at the greatest risk to develop prostate cancer. 

The American Cancer Society recommends men with an average risk of prostate cancer should begin the discussion about screening at age 50, while men with higher risk of prostate cancer should begin earlier.

Key statistics on Prostate Cancer from the American Cancer Society:

“The American Cancer Society’s estimates for prostate cancer in the United States for 2025 are:

• About 313,780 new cases of prostate cancer
• About 35,770 deaths from prostate cancer

The number of prostate cancers diagnosed each year declined sharply from 2007 to 2014, coinciding with fewer men being screened because of changes in screening recommendations. Since 2014, however, the incidence rate has increased by 3% per year.

Prostate cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. About 1 in 44 men will die of prostate cancer. 

About 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. But each man’s risk of prostate cancer can vary, based on his age, race/ethnicity, and other factors.

Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. In fact, more than 3.5 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.

The prostate cancer death rate declined by about half from 1993 to 2022, most likely due to earlier detection and advances in treatment. In recent years, the decline in the death rate has slowed, likely reflecting the rise in cancers being found at an advanced stage.”

American Cancer Society (Key Statistics for Prostate Cancer | Prostate Cancer Facts | American Cancer Society)

Benign Prostate Hypertrophy (BPH):

What is this?  Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a health issue that becomes more common with age. It’s also called an enlarged prostate. The prostate is a small gland that helps make semen. It’s found just below the bladder. And it often gets bigger as you get older.

Sexual health is a major overall health marker for men — 1 in 4 men will experience some form of sexual health concern by age 65.

Erectile dysfunction and lower testosterone are linked to larger health risks, including heart disease, high blood pressure-HBP, diabetes and obesity. Remember African Americans are high for blood pressure. Perhaps higher rates of obesity and diabetes place African Americans at greater risk for high blood pressure and heart disease. Researchers have also found that there may be a gene that makes African-Americans much more salt sensitive. This trait increases the risk of developing HBP. In people who have this gene, as little as one extra gram (half a teaspoon) of salt could raise blood pressure as much as five millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Don’t forget bad diet, overweight to obese and sedentary life style play vital factors for getting HBP so on average it’s not just a gene factor but heredity does key in especially if you have disease (DM, Obese, Cardiac disease with HBP in the nuclear family especially).

Diet and medicine can control symptoms. You will have a yearly exam. Your health care provider will look for worse or new symptoms before beginning active treatment.

Why go to your health care provider? He will do a yearly exam looking for worse or new symptoms before beginning active treatment. Who should do this? Good candidates which are men with mild signs and symptoms of BPH, There are no side effects in having your doctor check you out. Just remember avoidance to the M.D. may make the situation to be harder to reduce your symptoms later on for not going to the M.D. yearly.

The causes of benign prostatic hyperplasia – (BPH)

The cause of BPH is not well understood; however, it occurs mainly in older men. Benign prostatic hyperplasia does not develop in men whose testicles were removed before puberty. For this reason, some researchers believe factors related to aging and the testicles may cause benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Throughout their lives, men produce testosterone, a male hormone, and small amounts of estrogen, a female hormone. As men age the amount of active testosterone in their blood decreases, which leaves a higher proportion of estrogen. Scientific studies have suggested that benign prostatic hyperplasia may occur because the higher proportion of estrogen within the prostate increases the activity of substances that promote prostate cell growth.

Another theory focuses on dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a male hormone that plays a role in prostate development and growth. Some research has indicated that even with a drop in blood testosterone levels, older men continue to produce and accumulate high levels of DHT in the prostate. This accumulation of DHT may encourage prostate cells to continue to grow. Scientists have noted that men who do not produce DHT do not develop benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Risk factors include aging and a family history of BPH. Other risk factors are obesity, lack of physical activity, and erectile dysfunction (ED).

Preventions Measures of Benign Prostate Hypertrophy – BPH:

There is no sure way to prevent BPH. Because excess body fat may affect hormone levels and cell growth, diet may play a role. Losing weight and eating a healthy diet, with fruits and vegetables, may help prevent BPH. Staying active also helps weight and hormone levels.

With BPH, the prostate gets larger. When it is enlarged, it can irritate or block the bladder. A common symptom of BPH is the need to urinate often. This can be every one to two hours, especially at night.

Symptoms of Benign Prostate Hypertrophy (BPH):

• Feeling that the bladder is full, even right after urinating
• Feeling that urinating “can’t wait”
• Weak urine flow
• Dribbling of urine
• The need to stop and start urinating several times
• Trouble starting to urinate
• The need to push or strain to urinate

In severe cases, you might not be able to urinate at all. This is an emergency. It must be treated right away. It is foolish for someone to not get checked or treated since the condition like any other disease left untreated will only worsen and in time possibly kill you (Ex. CHF OR Diabetes OR even Obesity).

How Can BPH Affect Your Life?

In most men, BPH gets worse as you age. It can lead to bladder damage and infection. It can cause blood in the urine. It can even cause kidney damage. Men with BPH should get treated. Mild cases of BPH may need no treatment at all. In some cases, minimally invasive procedures that do not require anesthesia are good choices. And sometimes a combination of medical treatments works best.

BPH is monitored by your doctor and there are active treatments.

Treatments to Benign Prostate Hypertrophy -BPH:

Medications are often the first treatment for BPH. There are two types of medications that may be prescribed.

• Alpha-Blockers: This type of medication relaxes the muscles in the prostate and bladder neck, which helps urine flow better. Tamsulosin and alfuzosin are common alpha blockers often used as the first line of defense against BPH symptoms. They can provide relief for many individuals.
• 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors: These medications target the hormones (dihydrotestosterone) that cause the prostate to grow. Finasteride and dutasteride are common examples of these medications, which slow the growth of the prostate and improve urinary symptoms over time.
• Combination Therapy: In some cases, your physician may prescribe a combination of alpha-blockers and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors for a combined effect, offering both immediate relief and long-term benefits.

While medications can be effective in treating an enlarged prostate, some individuals may not be able to tolerate their side effects. Those may include lightheadedness, dry mouth, low blood pressure, falls, headaches, erectile dysfunction, retrograde ejaculation, reduced libido, nausea, or vomiting. If these occur and become burdensome, talk to your doctor so other treatment options can be explored.

Surgeries:

Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is a type of prostate surgery done to relieve moderate to severe urinary symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate, a condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

During TURP, a combined visual and surgical instrument (resectoscope) is inserted through the tip of your penis and into the tube that carries urine from your bladder (urethra). The urethra is surrounded by the prostate. Using the resectoscope, your doctor trims away excess prostate tissue that’s blocking urine flow and increases the size of the channel that allows you to empty your bladder.

TURP is one of the most effective options for treating urinary symptoms caused by BPH. 

There are other forms of surgeries There are several types of minimally invasive procedures to choose from, they include:

• Prostatic Stent                                                                
• High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)
• Holmium Laser Enucleation of Prostate (HoLEP)
• Interstitial Laser Coagulation (ILC)
• Transurethral Electroevaporation of The Prostate TUVP
• Transurethral Microwave Thermotherapy (TUMT)
• Transurethral Needle Ablation (TUNA)
• Photoselective Vaporization (PVP)
• UroLift
• Catheterization
• How do you know which is best for you GO to the M.D. (Urologist), whose the expert in making that decision. Guess what guys? Many less invasive procedures can be done right in the doctor’s office. So go find out if you’re having symptoms of BPH! 
• How do you know which is best for you GO to the M.D. (Urologist), whose the expert in making that decision. Guess what guys? Many less invasive procedures can be done right in the doctor’s office. So go find out if you’re having symptoms of BPH!

“In an extensive review, the team found that the early life “exposome,” which encompasses an individual’s diet, lifestyle, weight, environmental exposures, and microbiome, has changed substantially in the last several decades. They hypothesize that factors like the Western diet and lifestyle may be contributing to the rise in early onset cancer. The team acknowledged that this increased incidence of certain cancer types is, in part, due to early detection through cancer screening programs. They couldn’t precisely measure what proportion of this growing prevalence could solely be attributed to screening and early detection. However, they noted that increased incidence of many of the 14 cancer types is unlikely due to enhanced screening alone.

Possible risk factors for early onset cancer included alcohol consumption, sleep deprivation, smoking, obesity, and eating highly processed foods. Surprisingly, researchers found that while adult sleep duration hasn’t drastically changed over the several decades, children are getting far less sleep today than they were decades ago. Risk factors such as highly processed foods, sugary beverages, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, and alcohol consumption have all significantly increased since the 1950s.

“Among the 14 cancer types on the rise that we studied, eight were related to the digestive system. The food we eat feeds the microorganisms in our gut,” said Ugai. “Diet directly affects microbiome composition and eventually these changes can influence disease risk and outcomes.”

“https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/09/researchers-report-dramatic-rise-in-early-onset-cancers/

Cancercenter.org states the following:

”One of the most common risk factors for cancer is something we can’t do anything about—age. Our cancer risk increases as we get older, with the average age at diagnosis hovering around 68.

But a new study in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology says that over the last few decades, doctors have been seeing dramatic increases in cancer in adults younger than 50. The disturbing trend has scientists searching for:

• Reasons behind the sharp increase in early-onset cancer
• How best to screen for or detect cancers in young adults
• Whether the cancers are different types of common cancers in older adults
• Which treatments show promise for younger people

Cancers in the under-50 age group may foreshadow an “emerging pandemic,” says the study’s researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Cancer patients under 50 are at a different point in their lives than the typical, older patient: They may be students, parents of young children, family breadwinners or caregivers to aging parents. Their cancer treatments may mean a different financial burden, one that hits during their prime income-earning years. They may also face higher risks of other health issues, including infertility, heart disease and secondary cancers.

“Young adults often have a more challenging landscape than older adults diagnosed with cancer,” says Toufic Kachaamy, MD, Interventional Program Specialist and Chief of Medicine at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA), Phoenix (he was not involved in the study). “When you’re 40 and get cancer, there’s a good chance that you’ve never been sick before. One day, you’re out to dinner or a party, the next thing you know, you’re on chemotherapy.”

Which cancer types were studied?

Researchers looked at 14 cancers being diagnosed with increased frequency in adults who haven’t turned 50 yet:

• Breast cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Endometrial cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Extrahepatic bile duct cancer
• Gallbladder cancer
• Head and neck cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Liver cancer
• Multiple myeloma
• Pancreatic cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Thyroid cancer

Colorectal cancer

Some of the highest increases in early-onset cancer are being seen in patients with colon cancer and rectal cancer. While colorectal incidence rates have dropped by almost 40 percent since 2000 among adults 50 and older, the rate is rising in those under 50. The latter trend may be linked to obesity levels that have exploded in the 18-25 age group, from 6.2 percent in 1976-80 to 32.7 percent in 2017-18.

Some researchers have thought that a higher body mass index (BMI)—or how much someone weighs compared to how tall he or she is—was a more significant risk factor for colon cancer than for rectal cancer. But that theory may not hold for early-onset cases, since researchers say rectal cancer is increasing in the United States at a faster rate than colon cancer.

Stomach cancer and esophageal cancer

Stomach cancer and esophageal cancer, like colorectal cancers, are diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Eight of the 14 early-onset cancers studied are cancers of the digestive system.

The findings suggest someone’s microbiome—the microorganisms floating around in the digestive tract—impacts cancer risk, either because of changes caused by poor nutrition, lifestyle factors such as smoking and drinking, or a significant increase in the use of antibiotics in recent decades.

Some risk factors for early-onset esophageal cancer include smoking, obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Heavy alcohol consumption is considered a risk factor for all stomach cancers, including early-onset cases.

Breast cancer

The study, instead of using the under-50 and over-50 groupings typical for breast cancer analyses, looked at premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Breast cancer is rising in both groups, but at a faster rate among younger, premenopausal adults.

Some studies have shown that a large number of female breast cancer patients under 50 were not considered at high risk for the disease. Now, the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging recommend women begin regular mammograms at age 40 instead of 50.

Some research on premenopausal breast cancer points to reproductive risk factors, obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption and the prevalence of Western-style diets—ones high in red meats and processed foods—as contributors to early-onset breast cancer.

Lung cancer

Lung cancer was not included in the study because it’s been decreasing in both the under-50 and over-50 age groups. But the proportion of lung cancer cases among nonsmokers in the under-50 age group is rising.

Women also are making up an increasing proportion of lung cancers diagnosed in patients under 50, with men contributing to a steeper decline in those cases than women.

What caused cancer rates to rise in people under 50?

While increased screening may partially explain the rising number of early-onset diagnoses, researchers say that doesn’t tell the whole story.

“Evidence suggests that the earliest phase of carcinogenesis might start in early life or young adulthood, followed by intervals of up to several decades between initial cellular damage and clinical cancer detection,” the study’s authors wrote.

Since the mid-20th century, many unhealthy changes have affected diet, lifestyle, obesity, the environment and our microbiomes. Those changes may now be occurring earlier in life and may be making humans more susceptible to cancer at a younger age. Studies also suggest the increase in early-onset cancers may be part of the growing trend in chronic diseases affecting younger adults.

If you’re a parent or thinking about becoming one, your concern about early-onset cancer should extend to your children. The study says that a woman’s smoking, diet, alcohol consumption and obesity during pregnancy may play roles in her child’s future cancer risk. Providing your children with healthy meals, limiting processed and sugary foods in their diets, encouraging them to exercise, watching their weight and avoiding their exposure to second-hand smoke may help reduce their future cancer risk at a time when they’re too young to make good choices for themselves.

“We found that this risk is increasing with each generation,” says Shuji Ogino, MD, PhD, a professor and physician-scientist in the Department of Pathology at Brigham who was involved with the study. “For instance, people born in 1960 experienced higher cancer risk before they turn 50 than people born in 1950, and we predict that this risk level will continue to climb in successive generations.”

Which cancer risk factors affect young adults?

Some of the causes behind the increased cancer rates for adults under age 50 are thought to include:

• Drinking alcohol in excess
• Smoking tobacco
• Eating a Western diet
• Being obese or overweight
• Having type 2 diabetes
• Getting too little sleep, having abnormal sleep patterns and/or getting too little sleep during childhood
• Bearing children at a late age
• Having the first menstrual period at a young age
• Lower breast-feeding rates and increased formula consumption
• Using oral contraceptive
• Being exposed to environmental toxins

https://www.cancercenter.com/community/blog/2023/01/why-are-cancer-rates-rising-in-adults-under-50

Through Harvard.ed they state the following:

“In an extensive review, the team found that the early life “exposome,” which encompasses an individual’s diet, lifestyle, weight, environmental exposures, and microbiome, has changed substantially in the last several decades. They hypothesize that factors like the Western diet and lifestyle may be contributing to the rise in early onset cancer. The team acknowledged that this increased incidence of certain cancer types is, in part, due to early detection through cancer screening programs. They couldn’t precisely measure what proportion of this growing prevalence could solely be attributed to screening and early detection. However, they noted that increased incidence of many of the 14 cancer types is unlikely due to enhanced screening alone.

Possible risk factors for early onset cancer included alcohol consumption, sleep deprivation, smoking, obesity, and eating highly processed foods. Surprisingly, researchers found that while adult sleep duration hasn’t drastically changed over the several decades, children are getting far less sleep today than they were decades ago. Risk factors such as highly processed foods, sugary beverages, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, and alcohol consumption have all significantly increased since the 1950s.

“Among the 14 cancer types on the rise that we studied, eight were related to the digestive system. The food we eat feeds the microorganisms in our gut,” said Ugai. “Diet directly affects microbiome composition and eventually these changes can influence disease risk and outcomes.”

“https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/09/researchers-report-dramatic-rise-in-early-onset-cancers/

Some of the causes behind the increased cancer rates for adults under age 50 are thought to include:

• Drinking alcohol in excess
• Smoking tobacco
• Eating a Western diet
• Being obese or overweight
• Having type 2 diabetes
• Getting too little sleep, having abnormal sleep patterns and/or getting too little sleep during childhood
• Bearing children at a late age
• Having the first menstrual period at a young age
• Lower breast-feeding rates and increased formula consumption
• Using oral contraceptive
• Being exposed to environmental toxins

“Increasingly, Harvard Medical School scientists are finding evidence that some people have “hidden” hearing loss: damage to the auditory nerve — which carries sound signals from the ear to the brain — that isn’t picked up by conventional tests.

For people with measurable hearing loss, getting hearing aids sometimes reduces the perception of tinnitus. But hearing aids aren’t recommended for people with normal hearing test results — even if your doctor suspects hidden hearing loss — since we don’t have tests outside of research labs to measure it.

Still, the new evidence linking hidden hearing loss and tinnitus offers hope for people with tinnitus. “When you have hidden hearing loss, only a portion of the auditory nerve has degenerated. Another portion remains alive for years or decades. And a number of experiments by others have found that it’s possible to regenerate nerve fibers in animal models,” Maison says. “If we can one day regenerate those fibers in humans, perhaps it might bring back missing information to the brain, reducing its hyperactivity and the perception of tinnitus.”

Until that day comes — and it’s unclear when or if it will — we have only limited ways to cope with the problem.”

Harvard Health Publishing / Harvard Medical School

Men are more likely to experience hearing loss than women.

Of adults ages 65 and older in the United States, 12.3 percent of men and nearly 14 percent of women are affected by tinnitus. Tinnitus is identified more frequently in white individuals and the prevalence of tinnitus in almost twice as frequent in the South as in the Northeast.

Approximately 17 percent (36 million) of American adults report some degree of hearing loss.

There is a strong relationship between age and reported hearing loss: 18 percent of American adults 45-64 years old, 30 percent of adults 65-74 years old, and 47 percent of adults 75 years old or older have a hearing loss.

About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born deaf or hard-of-hearing.　Nine out of every 10 children who are born deaf are born to parents who can hear.

The NIDCD estimates that approximately 15 percent (26 million) of Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have high frequency hearing loss due to exposure to loud sounds or noise at work or in leisure activities.

Only 1 out of 5 people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one.

Three out of 4 children experience ear infection (otitis media) by the time they are 3 years old.

Roughly 25 million Americans have experienced tinnitus.

Approximately 188,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants. In the United States, roughly 41,500 adults and 25,500 children have received them.

Approximately 4,000 new cases of sudden deafness occur each year in the United States. Hearing loss affects only 1 ear in 9 out of 10 people who experience sudden deafness. Only 10 to 15 percent of patients with sudden deafness know what caused their loss.

Approximately 615,000 individuals have been diagnosed with Ménière’s disease in the United States. Another 45,500 are newly diagnosed each year.

Approximately 3 to 6 percent of all deaf children and perhaps another 3 to 6 percent of hard-of-hearing children have Usher syndrome. In developed countries such as the United States, about 4 babies in every 100,000 births have Usher syndrome.

One out of every 100,000 individuals per year develops an acoustic neurinoma (vestibular schwannoma).

High levels of cotinine, the chemical that indicates exposure to tobacco smoke and second-hand smoke has been directly linked to higher risks of some types of hearing loss. **

More than 500 million people around the world are experiencing some form of hearing loss right now. Are you one of them?

Share :

If you have hearing loss, you are not alone. About one in six people experience some degree of hearing impairment over the course of their lives.

The effects may not be obvious…

Hearing loss affects people in different ways. Left undiagnosed or untreated, it can damage communications and erode relationships. Over time, hearing loss may degenerate from a strictly physical condition to a psychological one, which is just one of the reasons it is so important to seek a solution promptly. For most people with hearing loss, there is help. Properly fitted hearing aids improve communication for at least 90 percent of people with hearing loss.^[1]

The cause of hearing loss may not be clear…

Hearing loss is not just the result of attending loud concerts or a factor of the aging process. Illness and infections can also play a part in damaging your hearing. A University of Wisconsin Medical School 2001 study^{[2] revealed that hearing loss occurred in nearly 80% of those who may have suffered from a heart attack. They further determined that individuals who exercised at least once a week experienced a 32 percent reduction in the risk of suffering from hearing loss compared to those who did not work out.}

Other health issues associated with either temporary or permanent hearing loss include the following:

Sluggish or poor blood flow to the ear

High blood pressure

Sickle Cell Disease

Diabetes

Screenings for diabetes and other conditions typically do not include hearing tests. If you have one of these conditions, it’s probably a good idea to ask for a referral to a hearing care professional who can conduct a ^{hearing screening to see if you are suffering from any kind of hearing loss.}

Many other factors can lead to hearing loss, including your family history, repeated exposure to loud noises, injuries, and smoking.

Men are more likely to experience hearing loss than women.

Of adults ages 65 and older in the United States, 12.3 percent of men and nearly 14 percent of women are affected by tinnitus. Tinnitus is identified more frequently in white individuals and the prevalence of tinnitus is almost twice as frequent in the South as in the Northeast.

Approximately 17 percent (36 million) of American adults report some degree of hearing loss.

There is a strong relationship between age and reported hearing loss: 18 percent of American adults 45-64 years old, 30 percent of adults 65-74 years old, and 47 percent of adults 75 years old or older have a hearing loss.

About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born deaf or hard-of-hearing.　Nine out of every 10 children who are born deaf are born to parents who can hear.

The NIDCD estimates that approximately 15 percent (26 million) of Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have high frequency hearing loss due to exposure to loud sounds or noise at work or in leisure activities.

Only 1 out of 5 people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one.

Three out of 4 children experience ear infection (otitis media) by the time they are 3 years old.

Roughly 25 million Americans have experienced tinnitus.

Approximately 188,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants. In the United States, roughly 41,500 adults and 25,500 children have received them.

Approximately 4,000 new cases of sudden deafness occur each year in the United States. Hearing loss affects only 1 ear in 9 out of 10 people who experience sudden deafness. Only 10 to 15 percent of patients with sudden deafness know what caused their loss.

Approximately 615,000 individuals have been diagnosed with Ménière’s disease in the United States. Another 45,500 are newly diagnosed each year.

Approximately 3 to 6 percent of all deaf children and perhaps another 3 to 6 percent of hard-of-hearing children have Usher syndrome. In developed countries such as the United States, about 4 babies in every 100,000 births have Usher syndrome.

One out of every 100,000 individuals per year develops an acoustic neurinoma (vestibular schwannoma).

High levels of cotinine, the chemical that indicates exposure to tobacco smoke and second-hand smoke has been directly linked to higher risks of some types of hearing loss. **

More than 500 million people around the world are experiencing some form of hearing loss right now. Are you one of them?

References:

1-World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs300/en/

2-Torre P 3^{rd, Cruickshanks KJ, Klein BE, Klein R, Nondahl DM. (2005). The association between cardiovascular disease and cochlear function in older adults. http://jslhr.asha.org/cgi/content/abstract/48/2/473}

3-National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).

“Viral hemorrhagic (hem-uh-RAJ-ik) fevers are infectious diseases that can be life-threatening. They can damage the walls of tiny blood vessels, making them leak. And they can keep the blood from clotting.

Some viral hemorrhagic fevers include:

• Crimean-Congo.
• Dengue.
• Ebola.
• Hantavirus.
• Lassa.
• Marburg.
• Yellow fever.

These diseases most often happen in tropical areas, such as Central Africa. In the United States, most people who get them have traveled to one of those areas.”

MAYO  CLINIC (Viral hemorrhagic fevers – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic)

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a group of illnesses caused by four families of viruses. These include the Ebola and Marburg, Lassa fever, and yellow fever viruses. VHFs have common features: they affect many organs, they damage the blood vessels, and they affect the body’s ability to regulate itself. Some VHFs cause mild disease, but some, like Ebola or Marburg, cause severe disease and death.

VHFs are found around the world. Specific diseases are usually limited to areas where the animals that carry them live. For example, Lassa fever is limited to rural areas of West Africa where rats and mice carry the virus.

The risk for travelers is low, but you should avoid visiting areas where there are disease outbreaks. Because there are no effective treatments for some of these viral infections, there is concern about their use in bioterrorism.

These diseases most commonly occur in tropical areas. In the United States, people who get them usually have recently traveled to one of those areas.

There’s no cure for viral hemorrhagic fevers. There are vaccines for only a few types. Until additional vaccines are developed, the best approach is prevention.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of viral hemorrhagic fevers vary by disease. In general, early signs and symptoms can include:

• Fever
• Fatigue, weakness or general feeling of being unwell
• Dizziness
• Muscle, bone or joint aches
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea

Symptoms that can become life-threatening

More-severe symptoms include:

• Bleeding under the skin, in internal organs, or from the mouth, eyes or ears
• Nervous system malfunctions
• Coma
• Delirium
• Kidney failure
• Respiratory failure
• Liver failure

Causes

Viral hemorrhagic fevers are spread by contact with infected animals or insects. The viruses that cause viral hemorrhagic fevers live in a variety of animal and insect hosts. Most commonly the hosts include mosquitoes, ticks, rodents or bats.

Some viral hemorrhagic fevers can also be spread from person to person.

Stayed tune tomorrow learning more in Part II on Hemorrhagic Fever!

“COVID-19, which is caused by the 2019 coronavirus, has been dominate news starting 2019. However, you may have first become familiar with the term coronavirus during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003.

Both COVID-19 and SARS are caused by coronaviruses. The virus that causes SARS is known as SARS-CoV, while the virus that causes COVID-19 is known as SARS-CoV-2. There are also other types of human coronaviruses.

Despite similar names, there are several differences between the coronaviruses that cause COVID-19 and SARS.

The MERS virus causes flu-like symptoms, with most patients developing pneumonia as a secondary infection. MERS is caused by a virus in the coronavirus family, and the syndrome is also called MERS-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). MERS is passed primarily to people from infected camels.  The first generation of Covid.”

The Library of Medicine (SARS, MERS and CoVID-19: An overview and comparison of clinical, laboratory and radiological features – PMC)