PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – An estimated one and a half million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition that affects the joints, but can also impact the eyes.
“Since it’s affecting inflammatory all over the body it can really attack the eyes, and so there’s dry eyes which is number one, there’s scleritis which is the white part of the eye becoming inflamed, and then uveitis, which is the other parts of the eye becoming inflamed, Dr. Sydney Madrigal, an optometrist with The Eye Center of Pembroke Pines said.
Madrigal said if some of these conditions do not receive the prompt treatment they can lead to vision loss.
Some medications used to manage rheumatoid arthritis can actually trigger eye symptoms.
Patients should talk to their doctor about changing the dose or type of drug if they develop problems.
Fiber is an essential component of a healthy diet and now a recent study showed that increasing fiber from a variety of food sources could help decrease antibiotic resistance in the gut.
If further research confirms these findings, it could shift dietary recommendations. As people change their diets, there could be a decrease in anti-microbial resistance.
The benefits of being immunized against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus are spilling over to those who are not vaccinated.
The CDC study of 14 to 24-year-old females found the prevalence of cancer-causing strains of H.P.V. dropped 90 percent among vaccinated females and there was a 74 percent reduction among their unvaccinated counterparts pointing to a ‘herd effect’.
Experts stressed, however, that does not mean kids can go unvaccinated and rely on herd protection. Herd effects only exist when a large portion of the population is vaccinated.