November 2017 Story Ideas

Listed below are story ideas, mostly with a focus on November’s health/medical observances, from the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC). To pursue any of these stories, please call John M. Lazarou at 443-849-2126 or jlazarou@gbmc.org

• IS BARIATRIC SURGERY RIGHT FOR ME?
• MAKE YOUR BLADDER HEALTH A TOP PRIORITY
• FIGHTING A "SECRET KILLER"
• SAVING YOUR VISION FROM DIABETES
• DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS IF IGNORED CAN LEAD TO AMPUTATION
• PANCREATIC CANCER….THE SILENT DISEASE
• LUNG CANCER: THE SECOND MOST COMMON CANCER IN BOTH U.S. MEN & WOMEN
• AMERICAN SMOKE OUT TO TAKE PLACE NOV. 17

IS BARIATRIC SURGERY RIGHT FOR ME?


An estimated 15.5 million Americans suffer from severe obesity, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the numbers are expected to increase. According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), an estimated 179,000 people underwent gastric bypass, gastric banding, and other bariatric operations in 2013 versus 158,000 in 2011. Gustavo E. Bello, MD, bariatric surgeon, or Elizabeth Dovec, MD, bariatric surgeon and medical director of the GBMC Comprehensive Obesity Management Program (COMP), can discuss the latest in bariatric surgery and offer the most current bariatric surgical options, provide insight on who qualifies for surgery, separating fact and myth about weight-loss surgery and outline any possible risks and complications. Bariatric Surgery Day will take place on Thursday, Nov. 2, during National Obesity Week (Oct. 29 – Nov. 4), and will highlight bariatric surgery and the various facets of treatment and is aimed to increasing public awareness of bariatric surgery as a valid, scientific-based treatment option.

MAKE YOUR BLADDER HEALTH A TOP PRIORITY


The bladder — the body’s organ that holds urine from your kidneys — is one of those body parts that is rarely given any thought until it stops working appropriately. Certain problems affecting your bladder can cause painful urination or urine leakage at unwanted times. According to the Urology Care Foundation, nearly 35 million Americans suffer from a variety of health problems affecting the bladder with the two most common being urinary incontinence and overactive bladder (OAB). These diseases, among others that affect the bladder, not only impact the health and quality of life of an individual, but result in significant health costs (estimated to be more than $70 billion per year). Ronald Tutrone, MD, FACS, chief of the Division of Urology at GBMC, can outline ways to keep your bladder healthy and offer a number of tips to help keep your bladder in good shape.





FIGHTING A“SECRET KILLER”


According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. It can cause blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease, and other health problems if it’s not controlled. One in 10 Americans have diabetes — that’s more than 30 million people. And another 84 million adults in the United States are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Ruth S. Horowitz, MD, Chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and member of the Geckle Diabetes Center at GBMC HealthCare, can discuss the effective medical management of this complex, chronic condition and offer ways to improve the wellness and quality of life for those with diabetes. November is National Diabetes Month and is a good time to raise awareness about diabetes risk factors and encourage people to make healthy changes.

SAVING YOUR VISION FROM DIABETES


Diabetes can lead to severe complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, nerve damage, and amputation. Another major complication associated with diabetes is sever eye disease leading possible vision loss. Among U.S. residents aged 65 years and older, over 10 million Americans have diabetes with 3.6 million, age 40 and older, suffering from diabetic eye disease. Diabetic eye disease, a leading cause of blindness, often has no early warning signs, but early detection, timely treatment and appropriate follow-up care are the only ways to prevent vision loss. A GBMC Ophthalmologist can discuss diabetes-related eye diseases, offer tips on how to keep your eyes healthy with diabetes. November is Diabetic Eye Disease Month and is an appropriate time to awareness about diabetic eye disease and the importance of early detection.

DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS IF IGNORED CAN LEAD TO AMPUTATION


People who’ve been diagnosed with diabetes have an increased chance of developing foot sores, or a diabetic foot ulcer. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), a diabetic foot ulcer is an open sore or wound that is commonly located on the bottom of the foot. They are often painless and more in common in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and especially those with nerve problems or issues prohibiting adequate blood supply to their legs or both. Of the estimated 30 million Americans with diabetes, one in four will develop foot lesions, and of those who do, one in six will require an amputation. Foot ulcers not only lead to physical disability, but to loss of quality of life as well. Brian J. Belgin, DPM, a podiatrist with GBMC’s Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center, can discuss what is a diabetic foot ulcer, how is it diagnosed, risk factors along with prevention and treatment options.

PANCREATIC CANCER….THE SILENT DISEASE


Today pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. Only 20 percent of patients survive longer than 1 year, and only seven percent make it to five years (by comparison, nearly 90 percent of all breast cancer patients make it to 5 years). Pancreatic cancer occurs when a malignant tumor forms in the pancreas. There are two main types of pancreatic cancer: exocrine and endocrine tumors. Rina Patel, MD, a medical oncologist at GBMC's Sandra & Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute, can discuss: where is the pancreas and what is its main function, the two main types of pancreatic cancer, the risk factors that make developing pancreatic cancer more likely, how it is diagnosed, symptoms and signs and the seriousness of cancer in the pancreas. The 2017 World Pancreatic Cancer Day is planned for Thursday, Nov. 17

LUNG CANCER: THE SECOND MOST COMMON CANCER IN BOTH U.S. MEN & WOMEN


Lung cancer is the leading mortality of all cancers in the U.S. for both men and women. According to the American Cancer Society, more people die to lung cancer than breast, prostate, colon and pancreatic cancers combined and that approximately 80 percent of those diagnosed today are former or non-smokers. While the reality of lung cancer is grim, early detection of this silent cancer is key; lung cancer can grow over years without any symptoms. November is Lung Cancer Awareness month and is a timely opportunity for Robert K. Brookland, MD, FACR, FACRO, GBMC’s chairman of radiation oncology and member of the American Cancer Society, to discuss the general state of lung cancer along with the importance of smoking cessation, the value of CT screening for those at high risk and outline the progress being made, locally and on a national level, in the fight on lung cancer.

GREAT AMERICAN SMOKE OUT TO TAKE PLACE NOV. 16


Approximately one out of five American adults smoke cigarettes and over 15 million smoke tobacco in pipes and other dangerous and addictive forms of tobacco. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that smoking-related illnesses remains the single largest cause of disease and premature death in the nation and cost more than $300 billion each year, including nearly $170 billion for direct medical costs for adults and more than $156 billion in lost productivity due to premature death and secondhand smoke. Kevin Ferentz, MD, lead physician at GBMC Owings Mills and qualified to treat patients who want to participate in GBMC Smoking Cessation program, can offer ways tobacco users can quit smoking and the benefits of “kicking the smoking habit.”