Pero no se trataba de una enfermedad misteriosa. Como enfermero anestesista, ya jubilado, Sergott sabía que tenía anemia, una deficiencia de glóbulos rojos. En su caso, era consecuencia de una afección hereditaria por la que tenía hemorragias nasales casi a diario y le bajaba la hemoglobina, la proteína de los glóbulos rojos que transporta oxígeno a todo el cuerpo.

Pero al consultar con los médicos sobre su cansancio, Sergott, quien vive en Westminster, Maryland, descubrió que muchos no sabían cómo ayudarlo. Le aconsejaban que tomara suplementos de hierro, que suele ser la primera línea de tratamiento para la anemia.

Sin embargo, como muchas personas mayores, le resultaba difícil tolerar de cuatro a seis pastillas al día.

Algunos pacientes que toman hierro se quejan de estreñimiento intenso o calambres estomacales. Sergott sentía náuseas todo el tiempo. Y las tabletas de hierro no siempre funcionan.

Después de casi 15 años, encontró una solución. Michael Auerbach, hematólogo y oncólogo, y codirector del Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders en Baltimore, sugirió que Sergott recibiera hierro por vía intravenosa y no por la boca.

Ahora, el hombre de 78 años recibe una infusión de una hora cuando sus niveles de hemoglobina y otros marcadores indican que la necesita, generalmente tres veces al año. “Es como llenar el tanque de gasolina”, dijo. Sus síntomas se revierten y “me siento maravillosamente bien”.

La historia de Sergott refleja una afección común que habitualmente se desestima y que no solo puede lesionar la calidad de vida de los adultos mayores, sino también tener graves consecuencias para la salud, como caídas, fracturas y hospitalizaciones.

Los síntomas de la anemia —cansancio, dolor de cabeza, calambres en las piernas, frío, disminución de la capacidad para hacer ejercicio, confusión mental— a menudo se atribuyen al envejecimiento mismo, afirmó William Ershler, hematólogo e investigador. Más aún porque algunas personas con anemia no presentan síntomas.

“La gente dice: ‘Me siento débil, pero todos los de mi edad se sienten débiles’”, explicó Ershler.

Los médicos a menudo no reconocen la anemia, aunque es probable que los niveles de hemoglobina se incluyen en las historias clínicas de sus pacientes: suele ser parte del hemograma completo que se solicita de manera rutinaria durante las consultas médicas.

“Los pacientes vienen a la clínica, se hacen análisis de sangre y no pasa nada”, dijo.

La anemia afecta al 12,5% de las personas mayores de 60 años, según los datos más recientes de la National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, y la tasa aumenta a partir de esa edad.

Pero esta cifra podría ser una subestimación.

En un estudio publicado en el Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Ershler y sus colegas examinaron las historias clínicas electrónicas de casi 2.000 pacientes ambulatorios mayores de 65 años de Inova, el gran sistema de salud con sede en el norte de Virginia, del que se jubiló recientemente.

Según los resultados de los análisis de sangre, la prevalencia de anemia fue mucho mayor: aproximadamente uno de cada 5 pacientes presentaba anemia, con niveles de hemoglobina por debajo de lo normal, según la definición de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS).

Sin embargo, solo alrededor de un tercio de esos pacientes tenían la anemia debidamente documentada en sus historias médicas.

La anemia “merece nuestra atención, pero no siempre la recibe”, afirmó George Kuchel, geriatra de la Universidad de Connecticut, quien no se sorprendió por los hallazgos.

Esto se debe en parte a que la anemia tiene muchas causas, algunas más tratables que otras. En quizás un tercio de los casos, se debe a una deficiencia nutricional, generalmente falta de hierro, pero a veces de vitamina B12 o folato (llamado ácido fólico en forma sintética).

Las personas mayores pueden tener menos apetito o dificultades para comprar alimentos y cocinar. Pero la anemia también puede ser consecuencia de la pérdida de sangre por úlceras, pólipos, diabetes y otras causas de hemorragia interna.

La cirugía también puede provocar deficiencia de hierro. Mary Dagold, de 83 años, bibliotecaria jubilada de Pikesville, Maryland, tuvo tres operaciones abdominales en 2019. Estuvo postrada durante semanas y usó una sonda para alimentarse por meses. Incluso después de recuperarse, “la anemia no desapareció”, contó.

Recuerda que se sentía agotada todo el tiempo. “Y sabía que no estaba pensando como siempre”, agregó. “No podía leer ni una novela”. Tanto su médico de cabecera como Auerbach le advirtieron que era poco probable que las tabletas de hierro la ayudaran.

Estas tabletas, de venta libre, son económicas. El hierro intravenoso, que se receta cada vez con más frecuencia, puede costar entre $350 y $2.400 por infusión, dependiendo de la formulación, explicó Auerbach.

Para algunos pacientes una sola dosis es suficiente, mientras que otros necesitarán un tratamiento regular. Medicare lo cubre cuando las tabletas son difíciles de tolerar o ineficaces.

Para Dagold, una infusión intravenosa de hierro de 25 minutos cada unas cinco semanas ha marcado una diferencia sorprendente. “Tarda unos días, y luego te sientes lo suficientemente bien como para retomar tu vida diaria”, dijo. Ha regresado a su clase de aeróbic acuático cuatro días a la semana.

En otros casos, la anemia se debe a afecciones crónicas como enfermedades cardíacas, insuficiencia renal, trastornos de la médula ósea o afecciones inflamatorias del intestino.

“Estas personas no tienen deficiencia de hierro, pero no pueden procesarlo para producir glóbulos rojos”, explicó Kuchel. Dado que los suplementos de hierro no son efectivos, los médicos intentan abordar la anemia tratando las enfermedades subyacentes.

Otra razón para prestar atención: “La pérdida de hierro puede ser el primer presagio de cáncer de colon y de estómago”, enfatizó Kuchel.

Sin embargo, en cerca de un tercio de los pacientes, la presencia de la anemia es inexplicable. “Hemos hecho todo lo posible y no tenemos idea de qué la causa”, dijo.

Aprender más sobre las causas y los tratamientos de la anemia podría prevenir muchos problemas en el futuro. Además de su asociación con caídas y fracturas, “puede aumentar la gravedad de afecciones crónicas: corazón, pulmón, riñón, hígado”, dijo Auerbach.

“Si es realmente grave y la hemoglobina alcanza niveles potencialmente mortales, puede causar un ataque cardíaco o un derrame cerebral”. Sin embargo, entre las incógnitas se encuentra si el tratamiento temprano de la anemia y el restablecimiento de niveles normales de hemoglobina pueden prevenir afecciones posteriores.

Aun así, “se están logrando avances en este campo”, afirmó Ershler, señalando un taller del Instituto Nacional sobre el Envejecimiento sobre anemia inexplicable realizado el año pasado.

La Sociedad Americana de Hematología ha designado un comité para el diagnóstico y tratamiento de la deficiencia de hierro y planea publicar nuevas directrices el próximo año. El Iron Consortium at Oregon Health & Science University convocó un panel internacional sobre el manejo de la deficiencia de hierro y publicó recientemente sus recomendaciones en The Lancet Haematology.

Mientras tanto, muchos pacientes mayores pueden acceder a sus resultados del hemograma completo y a sus niveles de hemoglobina. La OMS define 13 gramos de hemoglobina por decilitro como normal para los hombres y 12 para las mujeres no embarazadas. (Aunque algunos hematólogos argumentan que estos umbrales son demasiado bajos).

Preguntar a los profesionales de salud sobre los niveles de hemoglobina y hierro, o utilizar un portal para pacientes para consultar las cifras ellos mismos, podría ayudarlos a hablar con sus médicos no solo de la fatiga u otros síntomas como consecuencias inevitables del envejecimiento.

Quizás sean signos de anemia, y quizás sea tratable.

“Lo más probable es que te hayas hecho un hemograma completo en los últimos seis meses o un año”, dijo Kuchel. “Si tu hemoglobina está bien, ¡genial!”.

Pero agregó que “si está realmente fuera de los límites normales o ha cambiado en comparación con el año pasado, debes preguntar”.

La sección The New Old Age se produce a través de una alianza con The New York Times.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

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Guardian Life of The Caribbean Limited has reaffirmed its commitment to improving cancer care and financial access for women across the region, with a focus on prevention, early detection, and inclusive insurance solutions. 

The announcement was made by President at Guardian Life of The Caribbean Limited, Samanta Saugh, last Friday at the Caribbean Association for Oncology and Hematology (CAOH) Conference at Hyatt Regency Trinidad, where Guardian Life participated as a sponsor and strategic partner.

“As a subsidiary as part of the largest indigenous financial services group in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, Guardian Life understands the vital role we play in supporting the wellbeing of our communities,” said Saugh. “We are working to ensure that equity in care includes not only medical treatment but also financial protection and peace of mind.”

Over the past five years, Guardian Life has seen a steady increase in cancer-related claims, particularly among women. 

According to the data:

• Cancer accounts for 47 per cent of all critical illness claims across the company’s portfolio.
• Women file 53 per cent of all claims.
• 68 per cent of female critical illness claims are cancer-related, with breast and ovarian cancers most common.

In response, Guardian Life is taking several meaningful steps to better serve its clients:

• Tailored Insurance Products: Developing inclusive policies with coverage specific to gynaecological cancers and more accessible options for lower-income women.
• Support Beyond the Payout: Bundling financial protection with wellness, care navigation, and mental health support throughout the treatment journey.
• Digital Claims Innovation: Streamlining the claims process through user-friendly technology for faster, more transparent service.
• Healthcare Partnerships: For example, launching a breast cancer screening drive in collaboration with Bayview Urgent Care Facility in Barbados, making preventative care more accessible for policyholders.

Guardian Life continues to work closely with healthcare professionals, NGOs, and policymakers to strengthen the regional ecosystem of care. 

“At Guardian Life, we see the people behind the policies,” said Saugh. 

“We’re here to protect futures—and that means listening, innovating, and acting with compassion.”

The post Guardian Life strengthens commitment to women’s cancer care across the Caribbean appeared first on Barbados Today.

Reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s could be as simple as eating the right food.

A new study by researchers in Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C., found that eating foods high in choline could lower the risk of developing the common dementia.

Choline is an essential micronutrient found in various foods, including poultry, dairy products (such as milk, yogurt and eggs), cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts, beans and some fish, according to the USDA.

THE KEY TO LIVING LONGER COULD BE TIED TO A SURPRISING SUBSTANCE, STUDY SUGGESTS

Dietary choline intake has been associated with a lower risk of cognitive function and reduced risk of dementia, the researchers concluded.

In the study, participants averaging 81 years of age who did not have Alzheimer's completed dietary questionnaires and underwent annual neurological exams.

After an eight-year follow-up, researchers determined that consuming about 350 milligrams of choline per day was associated with the lowest risk of clinical Alzheimer’s diagnoses in older adults.

Los Angeles-based registered dietitian nutritionist Ilana Muhlstein has also backed the impact of choline on brain health, citing a 2024 China-based study that found intake improves cognitive function, especially among women.

"This is the study that inspired me to start supplementing choline," she said. "My memory has gotten worse over the years. I first wrote it off as ‘pregnancy brain,’ then ‘mommy brain,’ but eventually realized I should do my best to help it." 

"I already sleep well, exercise regularly, play mahjong and limit my alcohol, so choline was the next obvious tool worth trying." 

WARDING OFF ALZHEIMER'S MIGHT MEAN MAKING THESE 11 LIFESTYLE CHANGES, EXPERT SAYS

Muhlstein shared that more than 90% of the choline in eggs comes from the yolk. For those who choose to eat egg whites for dietary reasons, taking a choline supplement may be a better option.

Choline intake should be tailored to each person's individual needs, the nutritionist noted, referencing guidance from the Harvard School of Public Health.

"Premenopausal women may have lower requirements for dietary choline, because higher estrogen levels stimulate the creation of choline in the body," the university wrote.

In a separate interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist, brain imaging doctor and founder of Amen Clinics in California, emphasized the importance of eating the right foods for brain health.

"Your brain uses 20% to 30% of the calories you consume," he said. "So, nutrition is critical to help your brain or hurt your brain." 

Walnuts are one of Amen’s favorite brain-healthy food options, as they contain choline as well as omega-3 fatty acids.

He also recommends including wild salmon as a dietary staple, as it's high in omega-3s and healthy protein, as well as organic blueberries and green, leafy vegetables.

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"If you had a salad every day, and you put blueberries and salmon and walnuts on it with a little lemon and olive oil, that would be a perfect brain-boosting lunch," he said.

The doctor also suggested considering certain supplements to foster better brain health, including vitamin D, omega-3 or fish oil, or a daily multi-vitamin.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.

"Nearly two-thirds of the American population is low in vitamin D," he said. "And if it's low, it's a universal risk factor for every bad thing related to your brain, but also to your body, including obesity and cancer … Know and optimize your vitamin D level."

Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.

The new techniques, described in two recently published research studies, could equip health care workers with powerful new tools for more effectively treating conditions related to opioid exposure, the researchers say.

In a study published in Scientific Reports, the researchers describe a method that can rapidly detect six different opioid compounds from a tiny amount of serum — no more than a finger prick. The second study, published in SLAS Technology, demonstrates a method for detecting opioids in dried blood spots, which are routinely collected from newborns nationwide. The technique could enable a first-of-its-kind quantitative method for assessing opioid exposure in newborns.

The research was led by Ramisa Fariha, a postdoctoral research associate in molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry at Brown who performed the work while completing her Ph.D. in Brown’s School of Engineering. The work was a collaboration with Carolina Haass-Koffler, an associate professor at Brown’s School of Public Health.

“This project is an example of what happens when translational engineering meets public health,” said Anubhav Tripathi, a professor in Brown’s School of Engineering who oversaw the work. “Dr. Haass-Koffler approached us with a challenge: How can we enable more reliable testing of opioid exposure? Ramisa was able to take up that challenge and develop something quite remarkable in the lab.”

Fariha hopes the work will spur real-world application in opioid treatment.

“This wasn’t about creating another lab tool,” she said. “It was about reimagining what’s possible at the point of care. We were responding to a void that was always there, and we wanted to address it.”

Adults with opioid use disorder

The work began with Haass-Koffler talking with members of the engineering team about the challenges in measuring the presence of opioid substances in people with opioid use disorder. Blood testing for opioids generally requires substantial quantities of blood, which can be difficult to get from frequent opioid users who may have collapsed veins or other conditions. Urine tests, on the other hand, frequently produce inaccurate results.

Working closely with John Murphy, a research engineer at Brown, Fariha developed a fully automated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay to detect opioid compounds from microsamples including serum or blood spots. They showed that the system is capable of accurately quantifying six different opioids — including buprenorphine, methadone, codeine, hydrocodone, morphine and oxycodone — using a small sample of just 20 microliters (less than a single drop) of serum.

Haass-Koffler then integrated the new diagnostic technique into an ongoing clinical trial. The trial, which assesses the use of oxytocin as a complement to opioid agonist therapy, leveraged the microsampling method to detect opioid use that traditional urine samples had missed. This enhanced detection capability provided critical insights, helping the research team demonstrate that administering oxytocin can be a valuable tool in reducing opioid use among people with opioid use disorder.

Detecting opioids in newborns

After developing a method for detecting opioids from small blood samples in adults, the researchers began thinking of other ways to apply it. Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), in which babies are born with symptoms of opioid withdrawal, seemed like an obvious choice, they said.

Opioid use among expectant mothers is alarmingly high in the U.S — one recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in five pregnant women self-reported opioid misuse. Diagnosis of opioid exposure in newborns is currently made by assessing a baby’s symptoms and reviewing a mother’s opioid use history. There is currently no standard blood test for opioids in infants.

“The idea behind this work was to come up with a diagnostic method that’s more quantitative,” Fariha said.

The solution was a device that can extract potential opioid samples from dried blood spots, which are routinely gathered shortly after birth from a small prick on a baby’s heel. The device applies an electric field to a dried blood spot to draw up potential opioid compounds. Once the sample is prepared, it can be sent to a lab for analysis with a mass spectrometer, which are commonly used in neonatal testing.

The research showed that the technique can successfully detect a range of opioid substances including codeine, hydrocodone, morphine, methadone and oxycodone. And the technique is fully automated, making it easy to deploy at the clinical level, the researchers say.

Fariha said she’s hopeful that the technique can not only improve diagnosis of NAS, but also treatment. If clinicians know precisely how much opioid is present, they could potentially make more informed decisions about whether medication is necessary and in what amounts.

“At its core, this work is about more than automation,” Fariha said. “It’s about designing diagnostic tools that are precise, scalable and better aligned with the needs of real-world patients, especially in maternal and infant health.”

The researchers say both studies represent an effort to make diagnostics more useful, accessible and patient-centered.

“Diagnostics shouldn’t be locked inside centralized labs,” Fariha said. “I want to design systems that meet patients where they are — whether that’s a newborn in a NICU or a village clinic halfway around the world. As a Bangladeshi woman, I recognize the need for solutions with global translatability and impact, without requiring major infrastructural support.”

Reference:

Fariha, R., Rothkopf, E., Haass-Koffler, C.L. et al. Opioid quantification via microsampling techniques to assess opioid use in human laboratory studies. Sci Rep 15, 17678 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99130-5

To make the time fly, we are firing up the trusted coffee kettle and brewing another cup of stimulation. Our choice today is crème brulée, a tasty treat. Now, though, the time has come to get cracking. So here are a few items of interest to help you get started. We hope you have a lovely day, and do keep in touch. Feedback, tips, and suggestions are always welcome. …

President Trump said he was likely to impose tariffs on pharmaceuticals as soon as the end of the month, suggesting that those import taxes could hit alongside broad “reciprocal” rates set for implementation on Aug. 1, Bloomberg News informs us. “Probably at the end of the month, and we’re going to start off with a low tariff and give the pharmaceutical companies a year or so to build, and then we’re going to make it a very high tariff,” he said. Still, any tariffs could immediately impact drugmakers like Eli Lilly, Merck, and Pfizer that produce drugs overseas and risk driving up costs for U.S. consumers. At a Cabinet meeting earlier this month, Trump said he expected pharmaceutical tariffs to grow as high as 200% after giving companies a year to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. Trump has already announced investigations under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 on drugs, arguing a flood of foreign imports was threatening national security.

A divided U.S. appeals court panel upheld West Virginia’s ban on medication abortion, ruling that the law does not conflict with the ability of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate the drug, The Hill explains. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit dismissed mifepristone manufacturer GenBioPro’s effort to strike down West Virginia’s near-total abortion ban in a 2-1 decision. The court ruled FDA approval of mifepristone did not preempt West Virginia’s law. GenBioPro produces a majority of the mifepristone sold in the United States and has held FDA approval for generic mifepristone since 2019. GenBioPro argued that FDA authority to impose regulations on the prescription and distribution of mifepristone superseded state efforts to restrict access to medications. A lower court ruled against the company, which then appealed the decision. The ruling marks the first time a federal appeals court has said states can restrict the use of mifepristone. Twenty-eight states restrict access to medication abortions, according to the reproductive health nonprofit Guttmacher Institute. 

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

DO YOU want to feel more alive when you are practising yoga? Do you like your yoga hot! Hot yoga is the practice of performing yoga poses in a warm room, encouraging practitioners to sweat out negative emotions and push themselves harder during the...

CMS Expands Access to Lifesaving Gene Therapies Through Innovative State AgreementsParticipating states to test outcomes-based payments for sickle cell disease treatments, improving care while lowering long-term costs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that 33 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, will participate in the Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Access Model, a bold new approach to delivering cutting-edge treatments for people on Medicaid living with sickle cell disease. Participating states represent approximately 84% of Medicaid beneficiaries with the condition, significantly expanding access to transformative care.