Dr. Carlos Alberto Salazar, M.D.

Ativan is Benzodiazepine drug, That can be use in elderly for short period of time. The Beers criteria was developed by an expert consensus panel in 1991. These criteria are a list of medications considered potentially inappropriate for use in older patients, mostly due to high risk adverse events such as alter mentation, falls with subsequent fracture and or even respiratory arrest, heart attack and death. These medications can produce dependency and patient will need higher doses to get the same effect. I hope i answer your question

Any infection can range from mild to severe, untreated infection can take 2 courses, one your immune system is excellent and was able to overcome the infection or secondly the infection gets worse and you can developed Respiratory failure and die. My recommendation is to consult your PCP for any upper respiratory that could progress into a worse scenario.

Someone at her age with Iron deficiency anemia, we must rule out colon cancer. She will need to get a Colonoscopy with a Gastroenterologist. If the test is normal, she can see a Hematologist (Blood specialist), meantime she can eat food rich in Iron such: Lentils, spinach, black beans and take Centrum multivitamins for women 1 tab daily.

Complete blood count needs to be repeated. If it is persistently elevated, I would refer to a hematologist to r/o blood disorder. Regular exercise is an important component for good health and it can maintain the right blood count.

In children, it's very important to find out about family history of polyps. There is a condition called FAP (Familial Adenomatous Polyposis). If someone has this condition, there is a very high likelihood that a person will develop Colorectal Cancer. I would take him to a Pediatric Gastroenterologist for evaluation.

It could be very serious depend on what percentage of the lung is collapse. a collapse lung is called Pneumothorax. It can happened spontaneously or could have other Secondary etiologies. ITS PRESENCE DICTATES IMMEDIATE AND DEFINITIVE MANAGEMENT.

Your B12 level is normal, i do not think your symptoms are not related to B12 Deficiency. Now if you start taking PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) such as Omeprazole or pantoprazole they can impair the absorption of B12. You may need to do some life style changes. Do not eat or drink anything 2 hrs before goint to bed, elevate the head of your bed. and go to see a GI doctor to get a Endoscopy

Reactive airway disease is an allergy and/or inflammatory reaction of the airway to triggers such as vapors, fumes, smoke, etc. It is not contagious. Symptoms are similar to asthma. It can be treated. Some kids do not get better, though, and can develop asthma.

Only 5 % of polyps progress to cancer, however, the individual risk for every person varies with the risk factor associated with that person. For instance, if one has a strong history of cancer in the family, the chances of this polyp progressing to cancer will be higher than those people without a family history of cancer. Other risk factors include smoking, fatty diet, inflammatory intestinal conditions, and inherited syndromes such FAP (familial adenomatous polyposis), DIABETES, OBESITY, ETC.

First of all, you need to understand that there are several classifications of Dementia ( It is a group of symptoms that affect your ability think or reason clearly) The most common one is 1. Reversible Dementias: here we add all Dementias that have a medical treatment, once we determine what is causing it. For instance Thyroid problems, can mimic dementia symptoms, once you treat the problem the dementia symptoms reverse. Another Example is Vitamin B12 Deficiency once you treat the deficiency the memory problems disappears. In this cases, yes; there are blood tests that can help defining the etiology of the Memory loss. The second group of Dementia is what we call Irreversible Dementias: where there is not cure for the disease. Of course there are medications that can slow down the progression of the disease but can not cure it. In this group is where Alzheimer's Disease falls. Alzheimer dementia is the most common form of dementia, accounting for up to 60-80% of cases. For the diagnosis os Alzheimer to be made it takes a long time and usually involves a series of tests including questionnaires and brain scans.

Well, it is a condition that can be treated, but requires a follow up testing at least twice a year to make sure your doctor is given you the right dose. It is important to do this f/u tests because giving to much or to little of the drug can have detrimental effects on your body. But definitively it can be treated and keep it under control.

Yes, especially if you have DM type 2. Obesity is a risk factor no only for diabetes but also for cardiovascular disease including Heart attack, Stroke, and Peripheral Vascular Disease. In Obesity, the fat tissue tends to block the receptors for insulin. Insulin is needed to open some canals in all cells of your body so that the glucose (sugar) can enter the cells and be utilize as source of energy. So, when fat tissue block insulin receptors, the insulin can not open the canals and the blood sugar stay high in your bloodstream. Here is the importance of losing weight.

Yes, it could be gout or osteoarthritis (degenerative disease of the cartilage). Go to your doctor and get uric acid levels and an X-ray. Avoid eating food reach in uric acid such as tomatoes, beans, etc.

The cause of swollen legs is multifactorial, however, swollen legs, especially in the evening, could be related to kidney failure secondary to high blood pressure. If you have hypertension, you should see a doctor immediately. Other risk factors for this symptom could heart failure, drug induce, thyroid disease, sitting for prolonged times, or inactivity. Try to keep your legs elevated while sitting, but see your doctor ASAP.

If you are not taking any medication that can reduce your folic acid level, it could be a folic acid deficiency. Ask your doctor to get a CBC (complete blood count) or you can see a specialist such as a hematologist to find the cause of it.

Once all lesions are crusted, they are no longer contagious.

Heart failure can be sudden or acute secondary to infection, heart attack, but it also can develop slowly (chronic) secondary to high blood pressure, diabetes, other immune problems, or structural heart disease, such as valvular problems. The heart is a muscle that pumps blood to the organs of the body. When the heart cannot pump properly, it is called heart failure.

All patients with diabetes need at least annual mandatory eye exam check, due to the possible complications of diabetes in the retina, including blindness.

Women are more likely to gain rather than lose weight between pregnancies and weight gain from one pregnancy to the next increases the risks of gestational diabetes mellitus. Avoiding excessive weight gain and weight retention are important and potentially modifiable targets to achieve lower risks of adverse outcomes in subsequent pregnancies and prevent future maternal obesity and its adverse consequences. I will recommend you to check you blood sugar level and start a weight loss program with emphasis on low carbohydrates, diet, and exercise.