What is upper endoscopy? Readers Comments 2 Share Your Story Endoscopy is a procedure in which a camera is inserted into an orifice or surgical incision to explore for abnormalities or cancers, or perform minimally invasive surgery. Upper endoscopy is a procedure that enables the examiner (usually a gastroenterologist) to examine the esophagus (swallowing tube), stomach, and duodenum (first portion...
Early Signs and Symptoms of Autism
What is autism? Share Your Story Autism can be diagnosed in babies, children, tweens, teens, and adults. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that affects a person's behavior and impairs the ability to communicate and interact with others. Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder can range from mild to severe. The cause is unknown. Autism spectrum disorder refers to...
What Is Erythropoietin (EPO)? Test, Definition & Side Effects
Erythropoietin (EPO) definition and facts Measuring blood levels of erythripoietin, a hormone involved in red blood cell production, can diagnose some medical conditions. Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone produced by the kidney. Erythropoietin promotes the formation of red blood cells by the bone marrow. The erythropoietin hormone level can be detected and measured in the blood (the EPO test). Measurement...
What Is Gastroparesis? Diet, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment
Gastroparesis definition and facts In gastroparesis, the muscles of the stomach stop working. Gastroparesis is a disease of the muscles of the stomach or the nerves controlling the muscles that causes the muscles to stop working. Gastroparesis results in inadequate grinding of food by the stomach, and poor emptying of food from the stomach into the intestine. The primary symptoms...
labetalol Side Effects, Dosage & Pregnancy Safety
What is labetalol, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Labetalol is a drug used for treating high blood pressure and is related to carvedilol (Coreg). Nerves from the adrenergic nervous system travel from the spinal cord to arteries where they release norepinephrine. Norepinephrine attaches to adrenergic receptors on arteries and causes the arteries to contract, narrowing the arteries,...
Dabigatran (Pradaxa): AFib Drug Side Effects & Dosage
What is dabigatran? How does dabigatran work? Dabigatran is an oral drug used to treat and prevent blood clots (an anticoagulant or blood thinner) in the hearts of patients with atrial fibrillation. These clots are likely to break into pieces and travel to the brain to cause strokes. Similarly, it is used to treat and prevent blood clots in the...
Pertuzumab (Perjeta): Breast Cancer Drug Side Effects & Interactions
What is pertuzumab? What is pertuzumab used for? Pertuzumab is an intravenous drug that is used to treat breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast (metastasized). It belongs to a class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies. Other monoclonal antibodies used for treating breast cancer include trastuzumab (Herceptin) and ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla). The cells of cancers have various receptors on...
radium Ra 223 dichloride (Xofigo): Radiation Drug Use & Side Effects
What is Xofigo? What is Xofigo used for? Radium Ra 223 (Xofigo) is a radioactive medicine (radiotherapeutic drug) that is used to treat male patients with symptoms of advanced prostate cancer that has spread to the bones, but not to other parts of the body. The radioactive particles emitted by radium Ra 223 helps kill cancer cells in the bone...
Metformin (Glucophage) vs. Insulin: Diabetes Drugs Side Effects
Metformin vs. Insulin Metformin and insulin are used to treat diabetes. A difference is metformin is used to treat only type 2 diabetes, while insulin may be used to treat both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Metformin is also used to treat polycystic ovaries and weight gain due to medications used for treating psychoses. Metformin is an oral medication...
paliperidone palmitate (Invega Sustenna) Side Effects
What is Invega Sustenna? What is it used for? Invega Sustenna (paliperidone palmitate) is an atypical antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia. It is a long acting form of paliperidone (Invega). Other atypical antipsychotic drugs include olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel), ziprasidone (Geodon), iloperidone (Fanapt), asenapine (Saphris) and aripiprazole (Abilify). Atypical antipsychotics differ from typical antipsychotics because they cause a lesser degree...