A new AHRQ-funded study suggests that emergency department physicians should be especially vigilant for the possibility of stroke in younger, female and nonwhite patients who complain of headache or dizziness. Based on AHRQ Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data from 2008 and 2009, study authors estimated that as many as 165,000 strokes are misdiagnosed annually in the emergency department. Potential misdiagnoses were more often associated with younger, female and minority patients who had headache and dizziness.

The average age of menopause in the United States is around 51 years old, but the onset can widely vary. Premature menopause refers to menopause of onset at or before 40 years of age. This can occur because of  a variety of causes, including surgery (i.e. bilateral oophorectomy, removal of ovaries), chemotherapy or pelvic radiation treatments for cancer, chromosomal or genetic defects, and spontaneous premature ovarian failure.

It is only fitting that the theme for this year’s National Nurses Week is “Nurses: Leading the Way.” After all, nurses lead the way in showing an elderly patient how to manage his or her diabetes. They lead the way in making sure their patients – children and adults – get the vaccinations they need. They lead the way in helping our young moms learn how to care for their infants. And they lead the way in conducting research to promote high-quality life for those with chronic illnesses, and to help all of us stay healthy across the lifespan. According to the U.S.

May Is National High Blood Pressure Education Month, and nearly one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure, also called hypertension. High blood pressure is dangerous because it increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, death.