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… cholesterol, and even cancer may have no symptoms at the start. Screening refers to looking for signs of disease in seemingly healthy people. Finding problems early can help you start treatment and make helpful … really lowered our rates of death and disease,” says Bob McNellis, a public health expert at NIH. Teams of experts develop guidelines for who should be screened with these tests, and how …

… or do other daily activities. One common cause of cloudy vision is cataracts. These form in the lens of your eye. Cataracts are a normal part of aging. They occur when proteins in the … who lives long enough gets cataracts,” says Dr. Chantal Cousineau-Krieger, an eye surgeon at NIH. Some people may develop cataracts at an earlier age than others. Smoking or exposure to lots … eye drops to widen part of your eye called the pupil. The doctor can then look into your eye for cataracts and other problems. If you have mild cataracts, using a magnifying lens and …

… rise this year. It’s called respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. RSV is usually more common in the fall, winter, and spring. But this year, infections have surged over the summer. This is … like masking and social distancing, says Dr. Barney Graham, a physician who studies viruses at NIH. Almost everyone catches RSV before the age of 2. It’s one of the most common causes of … caused by the body’s protective response to injury or infection.] in the lungs from RSV. Watch for symptoms that get worse over time or trouble breathing or drinking fluids. People with these …

… Do you wonder if Alzheimer’s disease runs in your family? If a grandparent, parent, aunt, or uncle has had Alzheimer’s, will you have it, too? NIH’s new easy-to-read booklet, … Understanding Alzheimer’s Genes: Know Your Family History … , … Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t always mean that you’ll develop it. This 20-page booklet has tips for creating a family health history and joining a clinical trial or research registry. It also …

… Breathe in and out. We all know how important it is to keep our lungs healthy and our breathing smooth. … studying how we can protect lung health by improving our environment and lifestyle choices. NIH funds research to understand how genes and the environment affect lung disease. The studies are looking for new ways to prevent and treat lung disease. Some studies have found that long-term exposure …

… years can be a very exciting but also a really risky time,” explains Dr. Kevin Haggerty, an NIH-funded prevention researcher at the University of Washington. That’s because a teen’s brain … impulses and rational decision-making are still being formed. “That creates a perfect storm for quick addiction,” Haggerty explains. It puts teens at higher risk for alcohol, drug, and … you catch problems early, support positive behavior, and better monitor their life. … Keep in Touch … As your kids age, you’re with them less often. That makes building trust and good …

… cough, and wheezing can all be symptoms. COPD is very common. It’s a leading cause of death in the United States. There’s a simple breathing test, called spirometry, for COPD. It’s fast and painless. You take a deep breath and blow as hard as you can into a tube … more about COPD, and watch a video that shows how the airways may become damaged* at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/copd . *Update: This video is no longer available. …

… take the joy out of simple, everyday things. The jaw joint is one of the most complex joints in the human body. For most people, it moves effortlessly up and down, side to side, and in and out, transitioning … how people respond to them—vary widely,” explains Dr. Dena Fischer, a dental health expert at NIH. “For example, some experience discomfort, others tension, and still others severe pain.” …

… called androgenetic alopecia, also known as male- or female-pattern baldness. It tends to run in families and causes your hair to fall out gradually. As men get older, they may start to lose hair in the front of their scalp. The pattern of hair loss for women is different. Their hair may thin out all over their scalp, but is often most obvious … in a resting state.  Currently, there are no approved drugs for alopecia areata. However, an NIH-funded study recently discovered that a class of drugs called Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors …

… that six of the patients had an allergy to a sugar molecule called alpha-gal, which is found in red meats. Most food allergy symptoms develop within a half hour. People with the alpha-gal … yet another reason to protect oneself from tick bites,” says Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). …