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Patient Questions

Real questions from health communities, answered with cited research from PubMed and Vellito's article corpus. Plain language, no medical advice. How this works.

Primary Care & Family Medicine

What is the impact of excessive alcohol use on years of life lost in the US population?

Excessive alcohol use causes about 178,000 deaths and 2.8 million years of potential life lost annually in the US, with rates increasing in recent years.

Dermatology

Does having alopecia areata increase or decrease my risk of getting skin cancer?

Alopecia areata is linked to a lower risk of melanoma and possibly other skin cancers, not an increased risk.

Dermatology

Is the topical treatment STS01 effective for patchy alopecia areata?

Yes, a phase 2 trial found that topical STS01 1% significantly improved hair regrowth in patchy alopecia areata compared to placebo.

Neurology

Does resting-state fMRI show different brain activity in people with chronic migraine?

Yes, resting-state fMRI shows reduced brain entropy and altered low-frequency brain activity in people with chronic migraine compared to healthy controls.

Cardiology

What echocardiographic profiles are seen in adults with Sickle Cell Disease?

Adults with sickle cell disease show three main echocardiographic profiles: high cardiac output with enlarged chambers, mild remodeling with higher pulmonary pressure, or…

Did the Renizgamglogene autotemcel infusion increase hemoglobin in severe Sickle Cell Disease patients?

Yes, the Renizgamglogene autotemcel infusion increased hemoglobin in severe Sickle Cell Disease patients, with most treated individuals showing engraftment and higher hemoglobin…

Can a smartphone app accurately predict when my migraine attacks will happen?

Smartphone apps can provide short-term predictions for migraine attacks, but current models only predict about a 59% chance of an attack occurring within 24 hours, which is only…

How common is delirium in patients with advanced cancer?

Delirium is very common in advanced cancer, affecting about 35% of patients overall and over 80% in the final days of life.

Do low-use wrist restraints help patients stay free of delirium longer?

No, a low-use wrist restraint strategy does not improve delirium-free days compared to a high-use strategy in mechanically ventilated ICU patients.

Psychiatry

Can doctors predict how likely a patient with delirium is to die?

Yes, doctors can estimate mortality risk in delirious ICU patients using prediction models, but accuracy is moderate (AUC ~0.74) and not precise enough for individual prognosis.

How does the gut microbiome differ in undernourished children living in low-income countries?

Undernourished children in low-income countries often have an immature gut microbiome with low diversity, high levels of potentially harmful bacteria like Proteobacteria, and…

Can washed microbiota transplantation help a child with malnutrition and resistant infections?

A case report suggests washed microbiota transplantation (WMT) may help a malnourished child with resistant infections, but more research is needed.

Pulmonology & Critical Care

Can structured rehabilitation before surgery reduce pneumonia risk for esophageal cancer patients?

Yes, structured rehabilitation before surgery can reduce pneumonia risk for esophageal cancer patients, especially when it includes multiple components like exercise and nutrition.

What happens to nutritional recovery in malnourished children after they have diarrhea?

Diarrhea can slow nutritional recovery in malnourished children, but many recover weight quickly; stunting and underweight take longer and relapse is common.

Can oral nutritional supplements reduce mortality for older inpatients at risk of malnutrition?

Yes, oral nutritional supplements may reduce mortality in older inpatients at risk of malnutrition, based on a 2024 Cochrane review and other studies.

Does exposure to BPA increase my risk of developing endometriosis based on recent studies?

Yes, recent meta-analyses show BPA exposure is linked to a higher risk of endometriosis, with odds ratios of 1.36 and 1.82.

Does waiting longer before surgery after radiation improve quality of life for esophageal cancer?

Waiting 10-12 weeks (vs. 4-6 weeks) after chemoradiation before surgery improves preoperative quality of life for esophageal cancer patients, with similar long-term outcomes.

What specific risk factors for Postoperative Delirium exist for oral and maxillofacial surgery patients?

For oral and maxillofacial surgery patients, key risk factors for postoperative delirium include age over 65, male sex, alcohol use, smoking, and insomnia.

Does where my aneurysm is located change my chances of dying from aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage?

A large meta-analysis found no significant difference in mortality between anterior and posterior circulation aneurysm locations after aSAH.

Does having a low Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index increase my risk of Postoperative Delirium?

Yes, a low Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) is linked to a higher risk of postoperative delirium, with meta-analyses showing about a 60% increase in risk.

Does remimazolam anesthesia lower the risk of Postoperative Delirium compared to other drugs?

Current evidence shows remimazolam does not significantly lower postoperative delirium risk compared to propofol or other sedatives, and may increase risk versus dexmedetomidine.

Will taking IV CN-105 reduce the chance of experiencing Postoperative Delirium during surgery?

A phase 2 trial found IV CN-105 safe and feasible, but did not show a significant reduction in postoperative delirium incidence compared to placebo.

Can preoperative psychological factors increase my risk of Postoperative Delirium in older adults?

Yes, preoperative psychological factors like depression and anxiety can increase your risk of postoperative delirium in older adults.

Can electroacupuncture help prevent Postoperative Delirium in elderly patients having prostatectomy?

Electroacupuncture may help prevent postoperative delirium in elderly prostatectomy patients, but definitive evidence is not yet available; a large trial is underway.

How this works

We pull real patient questions from public Reddit health communities (r/AskDocs, r/diabetes, r/menopause, etc.). Each question is rewritten into a generic medical question (no personal details), then answered by an AI using only cited sources from Vellito's article database and PubMed. A second AI independently scores each answer for accuracy and citation fidelity before publication. Answers below the safety threshold or touching emergency, dosing, or pediatric topics are queued for human review and never auto-published.

This is not medical advice. Always speak with your own doctor before making decisions about your health.