DEAR DR. ROACH: What signs and/or symptoms do you need for a doctor to determine you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? — R.K. ANSWER: The diagnosis of COPD is suspected in people who are at risk for the disease and note one of two cardinal symptoms: cough or dyspnea. (A “symptom” is what a […]

DEAR DR ROACH: Would you please clarify what it means to be immunocompromised? Is it the same as having an immune disorder? If a person has an autoimmune disorder, are they considered immunocompromised, or would they have an exceptionally robust immune system? As people age, their immune systems weaken. Would an autoimmune disease become less […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 71. In November 2021, my cardiologist prescribed me 40 mg of atorvastatin in case of chest pain before any tests. I subsequently had a stress test with perfusion that came out negative, as did an echocardiogram (TTE). My coronary calcium score is 83. I rejected a recommended cardiac catheterization, as […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: My mom had a throat and palate infection that was treated in 2017, and about two weeks later, she had a heart attack. In 2023, she had pneumonia and was briefly hospitalized and treated, but again about two weeks later, she had another heart attack. We asked her cardiologist if there is […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m writing in regarding my 92-year-old father. He has always been active, still plays golf and had played softball up until the age of 88. My father has a history of blood clots, so he is on blood thinners. Nowadays, my father is constantly fatigued; walking out to the garage leaves him […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I had a port put in for chemotherapy. I have a red scar on my chest and a smaller one near my collarbone. None of the nurses have seen one placed in the neck before. Was mine put in wrong, or is this a new style? What can I do to lessen […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I just finished reading your answer to a reader writing in about breast cancer. I was diagnosed with it in 2017. My radiation oncologist said I had it for at least seven years, despite my having yearly mammograms since the age of 35 due to family history (I was 69 at the […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: In a recently published column, you stated, “As always, the decision belongs to the patient,” while addressing a concern about the benefits and risks of stopping a statin drug. Oh, really? Why is it then that no doctor will prescribe hormone replacement therapy to stop my debilitating post-menopausal symptoms once I turned […]

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 74-year-old man. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019 and had my prostate removed in 2021. My PSA level was 0.39 on my three-month follow-up visit, but it has increased to 1.460. In my mind, if the procedure was successful, the PSA should be zero. I had a […]