Maryland’s Health Matters - BWMC - Spring 2019 - 4

A HEALTHY START

Brain Surgery Experts
in Your Community
Medical conditions in the brain can be

allay any fears the patient may have by giv-

debilitating or life-threatening. If your

ing them a thorough background on what's

physician tells you that neurosurgery is the

going on with them, and to assure them that

best treatment option, it can be frighten-

they are going to receive the highest quality

ing. Fortunately, you don't have to travel

care at UM BWMC."
"We treat a wide range of brain

far to find highly skilled physicians who
use the most innovative technologies.

disorders and trauma at UM BWMC using

They are available close to home.

the latest technology and the most minimally

"While neurosurgery is routine for us,

invasive techniques," says Danny Liang, MD,

we understand it can be intimidating for

clinical assistant professor of neurosurgery

patients," says Amiel Bethel, MD, clinical

at UM SOM and director of neurosurgical

assistant professor of neurosurgery at the

oncology at UM BWMC. "We perform com-

University of Maryland School of Medicine

plex, delicate, sophisticated brain surgery

(UM SOM) and chair of neurosurgery at UM

on a routine basis. We are proud to offer

Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM

our community the most advanced neuro-

BWMC). "Our job as neurosurgeons is to

surgical care, right here locally."

INCREASED ACCURACY AND PRECISION
Visit umbwmc.org/healthy to see how neurosurgeons at UM BWMC
use a state-of-the-art mobile intraoperative CT to quickly confirm that
they have achieved their surgical goals.

Common reasons people
need brain surgery include:
Blood clots on the brain,
which can occur from trauma,
blood-thinning medications
or spontaneous bleeds because
of high blood pressure.
Brain hemorrhage, which happens
when a blood vessel in the brain
ruptures. Hemorrhages can develop
with age or from malformations of
the brain's blood vessels.
Brain tumors, which can
be malignant (cancerous) or
benign (noncancerous).

ADULT VACCINES: What They Are and Who Should Get Them
Vaccinations keep your
immune system strong by
helping your body fight off
bacteria that cause infections
and potentially life-threatening
diseases. It is still important to
get immunizations as an adult
because immunity from childhood vaccinations can wear off
over time. Use these guidelines
from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention to
stay on schedule with adult
immunizations:

MARYLAND'S HEALTH MATTERS

INFLUENZA: Every person
should get the flu vaccine each
year. Influenza can cause serious
harm to people with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes
and heart disease. The best way to
protect yourself and others around
you is to get vaccinated yearly.
TD/TDAP/TETANUS: Tetanus
is an infection caused by a bacteria found in soil, dust or manure.
The tetanus vaccine is available
with the diphtheria (Td) vaccine
or the diphtheria and pertussis

(Tdap) vaccine. Adults should
receive the Tdap if they did not
receive it as a child, and every
adult should receive a Td booster
every 10 years.

adults ages 50 and older get this
vaccination, even if you have had
shingles. There are two types:
RZV for adults at 50 and ZVL for
those 60 and older.

SHINGLES ZOSTER: Contrary
to popular belief, if you had
chicken pox during childhood,
you can still get shingles in adulthood because they are caused by
the same virus. It may be inactive
in the body, but it can reactivate
years later, causing shingles.
Doctors recommend all healthy

PNEUMOCOCCAL:
Pneumococcal disease is an
infection that causes pneumonia,
sepsis and meningitis. The bacteria could cause lifelong complications or even death. There are two
variations of this vaccine. You may
need one or both, depending on
your age and health condition.

 Looking for a primary care provider?

http://www.umbwmc.org/healthy

Maryland’s Health Matters - BWMC - Spring 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maryland’s Health Matters - BWMC - Spring 2019