Leslie Kernisan, M.D., Geriatrician
Caring.com Expert
Dr. Leslie Kernisan is a senior medical editor at Caring.com and a clinical instructor in the University of California, San Francisco, Division of Geriatrics. She provides housecalls and geriatric consultations in San Francisco (www.drlesliekernisan.net). She trained in internal medicine and geriatrics at UCSF and is a graduate of Princeton University and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She's also a member of the American Geriatrics Society.
Dr. Kernisan has a master's in public health from U.C. Berkeley and has completed postgraduate work in epidemiology, biostatistics, and healthcare quality improvement. Her research on a popular quality of care measure was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2009.
Kernisan can be reached at drkernisan@caring.com.
Recently Published on Caring.com
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Atrial Fibrillation (A-fib): 5 Related Medical Problems — Mar 22, 2012Atrial fibrillation, also known as A-fib, is a common irregular heart rhythm that affects an estimated 3 million Americans. The most common symptoms of new atrial fibrillat...
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Atrial Fibrillation (A-fib): Rhythm Control or Rate Control? — Feb 27, 2012Choosing rhythm control or rate control is one of two key decisions (the other is which blood-thinning medication to use to reduce the chance of A-fib-related stroke) that ... -
Experts now classify atrial fibrillation, also called A-fib, into the following types: Paroxysmal: This means the heart goes into A-fib but within seven days returns to a... -
FAQ: What's Atrial Flutter, and How Is It Different From Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib)? — Feb 08, 2012Atrial flutter is an arrhythmia in which the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat very quickly but regularly. This tends to cause a racing heartbeat, with symptoms ... -
FAQ: Can Atrial Fibrillation Be Treated With a Pacemaker? — Feb 08, 2012Yes, atrial fibrillation is sometimes treated with a pacemaker. For some people whose A-fib can't be managed with medication, cardiologists may suggest a procedure, called... -
FAQ: Is Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib) Dangerous? — Feb 08, 2012Atrial fibrillation, also called A-fib, can cause potentially life-threatening health problems, including stroke and heart failure. In most cases, dangerous complications ... -
FAQ: Can Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib) Be Cured? — Feb 08, 2012In some cases it's possible to cure atrial fibrillation (also called A-fib) -- meaning that the heart's rhythm permanently stays out of atrial fibrillation -- by means of ... -
FAQ: What's My Risk of Bleeding Caused by My Blood Thinner? — Feb 08, 2012In a 1998 study, the risk of bleeding when on a blood thinner such as warfarin (often used to help treat atrial fibrillation) was found to go up with the following factors:... -
Deciding which anticoagulant (commonly referred to as a "blood thinner") to use depends on a person's particular risk of stroke, as well as his or her risk of side effects.... -
The risk of stroke due to atrial fibrillation goes up with age. Those in their 50s who don't take blood thinners have about a 1.3 percent chance of stroke every year. The r... -
FAQ: How Can Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib) Cause Stroke? — Feb 08, 2012Atrial fibrillation, also called A-fib, can cause a stroke as a result of the irregular beating of the heart's upper chambers, which sometimes results in blood forming clot... -
FAQ: How Is Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib) Treated? — Feb 08, 2012The treatment of atrial fibrillation, also known as A-fib, depends on a person's medical situation. These three aspects are especially important: Whether the person is ex... -
FAQ: What Causes Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib)? — Feb 08, 2012Atrial fibrillation, also sometimes called A-fib, can be triggered by underlying problems affecting the heart, by other illnesses affecting the body, or by a combination of... -
FAQ: What Are the Symptoms of Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib)? — Feb 08, 2012Symptoms of atrial fibrillation, also called A-fib, can vary. The most common ones are: Racing and/or irregular heartbeat Shortness of breath Dizziness, fatigue, and/or w... -
FAQ: How Is Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib) Diagnosed? — Feb 08, 2012Atrial fibrillation, also sometimes called A-fib, is usually diagnosed with an electrocardiogram (ECG). An ECG is a noninvasive diagnostic procedure that uses electrodes ta... -
FAQ: What Is Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib)? — Feb 08, 2012Atrial fibrillation, also known as A-fib, is a relatively common condition in which the upper chambers of the heart (known as the atria) beat irregularly, or "fibrillate." ... -
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that usually affects the joints. Although doctors can't yet cure it, many treatments are available to help contr... -
How Doctors Diagnose Rheumatoid Arthritis — Jan 05, 2012Diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis is often a challenge, even for experienced doctors. There's no single test that can definitively diagnose rheumatoid arthritis (often calle... -
Medications Used to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis — Jan 05, 2012Prescription medications are among the best ways to manage rheumatoid arthritis. The goal of these drugs is to settle down the disease's activity in order to prevent perman... -
Rheumatoid Arthritis: What to Expect — Jan 05, 2012It's never possible to tell someone exactly what to expect when they're first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (sometimes referred to as RA). As with many autoimmune dis... -
FAQ: What Are the Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis? — Jan 04, 2012The stages of rheumatoid arthritis -- sometimes called RA -- are defined by the 2008 recommendations of the American College of Rheumatology as the following: Early disea... -
FAQ: What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis? — Jan 04, 2012Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that usually affects the lining of certain joints, especially those in the hands. The related inflammation often causes pain and s... -
COPD and Shortness of Breath — Nov 18, 2011The classic and most common symptom of COPD is shortness of breath, especially with activity. If your loved one has been diagnosed with COPD and you're worried about shortn... -
What Doctors Should Evaluate if COPD Symptoms Worsen — Nov 18, 2011If your loved one with COPD is having worse symptoms, a prompt in-person medical evaluation is probably warranted, especially if the symptoms don't improve with use of a sh... -
Few things are more stressful than wondering if your loved one is sick enough to need urgent medical attention. If your loved one with COPD is complaining of more symptoms ...
