Procedure Volume Patient Data Patient Conditions Reviews Back to Top

Home > OH Providers > Internists & Internal Medicine Doctors

Leah A. Ristow, CNP

(17 Ratings)

Specializes in: Internal Medicine (Adult Medicine)

Professional interests include: metabolic syndrome, menopause, cough, and more.

850 Columbia Road
Westlake, OH 44145

(440) 250-5725

Leah A. Ristow, CNP is a nurse in Westlake, OH specializing in internal medicine (adult medicine). Leah A. Ristow, CNP is affiliated with Cleveland Clinic and Westlake Medical Campus Building A.

Office Locations

Address:

850 Columbia Road
Westlake, OH 44145

Some issues Leah A. Ristow, CNP can help you with:

Asthma

Asthma is a chronic lung disease where the tissue and airways of the lungs become extremely sensitive to certain substances. When these substances are breathed in, the lungs become inflamed. The muscles around the airways tighten and squeeze the lungs, and passages within the lungs swell and tighten. The airways themselves produce mucus, which further clogs the tightened, swollen airways. A person having an asthma attack finds it very difficult to breathe, and a severe attack can even be fatal.

Asthma affects people of all ages, but people with asthma are most often diagnosed as children. Symptoms can include wheezing, a tight feeling in the chest, shortness of breath, and coughing. Some people have mild symptoms all the time, and some people have no symptoms at all, but everyone with asthma is susceptible to occasional severe attacks or flare-ups of symptoms when they are exposed to triggers. Triggers vary widely but can include:

Allergens (dust mites, pet fur, mold, pollen, grass)
Irritants (smoke, pollution, dust, chemicals)
Viral infections
Physical activity, especially outdoors
Certain medications or chemicals in foods (aspirin, sulfites)

Treatment for most asthma patients involves three steps. Patients learn what their asthma triggers are and avoid them. They take a daily control medication, usually an inhaled corticosteroid, to reduce inflammation in the lungs. Also, they have rescue medication with them at all times to take in case of a severe attack. These quick-acting inhaled medications relax the muscles around the airways and allow the lungs to open up for air.

There is no cure for asthma, but with treatment it should not interfere with daily life and activities.

Depression

Everyone knows what it feels like to get the blues once in a while. But depression is a serious illness that is more severe than a bad day and lasts much longer. Symptoms of depression stop a person from being able to function and enjoy daily activities for weeks or months at a time. It can happen to anyone, and it isn't something that people can control by force of will or "snap out of it."

Some common symptoms of depression include:

Feeling sad, guilty, empty or hopeless
Fatigue and a lack of energy and motivation
A loss of pleasure in activities that were previously enjoyed
Unusual sleep or eating habits
Mental fog -- trouble concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
Physical aches and pains
Suicidal thoughts or a preoccupation with death

We don't yet know what causes depression, but it's thought that it is a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and social influences. Because of this, the most effective treatments for depression combine medication with psychotherapy. Therapy, especially cognitive-behavioral therapy, can be extremely helpful in resolving the negative thoughts and feelings that come with depression. It gives patients new tools that they can use themselves to cope when their depression is making them feel down.

Some of the common medications used to treat depression include antidepressants such as SSRI's (Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft) or atypical antidepressants (Cymbalta, Wellbutrin). It's important to remember that these medications have different effects on everybody, and no one medication works right for everyone. Patients may have to try a couple before finding the one that works just right for them. If the first medication they try doesn't work, they should talk to their doctor about trying something else. In extreme cases where medication is not enough, electro-convulsive therapy and hospitalization may be the answer to keeping a severely depressed person safe.

Depression is a difficult illness to deal with, but it is more common than believed and there are many people who can help. With the right treatment, individuals with depression can get back to fully enjoying life again.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

A urinary tract infection, or UTI, happens when bacteria enter the body through the opening where urine is normally released. The bacteria infect the lining of the urethra and bladder, turning them red and inflamed. This causes pain in the abdomen or pelvic area, a burning sensation during urination, a sense of urgency about going to the bathroom, frequent urination, and urine that smells bad and looks cloudy, or even contains traces of blood. If the urinary tract infection is severe, it may travel all the way to the kidneys, a more serious kind of UTI called pyelonephritis. Patients with this kidney infection might have blood in their urine, feel back pain, and develop a fever.

Urinary tract infections are extremely common: 12% of all men and 40-50% of all women will have a urinary tract infection during their lifetime. They are more common in women because women have shorter urethras, so bacteria have a shorter distance to travel from the outside of the body to the bladder and cause an infection. Some people also have urethras that are an unusual shape or have an obstruction in the urethra that makes getting a UTI more likely. Also, certain chronic illnesses like diabetes weaken the immune system, so any bacteria in the body are more likely to cause an infection.

A urinary tract infection can be diagnosed very quickly by a doctor. A sample of urine can be examined under a microscope for the presence of bacteria or white blood cells. There are also diagnostic strips that can be used to test a urine sample without the need for a microscope. Once a diagnosis is made, treatment is a course of oral antibiotics, and most patients feel better within just a few days. There are some things that patients can do themselves to help reduce the risk of getting a urinary tract infection in the future. Stay well hydrated, wipe from front to back after going to the bathroom, wear breathable cotton undergarments, and don't hold it in when patients feel the urge to go.

nursing home care	660

**Gender**
Male	94
Female	212

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	278
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	64
From 75 to 84	90
85 and over	122
Less than 65	30

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	51
Stroke	16
Ischemic Heart Disease	56
Depression	59
Chronic Kidney Disease	43
Asthma	20
Osteoperosis	15
Atrial Fibrilation	14
Heart Failure	54
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	30
Diabetes	45
Dementia	75
Cancer	10

doctor visit	227
nursing home care	92

**Gender**
Male	61
Female	121

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	169
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	26
From 75 to 84	40
85 and over	100
Less than 65	16

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	45
Stroke	10
Ischemic Heart Disease	51
Depression	43
Chronic Kidney Disease	46
Asthma	27
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	23
Heart Failure	49
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	27
Diabetes	29
Dementia	75
Cancer	14

doctor visit	138
nursing home care	23

**Gender**
Male	42
Female	114

**Age**
From 65 to 74	0
From 75 to 84	36
85 and over	98
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	42
Stroke	9
Ischemic Heart Disease	51
Depression	44
Chronic Kidney Disease	46
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	14
Atrial Fibrilation	19
Heart Failure	44
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	22
Diabetes	29
Dementia	71
Cancer	10

doctor visit	25

**Gender**
Male	12
Female	38

**Age**
From 65 to 74	18
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	14
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	70
High Cholesterol	60
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	36
Depression	34
Chronic Kidney Disease	50
Asthma	0
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	0
Heart Failure	24
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	0
Diabetes	36
Dementia	0
Cancer	0

doctor visit	274

**Gender**
Male	89
Female	168

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	216
Black	27
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	133
From 75 to 84	70
85 and over	41
Less than 65	13

Hypertension	70
High Cholesterol	58
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	28
Depression	27
Chronic Kidney Disease	39
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	18
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	31
Dementia	10
Cancer	14

doctor visit	170

**Gender**
Male	66
Female	122

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	165
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	103
From 75 to 84	55
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	65
High Cholesterol	55
Stroke	9
Ischemic Heart Disease	23
Depression	23
Chronic Kidney Disease	37
Asthma	7
Osteoperosis	10
Atrial Fibrilation	13
Heart Failure	15
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	26
Dementia	7
Cancer	11

doctor visit	393

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2015 - 2021

Volume of procedures performed by Leah A. Ristow, CNP for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Leah A. Ristow, CNP treated as a nurse in Westlake, OH were nursing home care.

doctor visit	210
nursing home care	258

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2015 - 2021

Information about Medicare patients treated by Leah A. Ristow, CNP.

**Gender**
Male	36
Female	77

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	2
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	82
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	0
Other	0

**Age**
75 to 84	29
85 and over	37
Less than 65	5
65 to 74	34

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Leah A. Ristow, CNP From 2015 - 2021

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Leah A. Ristow, CNP treated were hypertension, high cholesterol, chronic kidney disease and ischemic heart disease.

Hypertension	43
High Cholesterol	31
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	24
Depression	23
Chronic Kidney Disease	26
Asthma	7
Osteoporosis	6
Heart Failure	20
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	19
Atrial Fibrillation	7
Cancer	5
Dementia	23

Education & Training

She is certified by the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and has a state license in Ohio.

Board Certification: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

Licensed In: Ohio

Affiliations & Hospitals

Leah A. Ristow, CNP is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

Cleveland Clinic

Westlake Medical Campus Building A

Ratings & Reviews

Leah A. Ristow, CNP has an exceptional overall rating with an average of 4.94 out of 5 stars based on 17 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Leah A. Ristow, CNP from all over the web to help you find the right in Westlake, OH.

4.94

Overall Rating

(17 Ratings)

Leave a Review

Biography

Areas of expertise for Ms. Leah Ristow include menopause, depression, and dermatitis (skin inflammation). Ms. Ristow is professionally affiliated with Cleveland Clinic. Patient ratings for Ms. Ristow average 5.0 stars (out of 5).