Chronic eosinophilic leukemia is a rare cancer belonging to a family of diseases called myeloproliferative disorders. According to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, these disorders develop when bone marrow produces too many of one type of blood...
Gout is a type of arthritis caused by uric acid building up in a joint. The condition causes pain and swelling in the joint. Common joints affected by gout include the ankle, feet and big toe. Eating foods such as asparagus, mushrooms and organ...
The National Cancer Institute estimates that over 58,000 individuals will be diagnosed with kidney cancer in the United States in 2010 and more than 13,000 people will die from the disease that same year. Treatment is most effective when the...
A low-calorie diet can damage your health. Low-calorie diets don't work for sustainable weight loss, rarely give your body the nutrients it needs and can make you sickly. A healthier way to lose weight is a slight reduction in calories and an...
Blood transfusions are prescribed for many reasons, including blood loss and abnormal blood counts. Although hospitals and clinics follow strict protocols for safe transfusion, mistakes by staff and bad reactions from patients to the blood...
An enzyme is a protein that speeds up the rate at which a chemical reaction occurs. Enzymes are substrate specific, meaning that each type of enzyme has a specific type of molecule that it affects. The human body needs enzymes to influence the...
The World Health Organization explains that more than 1 billion adults are overweight and 300 million adults are obese. When people turn on the television or radio, they are often bombarded with exercise videos, weight loss supplements and diet...
Many diseases are associated with decreased body weight. According to MayoClinic.com, weight loss involves burning more calories than you consume. Some types of weight loss are healthy and are achieved by improving your diet and increasing your...
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that can become chronic, serious and life-threatening. Those with anorexia refuse to maintain a weight that's within 15 percent of their recommended weight, according to MedLinePlus and the National...
Vitamins can provide your body with various nutrients, such as iron, vitamin-C and magnesium. Although they can be beneficial, vitamins are not a sufficient replacement for food. The human body needs a wide variety of things to survive, including:...
Over two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and approximately half of those suffer from obesity, according to the Weight-control Information Network, an information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases....
As of 2010, two-thirds of the U.S. population is obese or overweight and 30 percent of Americans are on a diet, according to the "Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition." An issue found with many diets is that most are more...
Protozoa are one-celled organisms that can cause diseases ranging in severity from mild to deadly. These organisms can be classified as parasitic or free-living. Parasitic protozoa are found in organisms such as ticks, flies and mosquitoes....
Chemotherapy refers to the use of medications to help stop cancer cells from multiplying and growing. The medication travels throughout the body and is able to reach tiny cancer cells that have migrated from the original site but are not even...
AML is a kind of leukemia that is also known as acute myeloid leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, acute granulocytic leukemia and acute myelocytic leukemia. It starts in the bone marrow and the cells that turn into various types of blood cells,...
Plaquenil is the brand name of hydroxychloroquine, a drug used to prevent or treat malaria. Plaquenil is also used for long-term treatment of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythmatosis. According to the...
Acne is an inflammatory skin condition that normally begins in puberty and is characterized by the presence of raised red pimples. Acne occurs when male sex hormones, known as androgens, cause the sebaceous glands to produce too much sebum. A...
The treatment for simple partial seizure activity varies by syndrome cause. These episodes often stem from a brain injury, tumor, stroke or a congenital defect, and some acute conditions may require immediate surgery to correct the issue. When...
Ovarian cancer led to almost 14,000 deaths and accounted for more than 21,500 new cancer diagnoses in the United States in 2009, according to the National Cancer Institute. Ovarian cancer develops when the specialized cells that make up the...
The term heart rate refers to the number of times a person's heart beats in a minute. According to the American Heart Association, most people's hearts beat 60 to 80 times per minute while at rest, with that rate rising as they age. Measuring a...
Niacin, also known as vitamin B-3 or nicotinic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin present in foods such as beets, beef liver, fish, sunflower seeds and peanuts. Niacin is also taken a supplement to help lower cholesterol, reduce triglycerides,...
A complete blood count, or CBC, is a panel of tests that will help identify anemia, infection and other blood disorders. The CBC will measure the value of red and white blood cells, hemoglobin and hematacrit, and platelets, but the CBC does not...
Staphylococci are bacteria found on the surface of healthy skin and mucous membranes. Staph is found in the nasal passages, oral cavity, gastrointestinal and urinary tract. The presence of staph is not abnormal, however when bacteria counts...
Abnormalities in blood cell counts can be serious signs of illness and disease, side effects of drugs or complications from medical procedures such as cancer treatments. MayoClinic.com defines leucopenia, or low white blood cell count, as a...
Allergy-D is a medication used to manage such allergy symptoms as a runny nose, sneezing, watery and itchy eyes. This medication is a combination of the drugs cetirizine and pseudoephedrine. According to Drugs.com, cetirizine is an antihistamine...
Genital herpes is caused by infection with the herpes simplex virus (HSV). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), possible symptoms of genital herpes include sores around the genitalia or anal area that appear within...
While milk thistle is generally considered to be among the less risky supplements, it is still an herbal supplement that affects how your body works and, potentially, how it handles other medications. Those who decide to take milk thistle often do...
Your blood is composed of cells -- red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets -- and plasma, which is a protein-rich fluid that suspends and nourishes the cells. Under normal conditions, the number of cells in your bloodstream, generically...
Glandular fever, also called viral infectious mononucleosis or the kissing disease, primarily causes fever and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. The infection can occur at any age; however, it is most prevalent in 15- to 17-year-olds. Lasting...
Childhood cancers are hard to indentify, but seventy five percent of childhood cancers can be cured. Learn about childhood cancers in this video.
