Growth hormone is produced in the pituitary gland--a hormone-producing organ located in the brain. It stimulates growth of the long bones in the body as well as growth of some organs. When levels of this hormone are higher or lower than normal,...
Men are generally hairier than women, and they produce thick and dark hair on parts of the body such as the chest, back and face. Women normally produce fine and light hair on the face, back and stomach. Abnormal hair growth in women occurs when...
Fingernails can provide a snapshot of your overall health. Certain health conditions, injuries or nutritional deficiencies affect nail formation. Because nails grow slowly, deformities caused in the past remain visible for months. Changes in nails...
The National Institutes of Health characterizes abnormal hair growth in women as hirsutism. It's a condition marked by a pattern of hair growth commonly seen in men. Women experience the growth of dark, coarse hair on the upper lip and chin as...
Congenital malformations of the central nervous system result from abnormalities that occur during a fetus's growth and development in the womb. Chromosomal abnormalities, maternal illness and drug abuse can cause congenital abnormalities which...
Heredity plays a vital role in determining the amount of hair a person will grow throughout his life. Abnormal hair growth may begin at birth, or may occur to children as they reach puberty. Certain disorders can cause the excessive hair growth....
Hair growth on the body, especially on the belly, is unusual for women and can be quite disturbing. Learning the reasons for abnormal hair growth on the stomach can help you discuss your condition and overall health with your doctor to find ways...
Bone tissue contains two major classifications of cells: cells that deposit new bone tissue, and cells that reabsorb and break down old bone tissue. Throughout life, the bones undergo constant cellular remodeling to help maintain the integrity of...
Many women feel that they have abnormal facial hair, but a certain amount of hair is natural. Hair also thickens and darkens with age, which causes concern for many. In all actuality, very few women suffer from true abnormal hair growth. The women...
Pituitary tumors are usually noncancerous abnormal growths that put pressure on the pituitary gland, causing an imbalance in its production of hormones. Symptoms of pituitary tumors include abnormal growth patterns such as gigantism and...
Stomach and intestinal polyps are abnormal growths of cells that form into a small protrusion jutting out from the lining of the stomach or intestine into the space inside the organ. Polyps often do not cause any symptoms, and are usually...
The cervix makes up a part of the female reproductive system located at the lowest part of the cervix, above the vaginal canal. Cervical cancer -- tumor growth within the cervix -- often begins as cervical dysplasia, a potentially precancerous...
Cholesteatoma is a condition of abnormal growth of skin located in the middle ear behind the eardrum. According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, this condition is caused by repeated ear infections or ear drum...
The uterus, also referred to as the womb, is an organ in the female reproductive system. This upside-down pear-shaped organ sits in the lower portion of the pelvis. The function of the uterus is to house a developing baby prior to birth. Each...
Human growth hormone, or HGH, is released from the anterior pituitary gland under the stimulus of the hypothalamus, a portion of the brain that regulates body temperature and hunger. In females, growth hormone together with estrogen and other...
An adrenal adenoma is a tumor growth of the glandular tissue within the adrenal glands, which are a pair of glands situated on top of the kidneys. The adrenal glands normally produce and secrete a number of hormones, which can then travel in the...
A hemangioma vertebra is a tumor in the vertebra, or segments of bone, of your spine. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center states that a hemangioma is the type of tumor that is benign and, in general, will occur in one spinal bone or vertebra. Treatments...
According to the American Liver Foundation, liver cancer is defined as the abnormal growth and spread of unhealthy cells within the liver. (See Reference 1) The liver performs many jobs in the human body. It processes foods and converts it into...
Human cells in every organ and body tissue have tightly controlled rates of growth and replication. Abnormalities that accelerate the normal rate of cell growth cause a range of diseases that vary from mild to severe. The skin, bone marrow and...
Your eyelashes, similar to your fingernails and toenails, can be thought of as a barrier that protects other organs. In the cases of eyelashes, this fringe of hair that grows out of your eyelids protects your eyes from dirt and bacteria that can...
According to NOVA online, the human body contains approximately 100 trillion cells. Cells in the human body constantly die and get replaced with new cells as part of the typical cell cycle. While the vast majority of cells in the human body...
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is the second most common type of infection in the body, states the National Kidney and Urologica Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC). The urinary system is made up of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and...
A heel spur is the result of an abnormal growth of the heel bone. When the plantar fascia pulls away from the heel bone, calcium deposits form and a bony protrusion develops, resulting in pain. Heel spur pain can be extreme especially when...
The pituitary gland, a pea-sized gland at the base of the brain, controls the release of growth hormone into the body. If too much growth hormone is released, usually because of a noncancerous tumor in the pituitary, abnormal bone growth occurs,...
A colonoscopy is a screening technique designed to discover the presence of colorectal polyps and cancer. Colonoscopies facilitate the diagnosis and prevention of colorectal cancer. During the procedure, the doctor examines the colon and rectum...
There are approximately 15 different types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that are sexually transmitted that cause infection and can lead to cervical cancer. HPV infection can cause cells to change to a precancerous state, sometimes eventually...
Once a diagnosis is confirmed, endometriosis can be treated. The first step toward treatment is recognizing symptoms of endometriosis. Pelvic pain may be the most common symptom. The pain may occur right before the start of or during the...
VBH, or virginal breast hypertrophy, is a rare condition where the breasts grow at an abnormally rapid rate. The condition also goes by a more general term, juvenile macromastia or juvenile gigantomastia. With VBH, the breasts grow to an...
At your child's annual checkup, your doctor will record your child's height and weight. She will then plot this data on a chart that details national averages for a child of the same age to determine which percentile your child is in. This...
A brain tumor is a mass or growth of abnormal cells in the brain. Learn about brain tumor symptoms, treatments and diagnosis in this video on health and diseases.
Stomach cancer is a decreasing cancer in the USA, but is also a leading cause of cancer deaths in the world. Stomach cancer is when cells in the stomach become cancerous. In this video learn more about this cancer and how to prevent and treat it.
