Cholesteatoma is a condition in which a pocket of skin tissue forms in the inner ear, according to MedlinePlus. Specific symptoms of a cholesteatoma include dizziness, hearing loss in one ear, pain or numbness around the ear and drainage from the...
Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the deep layers of the skin, most commonly caused by the bacterium group A streptococcus or Staphylococcus aureus. The legs and face prove the most common sites of cellulitis. An abscess is a localized area...
A cholesteatoma is a benign ear tumor that forms when skin abnormally grows behind the eardrum within the middle ear. Symptoms associated with a cholesteatoma typically include earache, numbness or drainage; dizziness; or hearing loss, MedlinePlus...
Seizure episodes are the result of abnormal brain electrical activity. Seizure types include generalized or grand mal, which affects the entire body; partial or focal seizures, which may or may not affect memory; petit mal, which appear as a blank...
The brain is the processing point for the nervous system. Nerves transmit messages from all parts of the body to the brain, and the brain responds by telling the body what to do. The brain also stores information and is the source of emotions. In...
Cerebral edema is the medical term for brain swelling. By definition, it is an increase in the amount of water in the brain, according to Dr. Jeffrey Frank in "Principles of Critical Care." It can cause part of the brain to shift, which leads to...
Ear infections, also called otitis media, can become severe and cause distress, particularly in infants and children. Infants are more susceptible to ear infections because their auditory canals are more horizontal compared to older children and...
Head injuries occur most often in sports that involve body contact, the risk of falling or being struck by a ball. A blow to the head may affect the brain causing a headache, nausea, dizziness, unsteadiness, pressure, blurred vision, loss of...
The brain is located in a privileged position in the human body. It is protected from trauma by a hard skull and from blood-borne infections by the blood-brain barrier, an anatomical barricade to the passage of large bacteria or substances into...
Ear infections come in many levels depending on the section of the ear involved. For instances, swimmer's ear encompasses only the outer portion of the ear canal. A middle ear infection, known as acute otits media, affects the area behind the...
Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain that is characterized by repeated and unexpected seizures or convulsions. Seizures occur as a result of abnormally excited electrical signals in the brain. According to the National Institute of Neurological...
Cavernous sinus thrombosis (CST) is a rare complication of facial infections. A blood clot forms in the cavernous sinus, stopping blood flow. The cavernous sinus is located in the skull and drains deoxygenated blood from the brain and face back to...
The nervous system consists of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (all other neural components). All of the body systems and senses work as directed by the brain and nervous system. Disorders of...
A tooth abscess is the result of a bacterial infection. When trauma or decay damages a tooth, it leaves an opening in which bacteria can enter. If the tooth becomes infected, a pus-filled sac develops that is actually a collection of the bacteria,...
When you have an abscess, then you know you have an infection at the site of the skin eruption. An abscess will occur when your body attempts to fight off an infection with white blood cells. As the white blood cells move to the infection site,...
According to the American Heart Association, strokes affect around 11 in 100,000 children under age 18 each year, and around 1 in 4,000 babies born each year. Stroke is one of the top ten causes of death in children; 20 to 40 percent of children...
Boils, also known as furuncles, are highly inflamed, pus-filled lesions on the skin. They arise from hair follicles that get infected with bacteria. Facial boils may be the most embarrassing, but the condition can also appear on the neck, armpits,...
Ear infections can cause pain, fever and in severe cases, even loss of hearing. The complex structure of the ear controls not only hearing, but balance. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, ear infections are one of the most...
Endocarditis is inflammation of your endocardium, or the inner lining of your heart valves and chambers. The National Biotechnology Center states that endocarditis often develops in individuals with heart valve abnormalities, and that the most...
Toothache is any pain originating in the teeth. It can be caused by many different factors, including dental cavities and the emergence of wisdom teeth, and is often described as a dull, throbbing or shooting pain. In some cases, toothache can...
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), salmonella bacteria are one of the most common causes of foodborne illness in the world. In the United States, 1.4 million infections result in more than 150,000 doctor visits, 15,000...
That throbbing pounding headache can really put a damper on an otherwise good day. It is interesting to note that the skull and brain tissue cannot actually cause pain because of the lack of nerves fibers that signal pain. However, there is a...
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), salmonella bacteria are one of the most common causes of foodborne illness around the world. In the United States alone, 40,000 cases are reported to the Centers for Disease Control each year,...
A grand mal seizure, often referred to as a tonic-clonic seizure, is characterized by violent muscle spasms and a loss of consciousness. A grand mal seizure, like all seizures, occurs due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. A person most...
The bacteria called Haemophilus are a small gram negative bacillus which is normally found in the throat and nasal passages of a large percentage of adults. According to Elmer Koneman, M.D., prior to the availability of the Haemophilus influenzae...
Both the common cold and influenza may cause complications. Most healthy adults do not suffer from complications; however, young children, people with insufficient immune systems and the elderly remain most at risk. According to the National...
The brain and spinal cord are surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, and are enclosed within bony skull and the spinal canal. CSF is made by specialized cells in the lateral and fourth ventricles, or brain chambers, which communicate with the...
The blockage of blood flow to the brain is an ischemic stroke; when one of the vessels in the brain bursts, a hemorrhagic stroke occurs. Either of these situations can kill brain cells and have serious or fatal consequences. According to the...
Headaches begin due to various causes. Some individuals experience a headache every once in awhile, while others suffer from frequent, sometimes daily, painful headaches. The frequency of recurring headaches may be reduced if sufferers can target...
Amnesia is a condition that affects the memory. There are many possible causes for amnesia, and amnesia may occur for different lengths of time. Learn about the symptoms, possible causes, and treatment options for amnesia in this video.