The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a commonly performed test but is very nonspecific, which means that having a high ESR does not necessarily tell your physician what is wrong, only that something may be wrong. The ESR is a marker of...
A common test called the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, or ESR, measures the rate of red cell precipitation in a sample of blood. Red cell precipitation is the settling of red cells to the bottom of a column of blood when left undisturbed. The...
Polymyalgia rheumatica, or PMR, is an inflammatory disorder of unknown cause that affects older adults. Establishing the diagnosis requires the presence of typical symptoms plus laboratory tests showing evidence of inflammation, such as elevated...
Psoriatic arthritis is a debilitating and chronic condition accompanying psoriasis (a skin condition characterized by silver plaques and red patches). Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis include joint pain and swelling. Most joints in your body can be...
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease caused by the immune system of the body attacking the lining of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic condition that can last a lifetime, causes inflammation of the joints that result in pain,...
As of 2009, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ankylosing spondylitis is one of the top three types of arthritic diseases in the U.S., even though it has not received much attention. They estimate that as many as 15...
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease caused by the body's own cells attacking the cells that line the joints, known as the synovial cells. Patients suffering from RA experience inflammation of the joints causing stiffness and pain...
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can be symptomatic for a few months or a lifetime, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Another form of rheumatoid arthritis has occasional...
Arthritis is a general term that describes over 100 conditions. If you think you have arthritis it is important to see your doctor to be properly diagnosed. Different types of arthritis call for different treatment programs. Two of the more common...
Not everyone who gets strep throat ends up with rheumatic fever, but everyone who gets rheumatic fever has been infected with group A streptococcus. It's the main culprit behind this disease, which may eventually damage the heart, spine, brain or...
Scleroderma is a group of diseases that cause a hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues. Scleroderma affects about 250 people per million, according to MayoClinic.com. Localized scleroderma affects only the skin, but systemic...
Fever and joint pain by themselves are common symptoms in children, but together can be signs of uncommon but potentially serious conditions. If your child has fever and joint pain, it is important to note when the symptoms began, if there was a...
Cells called rods and cones make up the center spot of tissue on the back of your eye. This tissue, called the macula, works with other structures in your eyes to create straight-ahead vision. If you have cell damage you may have a condition...
Because celiac disease can be silent--presenting no symptoms--your doctor may screen you for celiac with a simple celiac disease blood test. She looks first at your complete blood count (CBC), which tells if your iron level is low. Then she may...
Ankylosing Spondylitis is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation and pain in the spine. It creates swelling between discs of vertebra and joints of the pelvis. The disease results from the body's immune system attacking itself,...
Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA as it is commonly called, is a type of inflammatory arthritis in which the body attacks itself. The immune system can no longer recognize what is self and what is invader. The area that is attacked in RA is commonly the...
The skeleton is the hard structure of the body that provides stability for movement and protection for internal organs. There are two types of skeletal systems---the axial and appendicular. The axial includes the head, spine, ribs and sternum and...
Doctors refer to elevated levels of calcium in the blood as hypercalcemia. This condition occurs as a complication of cancer, particularly in cases of lung cancer, breast cancer, neck cancer and head cancer. Because high calcium levels in the...
Common diagnostic tests used to diagnose problems within the musculoskeletal system use blood and urine samples. Both can reveal levels of various minerals and other substances indicating disease or a musculoskeletal disorder. Levels of certain...
For centuries, herbalists have used turmeric, and its active ingredient, curcumin, to treat different maladies, including arthritis. There are two types of arthritis; osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Most people will have osteoarthritis by...
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation of the joints and often other body sites. A variety of tests are used for diagnosis and monitoring of the disease, including C-reactive protein, or CRP. CRP levels...
There are approximately 8,000 new cases of Hodgkin's disease every year, according to Carol Portlock, M.D., attending physician of the Lymphoma Service at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in "The Merck Manual for Healthcare...
Staphylococci, or staph, are widely prevalent bacteria commonly responsible for hospital and community-acquired infections. Early recognition and appropriate treatment can help decrease the length of illness and possible complications. Tests for...
