Alzheimer's disease is characterized by a progressive loss of memory and cognitive function. Although autopsy shows characteristic brain pathology, Alzheimer's etiology is unknown. For a small percent of persons with early-onset Alzheimer's, there...
The rapidly spreading obesity epidemic has put the problem of high cholesterol in the limelight. Unfortunately, many young children and adults suffer from high cholesterol in America. Understanding exactly what cholesterol is and how to keep yours...
Vitamin D, calcium and the sex hormones maintain healthy bone. Calcium is the major component of bone that confers strength. Low calcium can lead to osteoporosis. In osteoporosis, there is disruption of the architectural framework of bone that...
Nephrolithiasis (kidney stones) can be made up of numerous types of material, including calcium, uric acid, cystine and struvite. Generally, stones develop on the renal papillae or in the collecting system of the kidney. Stones are a common cause...
Stomach ulcers can vary on their location, type, and etiology. Stomach ulcers fall under the broader category of peptic ulcer disease. A peptic ulcer is a tear in the mucosa that can develop in the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum. They can be due...
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps the body process its primary source of energy -- a sugar called glucose. In individuals with insulin resistance, the muscle, liver and fat cells do not use insulin properly, and, as a...
In your body, all materials are bathed in water. Water can be stored inside the cells, intracellularly, or in spaces between the cells, extracellularly. Swelling of body parts occurs when extracellular fluid volume increases, regardless of the...
There are several rashes that can occur in children under the age of 12. Some are due to viruses, which are not treatable with antibiotics. For viral rashes, you can only treat the symptoms. Other rashes are causes by fungi or bacteria, and can be...
Professionals use four steps to diagnose nutrition problems and create an intervention. Creating the nutrition diagnosis is actually the second step. The first step of this process is nutrition assessment, while the third step is nutrition...
Heat rash, prickly heat and miliaria rubra are three names for the hot, itchy red bumps that can develop on your skin during exercise. The skin condition occurs when your sweat glands become blocked or over-stimulated and cannot release the...
Autism refers to a spectrum of developmental disorders that includes deficits in social, cognitive and communicative skills. Typically diagnosed before three years of age, these disorders affect roughly 1 in 1,000 children, according to a 2002...
Omega-3-acid ethyl esters exist in fish, nuts and plant oils. DHA, also known as docosahexaenoic acid, and EPA, or eicosapentaenoic acid, make up the fatty acid components of fish oil supplements, which are a common source for omega-3 oils....
Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine. The condition can result from diseases like cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, though in most cases the cause of scoliosis remains unknown. The majority of cases of scoliosis are mild...
Waking up with a stiff neck affects your entire day. According to Spine-Health.com, the most common causes for a stiff neck are muscle strain or muscle sprain, especially of the levator scapula muscle, located on the back and side of your neck....
According to the National Cancer Institute, pancreatic cancer is a cancer in which malignant cells are found in the tissues of the pancreas. Over 40,000 new cases were estimated in 2010, with over 36,000 deaths. The high mortality associated with...
Psoriasis and seborrhea, also known as dandruff, have somewhat similar symptoms. Although both diseases can affect the scalp, they have differences in appearance, etiology, and while psoriasis can appear on various parts of the body, seborrhea...
Anxiety can be characterized by excessive worry, physical arousal and nervousness. Anxiety causes emotional, physical and psychological reactions that can be debilitating. Anxiety disorders significantly impair daily functioning and often need to...
Psoriasis is a condition in which the immune system attacks skin cells as if they were an infectious foreign agent. The inflammation causes rapid skin cell division. One form of psoriasis, known as guttate psoriasis, typically affects children.
Uterine fibroids are the most common benign gynecologic tumors, affecting an estimated 25 percent of adult women. The tumor is an overgrowth of the myometrium, the muscular, middle layer of the uterus, resulting in the distortion of the normal...
The latest report issued by the National Institutes of Health estimates that one in 1,000 children have an autism-spectrum disorder. Parents of autistic children face myriad treatment options, from tried-and-true behavioral training programs to...
One in five adults in the USA suffers from irritable bowel syndrome, making it one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders. Unfortunately up to 70 percent don't seek medical help until symptoms are quite severe. Irritable bowel syndrome causes...
Parkinson's disease is a chronic, degenerative disorder of the nervous system. While Parkinson's is often thought of as a disease of the elderly, it can start at any age, although it can take years for symptoms to manifest. A number of theories...
Back pain can strike anyone, at any point in life. In the U.S., it is the most frequent excuse for missed work and the most common pain complaint. If you have concrete flooring at your job or home, the etiology of your back pain could stem from...
Dystonia, or uncontrollable involuntary muscle contraction, is the third most common disorder seen by movement specialists and affects approximately 300,000 people in North America, according to the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation. Dystonia...
Agitated depression is unique in that it does not consist of the typical depression symptoms of fatigue and sadness. This type of clinical depression can consist of feelings of irritation, restlessness, anger, insomnia, fidgeting, or racing...
A seizure may be thought of as an outward indication that something within the brain is abnormal. Specifically, as explained by MedlinePlus, a seizure indicates that the electrical impulses within the brain are not behaving normally. In newborns...
Although the nerve fibers destroyed during the process of atrophy can never be rebuilt (unless and until scientists develop a stem-cell-like therapy to regenerate such tissue), you can halt further damage to the nerve and treat any underlying...
Fibrocystic breast disease (FBD), also known as mammary dysplasia, is a non-cancerous (benign) condition of the breast. Women with fibrocystic changes typically describe lumpiness, tenderness, and swelling which tend to occur around a woman's...
Clinically severe obesity is a serious, chronic medical condition of multifactorial etiology that requires long-term treatments. Diet and exercise alone shouldn't be relied upon to treat severe obesity and obesity-related health conditions,...
Migraine is a neurological syndrome that can cause a number of symptoms, including severe headaches. Learn more about migraine, including symptoms and treatments, in this health video.
Childhood cancers are hard to indentify, but seventy five percent of childhood cancers can be cured. Learn about childhood cancers in this video.
