Falls, vehicular and occupational accidents, and sports and recreational trauma commonly cause accidental head injuries in children and adults. The severity of head injuries varies according to the level of trauma sustained by the brain, skull and...
Normal pressure hydrocephalus is also called adult onset hydrocephalus. It's the abnormal buildup of fluid, cerebrospinal fluid or CSF, within the brain’s cavities--also called ventricles. According to the National Institute of...
Adults need to consume between 90 and 120 micrograms of vitamin K every day to keep their bodies healthy, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. In addition to vitamin K supplements, dietary sources of this nutrient include green leafy...
Alloimmune thrombocytopenia is a very serious fetal disorder caused by platelet-antigen incompatibility between the mother and fetus. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine states that neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia cases are...
A brain bleed is a medical emergency that occurs when you have head trauma or suffer a stroke. Brain bleeds can occur within your brain (intracranial hemorrhage) or on the outer portions of your brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage). Sometimes the blood...
Brain trauma, the result of a brain injury, may affect the way you feel, act, maneuver and think. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, 1.7 million people experience traumatic brain injuries annually, which may stem from falling,...
Hemorrhagic disease is a life-threatening condition that can affect newborns shortly after birth. Vitamin K, crucial for normal clotting, might not be present at adequate levels in newborns, resulting in the potential for an intracerebral...
Any type of abnormal bleeding within or around the brain is classified as a condition called cerebral hemorrhage. Also called an intracerebral hemorrhage, this condition can occur for a variety of reasons, including a head injury, aneurysm or high...
Urokinase is a medication used to manage a potentially life-threatening condition called pulmonary embolism, a condition in which blood clots are located in your lung's blood vessels. According to Drugs.com, urokinase is a tissue plasminogen...
A magnetic resonance imaging scan, or MRI, allows doctors to examine the brain without opening the skull. The National Institutes of Health explains that an MRI produces a magnetic field that is 10,000 times greater than the one produced by the...
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by chronic seizures, specifically two or more episodes occurring without provocation. A seizure results from an abnormal, sudden and excessive hyperactivity of electrical brain activity. According...
When a child is mentally challenged, delays in normal development are experienced. The level of impairment can be mild, with the child having an IQ between 52 and 69. In more severe cases, the IQ can be as low as 20 to 35, according to the "Merck...
While pregnant, any substance you ingest will cross the placenta and reach the fetus. This is true for oxygen, food, drugs and alcohol. Drug use can cause the fetus to struggle for sufficient nutrients and oxygen, leading to problems with organ...
Heparin is a medication given as a subcutaneous injection and available with a doctor's prescription. It belongs to the class of drugs called anticoagulants and is used to treat and prevent blood clots in the deep veins in the body. Heparin may...
Ginkgo leaf extract is derived from the leaves of the Ginkgo Biloba tree, which is native to Eastern China. These trees can grow to over 100 feet tall and have been used in Chinese cultures for centuries. The ginkgo leaf extract is used to make...
The American Heart Association reports that one in three adults suffers from high blood pressure, clinically known as hypertension. It is estimated that more than 56,000 people die from high blood pressure each year. Although the cause in the...
According to 2010 information from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 10,000 babies born each year in the United States will develop cerebral palsy. The disorder results from damage to the brain, which, MedlinePlus...
Sodium bicarbonate, better known as baking soda, is often used as an antacid to relieve heartburn and also in prescription tablets or injections to make blood or urine less acidic. Although generally safe, larger doses can cause serious side...
The carotid artery is a major blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain. A blocked or narrowed carotid artert leads to less blood to the brain and increased risk for a stroke. In order to repair a blocked carotid artery, a procedure called...
Heart attacks and strokes are caused by blood clots in blood vessels supplying the heart and brain, respectively. Clot-busting medicines, also called thrombolytic agents, are drugs that are injected within the first few hours of a heart attack or...
Forceps use during delivery has decreased as cesarean deliveries have increased and vacuum suction has become available. Most forceps deliveries today are low forceps deliveries in which forceps are applied when the baby's head is visible or low...
Vitamin K is fat-soluble, which means it is stored in your body. This vitamin plays a vital role in your body's blood-clotting process. Vitamin K is also needed to keep your bones strong and healthy. Although most of the vitamin K you require is...
Imitrex nose spray, or sumatriptan, is a medication used to treat migraine headaches, although its effectiveness in treating cluster headaches has not been established. Imitrex works by causing arteries in the brain to constrict or become...
Plavix, the brand name for clopidrogel, is an anti-platelet agent available as a prescription only. It prevents platelets from sticking together and forming clots; this will help to lower the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Plavix is used in...
Ginkgo biloba is an ancient tree species whose leaves and seeds have been used for centuries to treat circulatory problems and to enhance memory. Most modern supplements contain standardized extracts of dried green ginkgo leaves. The University of...
A baby born prematurely (born prior to 37 weeks' gestation) has less time to develop in the uterus, thus increasing the risk of medical and developmental problems, according to the Mayo Clinic. Every extra day in the womb allows for a significant...
A headache and a stiff neck may indicate a serious condition, especially when accompanied by fever. The individual may simply have a routine headache and the flu, as well as arthritis in the neck. But the person could also have Lyme disease,...
The use of vitamin K supplements was called into question during the 1990s because of a proposed link in newborns given a vitamin K injection at birth and the increased risk of later developing childhood cancer. The controversy has since subsided...
During a stroke, one or more areas of the brain can be damaged. The damage may be temporary or permanent, and function may be partially or completely lost. A person's long-term outcome depends upon how much brain is damaged and how quickly...
