Mononucleosis, or mono, is caused by a virus. This infection is spread by saliva and close contact, thus acquiring the name, "the kissing disease." Mono can develop at any age group, but occurs most often in the ages of 15 to 17. The symptoms of...
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is also called Lou Gehrig's disease, named after the famous baseball player who battled the disorder. According to the online medical library Merck Manuals, ALS is a common type of motor neuron disorder, or MND,...
MedlinePlus, an online medical encyclopedia produced in association with the U.S. National Library of Medicine, describes diverticulitis as swelling and inflammation caused by an abnormal pouch that forms in the wall of the intestine....
The appendix is a small pouch connected to the right side of the colon. When it becomes obstructed, it swells up. Bacteria that normally reside in it have nowhere to go, thus creating a closed, infected space in the abdomen. According to the...
Alcoholism is also known as alcohol dependence. According to the American Psychological Association, those who are alcohol dependent experience tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. Those with alcohol dependence cannot control their drinking. While...
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), anxiety is a feeling of apprehension or fear. The underlying cause of the anxiety is not always known, which only increases the anxiety. There are multiple forms of anxiety, including...
Gout is a type or arthritis that develops due to the excessive accumulation of uric acid---a waste product in the body---within the joints of the body. Certain factors, such as genetics, obesity or increased alcohol consumption can elevate you...
Blood clots form to help stop bleeding, and can occur when an artery or vein has received damage. Blood clots can form without prior injury and can block the flow of blood. The symptoms of blood clots depend on where the clot forms and if the clot...
Each year in the United States, nearly 20,000 patients are newly diagnosed with a brain tumor, reports Radiation Medical Group, a leading radiation therapy provider in San Diego, California. A brain tumor can occur when unregulated cells within...
The thyroid is an organ in the neck that is responsible for releasing a hormone that controls aspects of the body’s metabolism. If there are problems with the thyroid, the hormone production is ultimately affected. The hormone can either be...
Dry mouth is medical condition characterized by a significant decrease in the quality or quantity of saliva produced by the oral salivary glands. This condition, also called xerostomia, may occur as a result of environmental factors, medication...
Many conditions cause an enlarged heart including damage from cardiovascular disease, inborn heart defects and genetic disorders, problems with the heart valves, high blood pressure, infections and inflammatory diseases, toxins and primary...
The thyroid sits at the base of the neck under the Adam's apple. It secretes hormones that control growth, weight, temperature, heart rate and energetic activity inside the cells, referred to as metabolic activity. Sometimes the thyroid secretes...
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a heart disease characterized by the asymmetrical enlargement of a section of the heart, notes MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health. The predisposition for this disease may be hereditary....
A hiatal hernia occurs when a segment of the stomach bulges into the chest cavity. The diaphragm, a sheet of muscle used for breathing, separates the abdominal and chest cavities. The condition is very common and often occurs in people age 50 and...
Rectal cancer affects the end of the large intestine, or colon, that carries waste out of your body through your rectum. It may begin as adenomatous polyps that are benign, or not cancerous. These polyps can develop into colon or rectal cancer,...
Hexavalent chromium is a metallic element that can be toxic. This form of chromium, in contrast to trivalent chromium, is not utilized for bodily functions. Exposure to hexavalent chromium occurs in occupations such as paint and dye manufacturing,...
Although toxic effects have not been proven, black mold does pose air quality threats in the home. People with mold allergies, respiratory diseases and immune system disorders suffer from an array of health effects brought on by inhaling the...
The American Cancer Society and Mayo Clinic have called ovarian cancer the silent killer for years because of its ability to go undetected by doctors. Since the ovaries' location is deep within the female body, symptoms may be associated with...
According to a 2004 article in "IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering," the accepted explanation for injuries related to electrical shock is cellular rupture caused by an electrical field. At times the severity and locations of injuries...
Fatigue and dizziness are symptoms that can be related to many medical conditions, such as treatment for cancer, substance abuse, alcoholism, altitude sickness, or strict dieting. Health care providers rely on a comprehensive health history to...
Addiction to prescription pain medicines is a growing problem in the United States. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA, lists the following painkillers among the most frequently abused medications: Vicodin, OxyContin, Stadol, Demerol,...
A dry mouth and sore throat often provoke secondary symptoms, which may cause additional distress and discomfort. The causes of a dry mouth and sore throat vary widely in severity, from the common cold to permanent malfunction of the...
A urinary tract infection, also called a UTI, is the term for an infection involving any area of the urinary system, including the bladder, the kidneys, the ureters and the urethra. A UTI is a common infection that is normally contained in the...
TB, or tuberculosis, once was the scourge of civilization. Because it is a highly contagious lung infection, it caused a great deal of misery and death. Antibiotics and treatment helped to drastically reduce TB infections until the advent of the...
MayoClinic.com defines leukemia as a cancer "of the body's blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system." They explain further that the disease causes white blood cells to reproduce uncontrollably. These immature...
According to MayoClinic.com, diverticulosis is a common condition in people over the age of 40. In diverticulosis, there are pouches through the wall of the colon. Generally these pockets are asymptomatic; many people may never know that they have...
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurologic disorder where the cells in a section of the brain called the substantia nigra degenerate, according to the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and Movement Disorders Clinic. This degeneration causes a...
Often no outward symptoms of breast cancer exist that can be seen or felt. If they do occur, they can vary widely. Patients are advised by breastcancer.org to see their doctor immediately if they experience any of the common symptoms of breast...
