The flu is a viral infection that affects the respiratory system. Called seasonal influenza, the peak time of year for flu is between November and March. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that every year anywhere from 5 to...
Bulimia nervosa is a type of eating disorder in which affected patients self-induce vomiting or excessively use laxatives, diuretics or enemas following eating binges. Women are three times more likely than men to develop bulimia, based upon...
According to American College of Physicians Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program, one third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes tuberculosis. The majority of people with tuberculosis have a...
Endometriosis is a disease that can affect a number of different areas of the body; symptoms of endometriosis vary with the location of endometrial implants. Endometriosis is misplaced tissue from the lining of the uterus; the tissue travels to...
The human immunodeficiency virus is a chronic lifelong illness. It is spread through sexual contact with an infected person, contaminated needles, and during childbirth and breast-feeding through mother-to-child transmission. According to...
As women age, their ovaries produce less of some hormones including estrogen. In general this tends to happen naturally as a women enters her fifties. It can also be surgically induced. It is identified as the period after you have no menstrual...
Dehydration can be a serious condition if you do not take steps to hydrate yourself. In severe cases it can be fatal. If you are ill with diarrhea and vomiting, exercising excessively or spending time outside when it is hot and humid, you are at a...
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. A variety of infectious agents cause this illness, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. Kids Health, a consumer information website operated by the Nemours Foundation, explains that pneumonia...
Anxiety is often a result of fear or stress about the future or control over one's life. There are many emotional and physical symptoms of anxiety. It may cause a patient to spend too much time involved in mentally rehashing problems and issues....
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects motor nerves controlling the voluntary muscles located in the central nervous system. The ALS Association estimates that around 5,600...
Anemia is a condition where there is a deficiency of red blood cells that reduces the blood's efficiency in carrying oxygen to the tissues in the body. Anemia can be considered mild or severe as well as temporary or long-term, depending on...
The CDC reports approximately 14.6 million Americans have diabetes, while another 6.2 million remain undiagnosed. Age, obesity, genetics and being of certain ethnicity play a role in the development of diabetes. Family history plays a significant...
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that affects the small joints in the hands and feet. RA occurs when the body's own immune system inappropriately attacks the lining of the joints in the body, instead of bacteria or other foreign...
Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that afflicts approximately 2.4 million American adults each year. It usually develops in early adulthood and appears to have a genetic basis because family members of patients with schizophrenia,...
Lymphoma is a cancer that affects the tissues of the lymphatic system. According to KidsHealth, lymphoma is unique in that it starts in the lymphatic system, whereas other cancers start elsewhere but may spread to the lymphatic system. The two...
Two viral strains cause herpes: herpes simplex virus Type 1 and herpes simplex virus Type 2. Herpes simplex virus Type 1, or HSV-1, causes oral herpes and spreads through saliva. Herpes simplex virus Type 2, or HSV-2, causes genital herpes and...
Drinking is socially-acceptable in many societies; therefore it may be hard for someone to recognize that they or a loved one is affected by alcoholism. Knowing the signs and identifying there is a problem is the first step to overcoming an...
The lack of displayed symptoms is one of the problems of diagnosing hypertension, commonly called high blood pressure. It is possible to be hypertensive for years without symptoms or any realization there is a problem. This is one reason the...
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are on the rise in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with women and blacks being disproportionately affected. Prevention of STDs is important, and methods include...
Hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid gland, can cause dramatic increases in bodily metabolism, as well as many other unhealthy reactions in the body, the Mayo Clinic reports. This type of condition is caused by the over-production of the...
When the meninges, or membranes that surround the brain, become inflamed the result is called meningitis, the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) explains. Depending on whether the inflammation is due to a viral or bacterial infection,...
The responsibility for the 200 to 500 million annual cases of malaria, a potentially life threatening condition, can be placed solely on a tiny one-celled parasite, Plasmodium sp. Infected mosquitoes transmit the disease-inducing organism from...
MS, also known as multiple sclerosis, is an autoimmune disease that affects more than 400,000 Americans, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Multiple sclerosis is caused by the body's immune system attacking the protective...
The onset of stress can be linked to increased risks of both cognitive and physical conditions. Stress can limit effective work habits, family interactions and overall self-esteem and self-concept. Much research has been conducted on the signs and...
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, commonly known as AIDS, is the last stage of infection with the human immunodefiency virus, or HIV. AIDS is the sixth leading cause of death in people 25 to 44 years old in the United States, according to...
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide. Prompt medical attention can mean the difference between recovery or significant disability, even death. It's important to recognize the symptoms of stroke and seek...
MedlinePlus, an online medical library offered by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, reports that Candida is the scientific name for yeast. Yeast naturally exists everywhere, including on the skin and in the mouth and throat. MedlinePlus...
Candida albicans is a fungal infestation in your mouth that causes a condition known as oral thrush. The Mayo Clinic reports that it generally is not serious unless your immune system already is impaired by a disease such as HIV, or by medications...
GERD stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease, which is a chronic digestive disorder that affects the muscle connecting the esophagus and stomach, known as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The National Digestive Diseases Information...
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