Blood clots can form in the deep veins, resulting in deep vein thrombosis. Prolonged inactivity usually causes these blood clots, which often develop in the calves or thighs. Clots interfere with blood flow and can cause serious damage, even...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports infant botulism is the most common form of botulism in the United States, with approximately 75 cases occurring annually. Infant botulism occurs when a baby ingests the spores of the...
The type of spinal cord injury known as paraplegia comes in two forms -- total, or complete paralysis of the lower extremities and partial paralysis of the abdomen and lower extremities. The amount of calories needed for each will vary.
A stoke is a medical condition caused by the interruption of blood flow to the brain, which causes brain cell death. Immediate side effects of a stroke include headache, dizziness and difficulty with speech or motor coordination. The aftereffects...
Spina bifida is a condition that occurs as a fetus develops early in pregnancy. Depending on the type of spina bifida you have, this disease can possibly affect the spine, meninges and brain. It is characterized by an opening in the spinal column,...
Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is an autoimmune system disease that impacts the muscles. According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) the immune system attacks the body's own tissues inappropriately. The National Library of Medicine (NLM)...
Symptoms of spinal cord injury may present as emergency symptoms or more generalized symptoms that mimic other disorders. A common misconception is that spinal cord injuries always involve paralysis, when in fact, they may only involve pain....
Bell's palsy, also known as facial paralysis, is a condition affecting the facial nerve on one side of the face. As the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery explains, the facial nerve comprises approximately 7,000 nerve fibers...
There are many cosmetic and emotional drawbacks associated with excess belly fat, but other concerns arise as well. If you suffer from belly fat, it may threaten your health. According to the Mayo Clinic, belly fat can contribute to heart disease,...
Paraplegia is a major medical condition characterized by partial or complete paralysis of the lower extremities. This type of paralysis occurs as a result of damage to certain areas of the spinal cord, which runs from your neck to your lower back....
Bell's palsy is the sudden onset of unilateral or one-sided facial paralysis of an unknown cause. The disorder affects the facial nerve which is responsible for facial muscle movement, taste for part of the tongue and tearing. This explains the...
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that certain antipsychotics can cause Parkinson-like symptoms, which is also called secondary parkinsonism. The side effects stem from the drugs interfering with dopamine in the brain: Parkinson's...
Encephalitis, in general, is an inflammation of the brain. Viral encephalitis refers to brain inflammation resulting from a viral infection. Viral encephalitis is rare, but when it does occur it can be serious and life-threatening. In its primary...
Temodar is the brand name of temozolomide, which is an antineoplastic drug used to treat brain cancers. It may be administered through injection or as a capsule. It works by attempting to prevent cancer cell growth in the brain. While Temodar is...
Botulism is a rare illness caused by bacteria found in the soil, explains FoodSafety.gov. Botulism can be found in foods. Once the botulism spore is ingested it replicates in the gut, or intestine, to spread through the body causing serious...
Viral encephalitis is a medical condition characterized by severe brain inflammation caused by a virus. A number of viral infections, such as herpes simplex virus, measles, Epstein-Barr virus and varicella zoster virus, can cause brain...
A stroke can cause many changes in your lifestyle because it can rearrange how your brain works and may force you to relearn things you knew. It also can cause partial paralysis, typically to one side of your body. When the flow of blood to your...
Potassium is an essential mineral that is vital for the proper function of all the cells and organs within your body. As an electrolyte, potassium plays an important role in the conduction of electricity throughout your body. High potassium levels...
Lyme disease is an infection transmitted by the deer tick. For this infection to spread, the tick must first bite an animal--often a mouse--that is infected with the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, a type of bacteria. This bacteria is spread when...
Deer tick is the menace responsible for spreading the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi causing Lyme disease. Not everyone who has been bitten by a tick gets Lyme disease, but the risk for infection increases the longer the tick stays attached. Lyme...
Rabies causes certain death in humans unless they receive medical treatment to decrease the chance of infection. People are exposed to rabies through the saliva of a rabid animal, usually raccoons, foxes, skunks, bats or other wild animals,...
Scuba diving is a recreational pastime in which divers submerge to a depth of 130 feet or less using a mouthpiece and a tank of compressed air, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Divers are vulnerable to developing...
Part of the aging process involves a loss in muscle tissue called atrophy. Confinement to bed or serious illness may accelerate muscle tissue loss. Because of this tissue loss, receiving an intramuscular injection can result in complications in...
Migraines require at least three of four phases for an accurate diagnosis. The phases are predrome, aura, attack and recovery. RelieveMigraineHeadache.com describes abdominal migraines as intense stomach pain with an undiagnosed cause. However,...
In general nerve cells within the brain are unable to duplicate and grow, which means that most brain tumors do not arise from cells. However, there are other tissues in the brain that serve the nerve cells, and these cells can form tumors....
An acoustic neuroma is a tumor of the nerve that runs between the ear and the brain. The tumor is not cancerous but it can cause permanent nerve damage, hearing loss, vertigo and other balance problems, ringing in the ear, pain and other symptoms....
The spinal cord is divided into four segments: cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral. Together, they make up a vital part of the body's central processing nervous system; injury to the spinal cord can be grave and sometimes fatal. The cervical...
Your facial nerve, which is also referred to as cranial nerve VII, is responsible for controlling the movement of the muscles within your face. Facial nerve damage, a condition sometimes called facial nerve palsy, can occur as the result of a...
Wheelchair basketball is a form of basketball in which the players move around the court using wheelchairs instead of running or walking. The sport is included in the Paralympic Games, which are held, like the Olympic Games, every four years. As...
