The physical examination of the lungs by a health care provider is an important part of a total body physical exam. During the lung examination, a doctor can determine whether the lungs are clear or if there are sounds that may reflect a specific...
A physical examination is a methodical process that checks a patient thoroughly and helps to detect any abnormalities in the body. It can lead to the most probable diagnosis of a disease. Laboratory tests that may be part of a physical examination...
A medical and psychosocial history, together with a physical exam and diagnostic tests, provide critical details used by your doctor to help form a potential diagnosis. The medical history will include a discussion about past medical and family...
Men should have regular physical exams even if they are healthy. Conditions such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure often do not produce symptoms until advanced stages. Visiting your doctor regularly also helps maintain a relationship in...
Patients develop osteoarthritis when the cartilage at the joints gets worn. This cartilage problem leads to weakening of nearby muscles and ligaments. Osteoarthritis causes pain, joint swelling and limited movement. MedlinePlus notes that almost...
Unlike women, there is no regular screening for breast cancer in men at average risk for breast cancer. Breast cancer in males is in general detected because the patients have some symptoms associated with breast cancer, most notably the presence...
Heart disease is the leading killer of adults in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, more than 1 million people are diagnosed with heart disease every year. For 445,000 of them, a heart attack will be their first...
Exercise cannot reduce the size of a lymphoma. Lymphomas are tumors that arise from the cells of your lymphatic system. The treatment of a lymphoma does not include any exercise-related activities. If left untreated or treated with only exercise,...
Abbreviations are often used in medical records as a way for health professionals to communicate in a way that can be universally understood. They also reduce the time that doctors, nurses and other medical professionals spend on charting, so...
Enlarged kidneys are related to specific disorders caused by structural abnormalities, infection, birth defects, injury, blockage and pregnancy. Although enlarged kidneys are uncommon, they can be felt during physical examinations, usually when...
The cervix is a hormonally regulated organ that helps make up the lower part of the uterus and provides an opening that connects the uterus to the vagina. Cervical cancer occurs when the cells within the cervix begin to divide uncontrollably,...
The American Cancer Society reports that ovarian cancer is one of the most common cancers among women; as many as one out of every 71 women will develop ovarian cancer in her lifetime. Women who have the earliest stages of ovarian cancer do not...
Prempro is a prescription drug also called Premphase. It contains conjugated estrogens and medroxprogesterone (a combination of two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone). These hormones play important roles in the reproduction process. As a...
The National Institutes of Health define hormones as the chemical messengers of the body. They affect reproduction, metabolism, sexual function, human development and mood. Hormones also play a role in hair loss in women. Hormonal causes of hair...
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health or NIH, the liver is the largest and one of the important organs inside a person's body. The liver has many tasks, including changing food into energy,...
High cholesterol is considered one of a number of silent killers--diseases that put people at risk for premature death before their first symptoms occur. By the time symptoms do appear, the disease may have progressed to the point where expensive...
Constipation refers to straining, incomplete bowel evacuation or the inability to produce a bowel movement three times per week. Chronic constipation occurs after several weeks with the continued inability to produce a bowel movement three times...
The Mayo Clinic defines diverticulitis as the inflammation of one or more diverticula in the intestines. This can be a painful and serious condition, and prompt diagnosis and treatment is important, especially in severe cases. Although there is no...
You may contract genital warts from contact with the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are more than 100 different types of HPV, but only 20 to 30 types spread through sexual contact and cause genital warts. HPV can be categorized as high-risk...
MedlinePlus explains that Bell's palsy, a disorder that results in facial paralysis from damage to the seventh cranial nerve, affects two in 10,000 people. Patients can have the temporary facial paralysis on the right or left side of the face,...
White blood cells, also called leukocytes, make up a portion of the cells in your blood. There are five major types of leukocytes, known as neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes, all of which have distict morphological...
According to the Alzheimer's Association, every 70 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer's disease; by 2050, it will be one person every 33 seconds. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia that affects people ages 65 and older. It...
Hives are a common allergic reaction, especially for those who already suffer from allergies. The rash appears as raised, itchy red welts on the surface of the skin. Hives can be triggered by animal dander, insect bites, medications, pollen, and...
Prescription drugs in the United States have passed rigorous clinical trials for safety and efficacy to obtain Food and Drug Administration approval. Most of these drugs are used to treat numerous conditions that range from mildly annoying to...
Mayo Clinic describes Alzheimer's disease as a disorder characterized by a decline in mental abilities, including memory. This disease currently has no cure, but some scientists feel that its progression can often be slowed by adopting a healthy...
Health insurance is designed to help people cover the cost of part or all of their medical expenses. Though the specifics of coverage vary from plan to plan--and you should always check with your insurance provider if you're not sure whether your...
While BMI does not measure body fat directly, it has been shown to correlate to direct measurements for most children and teens. Once BMIs are calculated, the values are plotted on BMI charts, which will give meaning to individual values by...
The prostate gland is a significant part of the male reproductive system. Maintaining prostate health can help prevent numerous medical conditions. According to the National Cancer Institute, the most common prostate conditions in the United...
Exercise provides many benefits for the body and mind. In some rare cases, exercise can cause an excess of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is a catecholamine, along with serotonin, epinephrine and norepinephrine. This group of...
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