Cellulitis is a common skin infection that causes the skin to swell and redden, according to MayoClinic.com. The skin may also feel hot and tender to the touch. Cellulitis is caused by a number of common bacteria and is usually treatable with...
Dyshidrosis is a chronic skin condition characterized by often painful hand and feet blisters. Dyshidrosis has been linked with exercise because the name means abnormal sweating, but no scientific evidence supports an association between exercise...
When you put your arm in a sphygmomanometer cuff at the doctor's office, the device measures how much force it takes to stop the flow of blood through your arteries. This is the equivalent of the pressure produced by the heart. Readings that are...
Infections located anywhere from the kidneys to the urethra are called urinary tract infections. They are said to account for about 8 million hospital visits per year. They are usually caused by bacteria. Predisposing factors are foreign...
The Achilles tendon is a band of tough tissue that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone. It helps with walking by raising the heel off the ground. The Achilles tendon is prone to disabling injury. It withstands forces of up to 12 times...
Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, refers to the condition in which stomach acid refluxes to the esophagus. It results from weakness in the lower esophageal sphincter, the round muscle that tightens after food passes to the stomach to...
Depression can present itself in a variety of ways, which might include an overwhelming sense of feeling sad or unhappy, irritability, frustration, or feelings of worthlessness, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Chronic stressful life...
Depression is characterized by an overwhelming feeling of sadness that interrupts daily life activities. Major depression makes up the most common type of depression seen by healthcare professionals. Feeling sad or "blue" for greater than two...
Bladder infections, also known as cystitis, are caused when bacteria ascends the urethra and enters the bladder. Bladder infections typically present with frequent or urgent urination, pain during urination, foul-smelling or cloudy urine, and...
A symptom of bipolar disorder, hypomania is a condition of mild mania in which a person's mood changes to one of unusual euphoria, elation, sleeplessness and other characteristics. According to Help Guide, people in hypomanic states feel joyous,...
Tinea versicolor, a fungal skin infection causing characteristic spots that are either darker or lighter than a person's normal skin color, is treated with topical antifungal creams, oral antifungal medications, antifungal shampoos and avoidance...
A dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scan or DEXA scan, also called a bone mineral density, BMD scan, uses low-dose x-rays to test the amount of calcium and other types of minerals present in a section of the bone. A DEXA scan typically measures...
The sinuses are air-filled spaces in the skull. They are located behind the forehead, nasal bones, cheeks and eyes. Mucous membranes line the sinuses and drain out, allowing air to flow. Certain conditions may cause an inflammation in the sinuses...
According to the World Health Organization, surgical procedures are very common: almost one in every 25 individuals undergoes a surgical procedure every year. A surgical complication is any undesirable and unintended effect resulting from a...
The use of nutritional supplements by patients for the treatment of heart disease is rapidly growing in the United States, according to a study published by the "American Journal of Therapeutics" in July 2001. Many substances are sold as...
According to current research, there is no way to prevent most forms of eye cancer. However, that doesn't mean you should just throw caution to the wind and ignore the care of your eyes. Predisposing factors for eye cancer include blue eyes and...
Substance abuse occurs in many forms, ranging from alcohol addiction and dependence to the use of street drugs or even prescription drugs. Substance abuse has a catastrophic effect on families, society and individuals. When looking at substance...
Diabetes is a disease affecting multiple systems of the body. A long history of poor compliance with diabetes management, lack of education, alcohol abuse, smoking, social isolation, foot deformities, limited mobility, delays in seeking or...
Most people have experienced diarrhea at some point in life, and while it is uncomfortable, it tends to resolve on its own within a few days. Acute bleeding diarrhea, however, can be a sign of serious illness and should be treated as a medical...
Boils, also known as furuncles, are highly inflamed, pus-filled lesions on the skin. They arise from hair follicles that get infected with bacteria. Facial boils may be the most embarrassing, but the condition can also appear on the neck, armpits,...
The terms "mentally challenged" and "mentally retarded" are often used interchangeably to mean someone whose general intellectual functioning is significantly sub-average. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders...
Potassium performs many functions in the body, such as regulating muscle tissue and maintaining homeostasis. The kidneys maintain potassium levels, and when working normally, they excrete the excess. Hyperkalemia describes a condition in which the...
Hysterectomy is a major surgery in which a woman's uterus is removed. The uterus is the part of the body in which a baby grows. According to MedlinePlus, one in three women undergo hysterectomy by age 60. This common surgical procedure is...
A naturally occurring fungus, Candida albicans is the most common type of organism responsible for yeast infections in children and adults. Infections occur when there is a shift in natural flora allowing for yeast overgrowth, or a breakdown of...
The gallbladder is small sac-like organ, which sits just under the liver in the right upper abdomen. It stores and concentrates bile produced by the liver; the bile is released into the small intestine as needed to aid in fat digestion. Bile is a...
HPV or the Human Papillomavirus is one of the leading sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S., with over 6 million new cases every year and 20 million currently infected. HPV is also associated with cervical cancer. Worldwide, there is an...
The human immunodeficiency virus, HIV infects many cells of the immune system and causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. The treatment guidelines developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or DHHS, advocate...
Osteopathic medicine is a form of treatment for illness and injury that involves both internal medicine and physical or manual medicine in an effort to treat the individual as a whole so as not to miss potential contributing factors to illness....
The functioning of your body is critically dependent on the close regulation of potassium levels. Potassium is an essential mineral and an electrolyte. Potassium exists inside the cells of your body and outside, in the extracellular spaces. The...
Transitional cell cancer can be deadly. Learn about the different causes of, symptoms of, and treatments for transitional cell cancer in this video.
