The spleen helps protect the body against infection through the production of red blood cells and removal of damaged blood components or pathogens from the blood. A traumatic injury or certain types of infection, such as mononucleosis, can damage...
The spleen is a fist-sized organ located under the ribcage. It serves as a blood reservoir capable of retaining up to 3 gallons of blood, according to MedlinePlus. The spleen also filters out unwanted materials such as bacteria and viruses from...
Sickle cell anemia is a disease in which red blood cells are shaped like sickles and get stuck in small blood vessels. This clogs blood vessels and prevents organs from getting adequate nutrients and oxygen. A patient with sickle cell anemia may...
Sickle cell disease is an inherited condition that affects every organ and system of the body. It is mainly characterized by sickle or C-shaped erythrocytes--red blood cells. Normal red blood cells are round or doughnut-shaped with an indentation...
The spleen is one the body's most hardworking but underestimated organs. The spleen's ability to filter and store blood helps your body fight infection and disease. While a healthy spleen plays an important part in maintaining your health, it is...
Physical trauma or infection complications can cause damage to the spleen, a small organ that sits below the ribcage on the left side of the body. Injury to or rupture of the spleen can cause significant internal bleeding, a medical emergency that...
Sickle cell anemia is a recessive genetic disease that cannot be prevented or cured. This disease results in the body producing abnormal hemoglobin, the iron-rich and oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells or erythrocytes. Due to the defective...
As with any major surgery, lapband surgery poses potential risks to the patient undergoing the surgery, explains the Medical University of South Carolina. Lapband surgery is also called gastric bypass surgery and involves placing a band around the...
According to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, 70,000 people in the U.S. are estimated to suffer from sickle-cell disease, with 1,000 babies born with the condition each year. People suffering from sickle-cell disease produce an...
The spleen is an organ just under the lower ribcage, on the left side of the abdomen. Although not essential to life, the spleen helps to supress infection, create blood cells and destroy old blood cells. The spleen is a delicate organ covered in...
Auto crashes are the leading cause of death in children over 3 years of age, according to the website Babycenter. Your child should sit in a booster seat once he has outgrown his forward-facing or convertible car seat. According to the National...
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited condition that causes red blood cells (erythrocytes) to "sickle," or become C-shaped. This disease affects all major organs and body systems because they all rely on the blood to deliver essential nutrients and...
Sickle cell anemia is a disorder of the red blood cells that is passed down through the genes. Affected individuals may have the full-blown disorder, which significantly affects quality of life and can cause severe disability or even death. Others...
Blood consists of a liquid and protein component called serum, and a cellular component that is largely made up of red blood cells. These cells carry oxygen to the tissues and help balance the acidity of the blood. Low red blood cell counts are...
Vitamin C is supports healthy body development and growth. Among its various functions, it aids in forming collagen, improving your immunity, healing wounds and maintaining your blood vessels, teeth and bones. If you're like most people, you can...
Nissen fundoplication is a surgical procedure used to treat patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, a condition in which stomach acid flows backward into the esophagus. GERD symptoms typically occur due to a weak valve between the...
Numerous conditions can cause left flank pain, or pain on the left side of the torso. According to the Clinical Methods website, flank pain is a sensation of pain or distress in the part of the torso between the ribs and the ilia, or hip bones,...
Weight loss can occur during prolonged illness or severe trauma recovery, and can be severe enough to hamper treatment efforts. In some cases, increased calorie consumption is impossible or inadequate, so doctors turn to medications to accelerate...
While it is important to maintain a healthy level of body fat and to restrict fat intake, you need to be careful about going too low because your body needs some fat to survive and function properly. One role that fat plays is in helping your body...
Sickle cell anemia, a serious congenital inherited disease usually diagnosed in childhood, causes red blood cells to develop a sickle rather than an oval shape. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body on hemoglobin, a protein that gives blood its...
Sickle cell disease is an inherited condition that distorts the shape and prevents the normal functioning of red blood cells. Sickle cell disease is usually diagnosed by a blood test after an infant is 4-months-old. In the United States, the...
The spleen is an organ in the body that helps control the amount of blood in the body, destroys old or damaged blood cells, and contains white blood cells that fight infection. According to MayoClinic.com, a ruptured spleen occurs when the spleen...
Lap band surgery is a popular weight-loss procedure. The procedure involves placing a band around the stomach, making the stomach physically smaller. This is done with the aim of helping you to eat less. The band can be adjusted periodically...
Sickle cell anemia, an inherited disorder of red blood cells, is a lifelong disease that can cause serious complications in those who have it. The disorder occurs because of malformed red blood cells caused by deformed hemoglobin molecules. These...
The spleen is a small organ within the abdomen that helps the body fight off infectious pathogens. If the spleen is damaged following a traumatic injury or an extensive infection, it can burst or rupture. Without prompt medical treatment, a burst...
Your spleen helps your body to fight off infection. It also regulates the amount of fluid, including blood, that circulates in your body. In addition, it is responsible for destroying damaged cells in the body. You do not need a spleen to survive...
A hiatal hernia--an opening in the diaphragm large enough to allow the stomach to push up through it--may cause chest pain, burping, nausea and heartburn due to food and stomach acid backing up in the esophagus, according to MayoClinic.com....
To assess an abdominal injury, first determine if the injury is considered penetrating or blunt. Understanding what type of injury has occurred will help in assessing possible complications. Determine what caused the injury. For example, car...
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disease in which red blood cells, which are normally round, become crescent or sickle-shaped under low oxygen conditions. In this condition, sickle cells are not only abnormally-shaped but also fragile and...
Abdominal trauma can be very painful and is often caused by auto accidents and contact sports. Learn how to treat abdominal injuries in this health video.
