Diseases & Health Conditions

Breathing sustains life, and when disease alters our ability to breathe in, and breathe out, it can become life altering. Human respiratory system diseases have a profound effect on how we absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide, as every cell…
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Overview According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the body launches an inflammatory response that affects joints, causing pain, swelling and joint damage. Abatacept, sold under the brand name Orencia,…
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Generalized anxiety is a mental health disorder that causes persistent feelings of nervousness, worry and fear. The symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder don’t occur in response to any one trigger but are constantly present with no identifiable cause. Although prescription…
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Typhoid fever is an acute infection caused by the Salmonella typhi bacterium. Infected adults can present with symptoms such as fatigue, abdominal pain, high fever, constipation, and a rash. Although modern-day sanitation methods and increased personal hygiene measures are responsible…
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Autism is a developmental disorder that impacts the social relationships, communication, and interests and activities of the affected person. Occurring in an estimated one of every ninety-one persons, according to a recent study published in the October 2010 issue of…
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Autism is a growing condition, with the incidence growing by 10 to 17 percent a year since the early 1990s. It is now an estimated 1.5 million Americans have an autistic disorder, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease…
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Herpes simplex is the virus that causes genital herpes and oral herpes (cold sores). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 out of every 5 women and 1 out of every 9 men has contracted genital…
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Although women on average tend to develop heart disease a decade later than men, the Mayo Clinic reports that more females than males die of heart disease each year. Because heart disease symptoms in women can be more subtle, victims…
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For some, alcoholism is a chronic disease; it is not just a habit that they can quit. As the Mayo Clinic explains, it is a physical dependence, one that develops gradually. As time progresses, it changes some of the chemicals…
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Overview If your legs have been scraped, cut or directly injured, the healing process may have left a few scars. Scars are marks gradually created during the healing process of skin injury. Since your skin is very delicate, any type…
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The heart has four chambers–the left and right atria, and left and right ventricles–that contract in series to push blood through and out of the heart. There are four heart valves–two that separate the atria and ventricles, and two between…
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Itching is the body’s response to an irritating stimuli in or on the body. There are many causes for itching, ranging from rashes and other skin disorders to internal diseases. Regardless of the cause, itching can become annoying, and in…
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Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease that affects nearly one in six people ages 14 to 49 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). It is caused by Herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1), which…
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Bipolar disorder type II affects sufferers less seriously than type I, in which full blown manic and depressive episodes may last a week at a time. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) states that type II never reaches a…
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Depression is a common, yet serious, psychological illness affecting more than 17 million adult Americans every year, according to Psychology Information Online. It is not a condition people can simply snap out of–it requires treatment to relieve the symptoms and…
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The colon is the latter portion of the large intestine, which is part of the digestive system. The National Cancer Institute reports that colon cancer is diagnosed in 106,100 people each year. When combined with rectal cancer (collectively called colorectal…
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Cancer staging is a method in which doctors can determine how much the cancer has spread throughout the body, according to the American Cancer Society. It is based upon physical exams, imaging tests and biopsies. The clinical stage is useful…
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1. How the Medications Work Schizophrenia medication has matured considerably since the days of so-called typical antipsychotic like Haldol and Thorazine. These first-generation drugs worked relatively well to quell psychotic symptoms, such as mania and delusions, but often produced dangerous…
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Influenza, more commonly known as the flu, is caused by a virus that affects the respiratory system. The flu generally isn’t a serious illness unless you have a pre-existing disease that compromises your immune system—then rarely it may require hospitalization…
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Overview Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that can lead to problems at school and work and maintaining healthy relationships. When someone also struggles with alcoholism, the person’s problems and need for treatment intensify. Unlike depression…
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Sexually transmitted diseases (STDS) are also called sexually transmitted infections, according to Planned Parenthood. The more common term is STDs, even when there is no sign of disease. These diseases are spread from one person to another during sexual contact,…
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Tuberculosis, or TB, is an illness caused by infection with the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It normally affects the lungs, but other organ systems can also be involved. There were an estimated 12,904 cases of tuberculosis in the U.S. in 2008,…
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Herpes simplex is a contagious virus, affecting millions of Americans every year, according to Herpes Online. Two main types of herpes exist, herpes simples 1 (HSV1) and simplex 2 (HSV2). Herpes simplex 1 causes outbreaks on the mouth, while herpes…
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Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition, which means that the body mistakes parts of itself for a foreign invader and initiates an attack. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, the synovial lining, or the lining in your joints, is affected. This…
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Overview Corns and warts are unsightly, sometimes uncomfortable and nearly always a nuisance. Some removal treatments are painful, and include freezing of or injection of caustic chemicals into warts, and surgical removal of corns. Thankfully, a viable option exists in…
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Blushing is characterized by redness that occurs on the top of the chest, face or neck, says the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM). It happens rapidly and for many different reasons, both physical and psychological. Blushing occurs when the…
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Overview A mole is a lesion on the surface of your skin and is composed primarily of nevus cells. These cells have a high concentration of melanin, which gives the mole a dark color. Moles typically have a raised surface…
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According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), alcohol withdrawal is a spectrum of conditions ranging from mild tremors to life-threatening delerium tremens, or DTs. Alcohol works as a sedative and, as a consequence of chronic alcohol…
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If you are exposed to the human immunodeficiency virus–commonly called HIV–you can develop primary HIV symptoms two to six weeks after you become infected. People with primary HIV, also called acute HIV, will not test positive for the infection using…
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According to the National Institutes of Health, marijuana addiction impacts all Americans with a cost of more than $400 billion annually for health care, job loss, traffic accidents,and crimes associated with the drug. Occasional marijuana use can easily lead to…
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