Category: Health Problems

Presbyopia is the term which denotes the medical condition whereby a person loses the ability to see objects at near distances clearly. It is a fairly predictable part of aging, because everyone will develop it at some point. It develops most commonly after the fifth decade of life and people typically find themselves having to

The human body is fuelled by the blood running through its circulatory system. Red blood cells (RBCs or erythrocytes) are an important component of blood responsible for the red colour associated with blood. RBCs also contain hemoglobin, which is responsible for the delivery of oxygen to every cell in the human body. What is Anemia?

By Jana Free HIE (hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy) is a birth injury that children obtain due to lack of oxygen and blood flow at, or near, the time of birth. The condition causes brain injuries, and often results in developmental and cognitive impairments – including cerebral palsy. HIE is also called birth asphyxia, neonatal encephalopathy and perinatal

Crohn’s disease is a condition that causes the lining of the gastrointestinal tract to become inflamed. Any part of the tract may be affected, although it usually occurs in the ileum (last part of small intestine) or the colon. The condition usually affects individuals between the ages of 15 and 40 and common symptoms include

Trauma surgery is the specialization in surgery that focuses on the treatment and care of injuries, often life-threatening, that are caused by impact forces. The causes of impact forces are many, but some of the more common ones include traffic accidents, falls, sports and crush injuries, as well as gunshot or stabbing wounds. In catastrophic

Lead is a highly toxic metal. Children under the age of six years are particularly vulnerable to the effects of lead poisoning because it can affect the formation and connection of neurons while the nervous system is growing and developing. No level of lead in the blood has been found to be safe in children

The painless condition in which a nail separates from the nail bed is referred to as Onycholysis. This can occur due to a number of factors such as injury for someone with long fingernails, or as the consequence of a skin infection. It is also possible for the nail to separate due to excessive filing

Visceral fat is fatty tissue that surrounds the organs and is different from the subcutaneous fat that is often more visible around the arms or legs. Visceral fat tissue has been linked to metabolic and chronic inflammatory disorders, thereby earning it the reputation of being dangerous. Image Credit: Sebastian Kaulitzki / Shutterstock.com Visceral fat’s role

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a mental health condition associated with dementia (memory loss) and behavioral abnormalities. Image Credit: Lightspring / Shutterstock Overview of Alzheimer's Disease Alzheimer’s begins as mild forgetfulness and confusion, and may eventually lead to complete memory loss, difficulty in making decisions, and even in performing daily routine tasks. These changes are accompanied

Peyronie’s disease is epitomized by fibroblast proliferation in the tunica albuginea (a fascial structure in the penis), giving rise to a thick fibrous plaque that may result in pain, pathological penile curvature, as well as erectile dysfunction. Although trauma is considered a major causative factor, it is unlikely to be the sole culprit. The exact

Insomnia is a very common sleep disorder, and presents in various types. However, sleep maintenance insomnia (SMI) is the most frequent complaint. Both the cause of awakening and the difficulty in returning to sleep are important in precipitating episodes of nocturnal sleep disturbances. Research seems to suggest that hyperarousal states, personality traits, and physiologically determined

Hematidrosis, also known as hematohidrosis, is a very rare phenomenon in which the individual sweats blood, or blood-tinged sweat exudes from the skin. It is also called hematofolliculohidrosis because of the appearance of blood along with sweat from the openings of the sweat glands. This latter term was coined by Manonukul and his colleagues in

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a disorder that begins in childhood. It usually persists for years and results in significant deficits in cognitive, academic and social development. it is found to occur in about 3-7% of children, and persists in 36-60% of them into adulthood for an overall adult prevalence of about 4.5%.

By Gaea Miranda, BA Cardiovascular or heart diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, with continuously increasing mortality rates continuously increasing due to the aging population. As such, it is a priority of key players in the field of medicine to detect early symptoms of such conditions and provide an empirically-based profile of heart

Skip to: Why do Older Women Have a Reduced Libido? Is Reduced Libido a Matter of Concern? How to Regain Sexual Desire? Concept of low libido. Image Credit: Pavlovska Yevheniia / Shutterstock Elderly women generally have a lower sexual desire or libido because of age-related physiological, psychological, and social transition. Although libido reduces gradually with

People with RRMS suffer may stay symptom-free for a period of time, only to end up with worsening symptoms when the next attack of MS hits them. New symptoms may also show up with every fresh relapse, which were not present before. The symptoms and severity of MS differs from individual to individual. Credit: Africa

Labial reduction is a term used to describe any surgical procedure that is intended to reduce the size and volume of the labia minora. The criteria for labial reduction are either functional or aesthetic, though in the majority of cases the latter is predominant. This is ironic in view of the fact that the ideal

Meningitis is a term which refers to the inflammation of the meninges, the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. Credit: Jarun Ontakrai/Shutterstock.com Meningitis typically occurs due to a bacterial or viral infection, but other conditions are sometimes responsible, including fungal or parasitic infection, certain autoimmune inflammatory conditions, trauma, or drug reactions.

Somatization refers to the expression of psychological or emotional problems as physical (somatic) symptoms. A common example is a headache being brought on by stress. Credit: Yuttana Jaowattana/ Shutterstock.com Somatization can give rise to a group of disorders broadly referred to as the somatoform disorders, which may be characterized by chronic and severe symptoms. People

Lung cancer is still the leading cause of death in both men and women around the world, killing more than one million people every year. Extensive epidemiological data clearly links cigarette smoking with lung cancer, mostly due to the presence of cancer-causing chemicals called carcinogens that are present in present in cigarette smoke. YAKOBCHUK VIACHELSLAV