Category: Health Problems

The symptoms of hemophilia may not develop for many years and they vary in severity depending on how deficient clotting factors are. However, the main symptom is prolonged bleeding after an injury. Children who have mild hemophilia often do not present with symptoms until a particular event arouses suspicion that a bleeding disorder is present.

History has suggested that syphilis is a disease of early times. The disease might have been prevalent among the indigenous peoples of the Americas before Europeans travelled to and from the New World. “Pre-Columbian theory” The "pre-Columbian theory" holds that syphilis was present in Europe before the discovery of the Americas by Europeans. The disease

Cytokines are immuno-modulating cell signalling molecules. They are low-weight molecular proteins that mediate their effects when they bind to specific cell surface receptors. On binding to a receptor, a cytokine stimulates the receptor to send a signal to the cell that alters its function or phenotype. The cytokines can trigger the up regulation or down

Chromosome 1 is the largest of the 23 chromosomes, containing a greater number of nucleotides at its 85 loci than all other chromosomes. There are an estimated 4220 genes on chromosome 1, as discovered during the Human Genome Project around twenty years ago. The short arm (p) of chromosome 1 The genes present on the

Psychosis has four typical features with the two main ones being hallucination and delusion. The symptoms of psychosis include: Hallucinations This is a feature of psychosis where the person hears, sees or even smells things that are not present in reality. Voices heard in the head or auditory hallucination is the most common type of

Tuberculosis is a preventable and a curable disease if detected and treated early. It has a low prevalence in developed nations including the United Kingdom and the United States. This means people living in these countries and areas with low prevalence need not take precautions to prevent the infection. However, some measures of prevention are

Ribavirin (known under brand names such as Rebetol, Copegus, Ribasphere and Virazole) is an analog of guanosine and a synthetic nucleoside antiviral agent. It is a stable, white crystalline compound with a maximum solubility in water of 142 mg/mL at 25°C and only a slight solubility in alcohol. Its empirical formula is C8H12N4O5 and the

There have been several reports to suggest that the swine flu vaccine may cause narcolepsy in rare cases, due to its stimulating effect on antibodies that disable sleep-regulating brain cells. Narcolepsy Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder of the central nervous system that affects the ability of brain cells to regulate sleep cycles as normal. A

Nicotine and its association with several mental health disorders including schizophrenia is a widely studied area. The association, however, is not clearly understood. Studies have been carried out to isolate the nicotine metabolites present in both animal and human brains, but particularly in people with schizophrenia. Cognitive effects Certain studies have shown that nicotine could

All types of diabetes have similar symptoms because the symptoms usually arise from high blood sugar. Main symptoms of diabetes There are three cardinal features of high blood sugar and diabetes. These include: Polydipsia – increased thirst Polyphagia – increased hunger Polyuria – increased frequency of urination particularly at night. Other symptoms of diabetes In

In humans, calcium is the most abundant mineral and forms about 2% of our total body weight. Almost all of this calcium is found in the skeleton and the rest is found in the teeth, the blood plasma, the body’s soft tissues and the extracellular fluid. The main role of calcium in the body is

Glucose is one of the body's most important sources of energy. Glucose is absorbed from the blood into cells where it provides energy for a range of cellular functions. This cellular uptake of glucose is facilitated by the hormone insulin, which is secreted by the beta cells of the pancreas. Insulin also helps convert excess

Docetaxel is a chemotherapy drug that is used to treat several forms of cancer. On March 22nd 2006, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of docetaxel in combination with cisplatin and flourouracil for the treatment of patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma who had not yet received chemotherapy for advanced disease.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released by the brain that plays a number of roles in humans and other animals. Some of its notable functions are in: movement memory pleasurable reward behavior and cognition attention inhibition of prolactin production sleep mood learning Dopamine. Image Credit: Meletios / Shutterstock Excess and deficiency of this vital chemical is

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of malignant liver cancer. Primary liver cancers are rare and the condition usually occurs as secondary to viral hepatitis or cirrhosis. Patient prognosis depends on the size, stage and grade of the tumor at diagnosis. The symptoms of this condition are usually non-distinct and only occur once the

Amyloid plaques are aggregates of misfolded proteins that form in the spaces between nerve cells. These abnormally configured proteins are thought to play a central role in Alzheimer's disease. The amyloid plaques first develop in the areas of the brain concerned with memory and other cognitive functions. The amyloid hypothesis Amyloid plaques form when pieces

Testosterone is the principle sex hormone responsible for the development of reproductive function in male vertebrates. Testosterone is one of the hormones referred to as androgens, which are also known of as anabolic steroids. As a steroid hormone, testosterone is derived from cholesterol and the structure of this hormone is similar across all mammals, reptiles,

The term cystitis refers to inflammation of the bladder and is usually caused by infection. The risk of bladder infection is increased by factors such as urinary tract infection, injury or irritation of the urethra, transfer of bacteria from the anus to the urethra and difficulty fully emptying the bladder due to pregnancy or prostate

Many imaging and serologic tests have been evolved to help predict the occurrence of congenital disease. One such test is the maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein screening test (MS-AFP). Image Credit: Jarun Ontakrai/Shutterstock.com Indications The MS-AFP test is a routinely offered screening test for all antenatal women because it is both efficient and cost-effective as a method

A cesarean section or C-section is an abdominal surgery that is performed to deliver a baby via an incision made in the abdomen and womb. Sometimes this is the safest option in cases where a normal vaginal birth may pose a risk to the mother or baby. Some examples of when a C-section may be