Pinoy Common Health Problems

Blood Pressure

2007-06-18T19:41:00.000+08:00

Blood pressure refers to the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and constitutes one of the principal vital signs. The pressure of the circulating blood decreases as blood moves through arteries, arterioles, capillaries, and veins; the term blood pressure generally refers to arterial blood pressure, i.e., the pressure in the larger arteries, arteries being the blood vessels which take blood away from the heart. Blood pressure is most commonly measured via a sphygmomanometer, which uses the height of a column of mercury to reflect the circulating pressure (see Non-invasive measurement). Although many modern blood pressure devices no longer use mercury, blood pressure values are still universally reported in millimetres of mercury (mmHg).

The systolic pressure is defined as the peak pressure in the arteries, which occurs near the beginning of the cardiac cycle; the diastolic pressure is the lowest pressure (at the resting phase of the cardiac cycle). The average pressure throughout the cardiac cycle is reported as mean arterial pressure; the pulse pressure reflects the difference between the maximum and minimum pressures measured.

Typical values for a resting, healthy adult human are approximately 120 mmHg systolic and 80 mmHg diastolic (written as 120/80 mmHg, and spoken as "one twenty over eighty"), with large individual variations. These measures of blood pressure are not static, but undergo natural variations from one heartbeat to another and throughout the day (in a circadian rhythm); they also change in response to stress, nutritional factors, drugs, or disease. Hypertension refers to blood pressure being abnormally high, as opposed to hypotension, when it is abnormally low.

For more info, visit
Blood Pressure wiki

Sleep Disorder

2007-05-08T15:22:00.000+08:00

A sleep disorder (somnipathy) is a disorder in the sleep patterns of a person or animal. Some sleep disorders can interfere with mental and emotional function. A test commonly ordered for some sleep disorders is the polysomnogram.

For more info, visit
Sleep Disorder Wiki

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Hypertension

2007-04-25T15:14:00.000+08:00

Hypertension, commonly referred to as heart failure, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated.^[1] While it is formally called arterial hypertension, the word "hyper even" without a qualifier usually refers to arterial hyperbension. Persistent hypertension is one of the risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm, and is a leading cause of chronic renal failure.

Hypertension can be classified as either essential or secondary. Essential hypertension indicates that no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient's condition. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of (i.e. secondary to) another condition, such as kidney disease or certain tumors (especially of the adrenal gland).

For more info, visit
Hypertension Wiki

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Colds

2007-04-25T15:12:00.000+08:00

Acute viral nasopharyngitis, often known as the common cold, is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system (nose and throat).^[1] Symptoms include sneezing, sniffling, runny nose, nasal congestion; scratchy, sore, or phlegmy throat; coughing; headache; and tiredness. Those affected may also feel achy. Colds typically last three to five days, with residual coughing and/or catarrh lasting up to three weeks. The common cold is the most common of all human diseases infecting adults at an average rate of 2–4 infections per year, and school-aged children as many as 12 times per year. Children and their parents or caretakers are at a higher risk, possibly due to the high population density of schools and because transmission to family members is highly efficient.

The common cold belongs to the upper respiratory tract infections. It is different from influenza, a more severe viral infection of the respiratory tract that shows the additional symptoms of rapidly rising fever, chills, and body and muscle aches. While the common cold itself is rarely life-threatening, its complications, such as pneumonia, can be.

For more info, visit
Common Colds Wiki

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Goiter

2007-04-25T15:09:00.000+08:00

A goitre (or goiter) (Latin struma), also called a bronchocele, is a swelling in the neck (just below Adam's apple or larynx) due to an enlarged thyroid gland.

They are classified in different ways:

A "diffuse goitre" is a goitre that has spread through all of the thyroid (and is contrasted with a "simple goitre", "single thyroid nodule" and "multinodular goitre").
"Toxic goitre" refers to goitre with hyperthyroidism. These are derived from inflammation, neoplasm, and some kinds of activating autoimmune disease (Grave's disease).
"Nontoxic goitre" (associated with normal or low thyroid levels) refers to all other types (such as that caused by lithium or certain other autoimmune diseases).

For more info, visit
Goiter Wiki

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Rheumatism

2007-04-25T15:06:00.000+08:00

Rheumatism or Rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the heart, bones, joints, kidney, skin and lung. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.

The term "rheumatism" is still used in colloquial speech and historical contexts, but is no longer frequently used in medical or technical literature; it would be fair to say that there is no longer any recognized disorder simply called "rheumatism". The traditional term covers such a range of different problems that to ascribe symptoms to "rheumatism" is not to say very much: arthritis and rheumatism between them cover at least 200 different conditions.

A vast number of traditional herbal remedies were recommended for "rheumatism". Modern medicine, both conventional and complementary, recognises that the different rheumatic disorders have different causes (and several of them have multiple causes) and require different kinds of treatment. Most sources dealing with rheumatism tend to focus on arthritis. However "non-articular rheumatism", also known as "regional pain syndrome" or "soft tissue rheumatism" can cause just as much discomfort and difficulty.

For more info, visit
Rheumatism Wiki

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Diabetes

2007-04-25T15:02:00.000+08:00

Diabetes mellitus (IPA pronunciation: [ˌdaɪəˈbitəs]) is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and other signs, as distinct from a single illness or condition. The World Health Organization recognizes three main forms of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (occurring during pregnancy),^[1] which have similar signs, symptoms, and consequences, but different causes and population distributions. Ultimately, all forms are due to the beta cells of the pancreas being unable to produce sufficient insulin to prevent hyperglycemia.^[2] Type 1 is usually due to autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic beta cells which produce insulin. Type 2 is characterized by tissue-wide insulin resistance and varies widely; it sometimes progresses to loss of beta cell function. Gestational diabetes is similar to type 2 diabetes, in that it involves insulin resistance; the hormones of pregnancy cause insulin resistance in those women genetically predisposed to developing this condition.

Types 1 and 2 are incurable chronic conditions, but have been treatable since insulin became medically available in 1921, and are nowadays usually managed with a combination of dietary treatment, tablets (in type 2) and, frequently, insulin supplementation. Gestational diabetes typically resolves with delivery.

For more info, visit
Diabetes mellitus Wiki
Diabetes.com

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Fever

2007-04-25T14:59:00.001+08:00

Fever (also known as pyrexia, or a febrile response from the Latin word febris meaning fever, and archaically known as ague) is a frequent medical symptom that describes an increase in internal body temperature to levels that are above normal (37°C, 98.6°F). Fever is most accurately characterized as a temporary elevation in the body’s thermoregulatory set-point, usually by about 1-2°C. Fever differs from hyperthermia, which is an increase in body temperature over the body’s thermoregulatory set-point (due to excessive heat production or insufficient thermoregulation, or both). Carl Wunderlich discovered that fever is not a disease but a symptom of disease.

The elevation in thermoregulatory set-point means that the previous "normal body temperature" is considered hypothermic, and effector mechanisms kick in. The person who is developing the fever has a cold sensation, and an increase in heart rate, muscle tone and shivering attempt to counteract the perceived hypothermia, thereby reaching the new thermoregulatory set-point.

For more info, visit
Fever Wiki

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Hepatitis

2007-04-25T14:53:00.000+08:00

Hepatitis (plural hepatitides) implies injury to liver characterised by presence of inflammatory cells in the liver tissue. Etymologically from ancient Greek hepar(ηπαρ) or hepato-(ηπατο-) meaning ' liver' and suffix -itis denoting ' inflammation' (c.1727^[1]). The condition can be self limiting, healing on its own or can progress to scarring of liver. Acute hepatitis is when it lasts less then 6 months and chronic hepatitis is when it persists longer. A group of viruses known as the hepatitis viruses cause most liver damages worldwide. Hepatitis can also be due to toxins (notably alcohol), other infections or from autoimmune process. It may run a subclinical course when the affected person may not feel ill. The patient becomes unwell and symptomatic when the disease impairs liver functions that include among other things, screening of harmful substances, regulation of blood composition and production of bile to help digestion.

For more info, visit
Hepatitis Wiki
Hepatitis.org

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Arthritis

2007-04-25T14:49:00.000+08:00

Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation; plural: arthritides) is a group of conditions where there is damage caused to the joints of the body. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in people over the age of 65.

There are many forms of arthritis, each of which has a different cause. Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are autoimmune diseases in which the body is attacking itself. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection. Gouty arthritis is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint that results in subsequent inflammation. Additionally, there is a less common form of gout that is caused by the formation of needle shaped crystals of calcium pyrophosphate. This form of gout is known as pseudogout. The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease and occurs following trauma to the joint, following an infection of the joint or simply as a result of aging. There is emerging evidence that abnormal anatomy may contribute to early development of osteoarthritis.

For more info, visit
Arthritis Wiki
Arthritis Foundation

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Pneumonia

2007-04-23T19:14:00.000+08:00

Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lung caused by an infection. The infection can be due to a bacterium (as in Mycoplasm Pneumonia), virus (as in Viral Pneumonia ), or other organism.

Pneumonia usually occurs when a person's defense system has been weakened by another illness, typically a viral upper respiratory tract infection or influenza (flu). Although these respiratory infections do not directly cause pneumonia, they are able to disrupt the protective coating of mucus in the lungs, thus encouraging bacterial growth.

For more info, visit
Pneumonia Explained

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Asthma

2007-04-23T18:59:00.000+08:00

Asthma (Az-muh) is a chronic disease that affects your airways. The airways are the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways are inflamed (swollen). The inflammation (IN-fla-MAY-shun) makes the airways very sensitive, and they tend to react strongly to things that you are allergic to or find irritating. When the airways react, they get narrower, and less air flows through to your lung tissue. This causes symptoms like wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), coughing, chest tightness, and trouble breathing, especially at night and in the early morning.

Asthma cannot be cured, but most people with asthma can control it so that they have few and infrequent symptoms and can live active lives.

When your asthma symptoms become worse than usual, it is called an asthma episode or attack. During an asthma attack, muscles around the airways tighten up, making the airways narrower so less air flows through. Inflammation increases, and the airways become more swollen and even narrower. Cells in the airways may also make more mucus than usual. This extra mucus also narrows the airways. These changes make it harder to breathe.

For more info, visit
Asthma What Is

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Tuberculosis

2007-04-23T18:33:00.000+08:00

Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for Tubercle Bacillus) is a common and deadly infectious disease that is caused by mycobacteria, primarily Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis most commonly affects the lungs (as pulmonary TB) but can also affect the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, the genitourinary system, bones, joints and even the skin. Other mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobacterium africanum and Mycobacterium microti can also cause tuberculosis, but these species do not usually infect healthy adults.

For more info, visit
Tuberculosis Wiki

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Constipation

2007-04-23T18:20:00.000+08:00

Constipation means different things to different people. For many people, it simply means infrequent stools. For others, however, constipation means hard stools, difficulty passing stools (straining), or a sense of incomplete emptying after a bowel movement. The cause of each of these "types" of constipation probably is different, and the approach to each should be tailored to the specific type of constipation. Constipation can also alternate with diarrhea. This pattern is more commonly considered as part of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). At the extreme end of the constipation spectrum is fecal impaction, a condition in which stool hardens in the rectum and prevents the passage of any stool.

For more info, visit
http://www.medicinenet.com/constipation/article.htm
Constipation

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Diarrhea

2007-04-23T18:15:00.001+08:00

Diarrhea is defined either as watery stool, or increased frequency, or both, when compared to a normal amount. It is a common problem that may last a few days and disappear on its own.

Diarrhea may be acute (short-term), which is usually related to bacterial or viral infections, or chronic (long-term), which is usually related to a functional disorder or intestinal disease.

For more info, visit
Diarrhea

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Ulcer

2007-04-23T17:51:00.000+08:00

An ulcer (from Latin ulcus) is an open sore of the skin, eyes or mucous membrane, often caused, but not exclusively, by an initial abrasion and generally maintained by an inflammation, an infection, and/or medical conditions which impede healing. Or in other words, it is a macroscopic discontinuity of the normal epithelium (microscopic discontinuity of epithelium is called erosion). Other causes of skin ulcerations include pressure from various sources and venous insufficiency.

For more info, visit
Ulcer Wikipedia

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