health issues

Symptoms of Tuberculosis

2010-12-19T02:58:00.000-08:00

Symptoms of Tuberculosis

Symptoms of Tuberculosis are commonly chest pain and coughing up blood. And this cough is prolonged for more than three weeks in the case of Tuberculosis. The first symptoms of an active case of TB may be so commonplace that they are often dismissed as the effects of a cold or flu. The individual may get tired easily, feel slightly feverish or cough frequently. Appetite loss resulting in weight loss is also a symptom of Tuberculosis. TB is the infection most notoriously associated with night sweats.

Tuberculosis also has a specfic odour attached to it. About 15 percent of people with the disease develop TB in an organ other than the lung, such as the lymph nodes, GI tract, and bones and joints. In 25% of active cases, the infection moves from the lungs, causing other kinds of TB, collectively denoted extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis occurs more commonly in immunosuppressed persons and young children. Extrapulmonary infection sites include the pleura in tuberculosis pleurisy, the central nervous system in meningitis, the lymphatic system in scrofula of the neck, the genitourinary system in urogenital tuberculosis, and bones and joints in Pott's disease of the spine. An especially serious form is disseminated TB, more commonly known as miliary tuberculosis. Extrapulmonary TB may co-exist with pulmonary TB as well.

Types of heart disease

2010-05-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

Heart disease more precisely cardiopathy is a term used for a variety of different diseases affecting the heart. There are too many heart patients in the world today. Men, women even kids are also suffering from heart diseases. It is said that in 2007, heart disease wa the leading cause of death in the United States,England, Canada and Wales.

heart disease

Types of heart diseases

There are eight main types of heart diseases which are as follows:

Coronary heart disease

heart disease

Cardiomyopathy
Cardiovascular disease
Ischaemic heart disease
Heart failure
Hypertensive heart disease
Inflammatory heart disease
Valvular heart disease

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

2010-05-25T05:49:00.000-07:00

Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma:
Symptoms of mesothelioma are shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years or more than 50 years after exposure to asbestos.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma:
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity. Other symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

In less serious cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:
Pleural mesothelioma can cause these signs and symptoms:

• Chest wall pain
• Pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue or anemia
• Wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
• Blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemoptysis)

Shortness of breath

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

In severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:
A person may have many tumor masses in severe cases. The individual may develop a pneumothorax, or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.

Tumors that affect the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at a late stage. Symptoms include:
• Weight loss
• Abdominal pain
• Ascites, or an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen
• A mass in the abdomen
• Problems with bowel function

Symptoms in severe cases of mesothelioma:
• Blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
• Disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs
• Jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
• Low blood sugar level
• Pleural effusion
• Pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
• Severe ascites

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

Pleural tumors are usually found only on one side of the lungs. A mesothelioma does not usually spread to the bone, brain, or adrenal glands.

Mesothelioma - definition

2010-05-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

Mesothelioma or more precisely malignant mesothelioma is a cancer. Although there are low number of patients of mesothelioma present in world, yet this disease is really horrifying the people of that part of world where asbestos particles are found frequently. Because mesothelioma is currently difficult to treat in most cases and survival beyond two years is unusual.

Definition of Mesothelioma:
"Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining (the mesothelium) that covers many of the body's internal organs like lung, abdominal organs, or heart."

Its most common site is outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall which is known as the pleura. But it may also occur in the peritoneum. Peritoneum is the lining of the abdominal cavity. The heart, the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis. It is usually caused by exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma

Cause:
Mostly those people who have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles develop mesothelioma, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. It has also been developed in those people who has been washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos. Smoking causes lung cancer only mostly. But unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases the risk of other asbestos-induced cancers.

Mesothelioma

Symptoms:

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years or more years after exposure to asbestos. The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss.

Mesothelioma

Diagnosis:

The diagnosis is suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan. Mesothelioma is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy can be used to take biopsies. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing. Unfortunately complete recovery from mesothelioma is not possible yet. I wish, researchers get successful in their work about mesothelioma's complete treatment soon.

Diabetes Mellitus- definition

2010-05-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Diabetes mellitus is publicly known as sugar diabetes. I am not confirmed but it is calculated that almost 15% people of world are suffering from this disease.

Definition:
When the body can not use glucose normally, that condition is called Diabetes Mellitus. The levels of glucose in the blood are controlled by a hormone. This specific harmone is called insulin. Glucose is the main source of energy for the body's cells. Insulin helps glucose enter the cells. Insulin is made by the pancreas.
Types:
There are two types of sugar diabetes. In type1 of diabetes, the pancreas does not make insulin. In type2 of diabetes the body can not respond normally to the insulin that is made. This causes glucose levels in the blood to rise.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of sugar diabetes are mostly increased urination, extreme thirst, and unexplained weight loss.