Diseases

Smoking is typically associated with heart disease, stroke, emphysema and lung cancer. However, there are a number of consequences of smoking on oral health as well, such as increased risk of gum...

Pneumococcal diseases are caused by bacteria, called streptococcus pneumoniae, that attack various areas in the body, and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are the...

Familial Mediterranean Fever is an inflammatory condition that causes numerous symptoms in the people it affects. It is not a contagious disease, but rather an inherited one, and generally...

There are many different types of diseases that can affect the bladder and prohibit proper functioning. The bladder is located in your lower abdomen, and its primary function in the body is to...

Salmonella Typhimurium is one of the most common types of Salmonella bacteria that cause infection and illness in humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.4...

Cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver begins to malfunction and deteriorate due to chronic injury. Healthy liver tissues are replaced by scar tissue, which blocks the flow of blood through...

If you realize that diabetes or heart disease or some other genetic disorder runs in your family, it is only natural to try to determine how you might be affected by it. Individuals who fear...

Inguinal hernia, commonly referred to as ventral hernia, occurs when part of the intestines pushes though the abdominal wall. The most serious problem caused by inguinal hernia is a loop of the...

Reynolds syndrome is a rare condition that may affect the skin and the liver. It has similarities with other conditions such scleroderma and may accompany conditions such as Raynaud's phenomenon.

Lou Gehrig's Disease is named after a famous baseball player--a Hall of Fame first baseman with the New York Yankees--who died of the illness in 1941. The medical name for the disease is...

Hypertension (high blood pressure) has no symptoms. Blood pressure should be checked regularly to prevent damage to blood vessels throughout the body and ward off serious systemic problems that...

Liver disease (also called hepatic disease) is a broad term describing any single number of diseases affecting the liver. It is dangerous and often deadly. There is hope, though. Success has been...

High blood pressure is one of the most common medical ailments in the U.S. affecting, although it rarely shows symptoms, per the Mayo Clinic. Your blood pressure is determined by the amount of...

Raynaud's disease causes extremities such as nose, ears, fingers and toes to become numb and cold in response to stress or low temperatures due to narrowing arteries. The Mayo Clinic says signs...

According to the Natural Products Association, 25 percent of all adults will experience some kind of nail fungus or disorder by the age of 40 and that number climbs to 50 percent after age 60....

Diabetes is a disease with no cure, but it can be managed. To manage your diabetes you will need to learn about the disease. The components of controlling diabetes are diet, exercise, medication...

Twenty-first century Americans have little cause to be concerned about localized incidents of typhoid, but typhoid wasn't always a distant memory in the United States. The disease all but...

Pain in bone cancer patients is primarily caused by the actual treatment of the disease. Each patient's experience and degree of pain will vary with his condition. Psychological factors may...

Mycoplasma fermentans are a type of prokaryote, a self-contained organism that typically lacks a cell wall. They are self-replicating and have limited genetic material. There has been growing...

Shingles, a viral infection, causes a painful rash and can occur anywhere on the body. Most of the time, it appears as a band of blisters that wrap around from the middle of the back to the chest...

What do you do after you receive one of the most difficult diagnosis to see a loved one battle? How do you get through a family members diagnosis of Parkinson 's disease? Don't let it paralyze...

Biliary cirrhosis is a condition where the bile ducts of the liver become blocked. The prognosis of biliary cirrhosis varies from patient to patient based upon how quickly treatment is received...

Kyphoscoliosis or hunchback is a disease of the spine. It is a combination of kyphosis and scoliosis. Here the spine is bent sidewards, and there is also an abnormal front to backward curvature...

A cognitive-behavioral therapy program is one proven effective method addiction specialists use to treat problem gambling. Because gambling is an addictive behavior, gamblers often use excuses to...

Osteonecrosis of the jaw is a disease in which cells in the jawbone begin to die for reasons that are not fully understood. It's a rare but serious condition, the symptoms of which include dental...

Elevated levels of enzymes show up in a person's blood when they escape from the liver. There are a variety of reasons for this phenomenon.

Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, can be controlled with many different types of prescription medication. Suddenly stopping or drastically reducing use of such medication can...

Fat burners, diet pills that stimulate the body to burn fat, work by increasing your body's metabolism or blocking its ability to absorb fat. According to Body Building For You, many fat burners...

Low blood glucose or hypoglycemia is usually a result of excessive amounts of insulin. That can occur for a variety of reasons. Diabetics may take the wrong amount of insulin or their caloric...

Tongue fungus, also known as oral thrush, appears as velvety, white, patchy lesions in the mouth. These lesions may bleed and be painful, making it difficult to eat. This condition is not serious...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a staph virus that has become resistant to some forms of antibiotics. As a result, the disease can result in a serious infection. Wounds can appear...

A PICC, or peripherally inserted central catheter, is a long, narrow tube. It is inserted in a vein in the upper arm and advanced until it reaches the superior vena cava, a large vein above the heart.

Meningitis is "an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease can be caused by a viral, fungal, or...

Fibromyalgia and depression may occur separately or together. Both conditions may lead to unexplained pain and fatigue, but those with fibromyalgia will also have tender points that are...

Lou Gehrig's disease refers to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS) a fatal neuron degeneration disease of the brain and the spinal cord. The degeneration of motor neurons in ALS...

Alcoholism affects many aspects of a person's life, including their relationship with their spouse. When your spouse is an alcoholic and you are not, this can affect you in many ways.

Trachoma is a disease of the eye that is caused by the infectious microorganism Chlamydia trachomatis. It is transmitted by contact with discharge through fingers, towels or handkerchiefs and by...

Meningitis is when your membranes and cerebrospinal fluid become inflamed. Common symptoms you will see in someone who has contracted meningitis are headaches, fever and a stiff neck because...

After a diagnosis of breast cancer, every pain is alarming. Knowing the difference between cancer and non-cancer pain can aid you in understanding what to do. Metastatic breast cancer (advanced,...

The two most common types of Salmonella infections are the result of Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium. These bacterium are found within contaminated food. Even though the...

Fibromyalgia and chronic myofasical pain syndrome are both conditions characterized by continual muscle pain. According to the Mayo Clinic, chronic myofascial pain may eventually become...

Cortisol is a hormone associated with the adrenal gland. The production of cortisol is controlled by the pituitary gland. Problems with either gland cause abnormal levels of cortisol in the blood...

The Rife machine was developed in 1934 by Dr. Royal R. Rife who discovered that electro-magnetic frequencies could be used to kill bacteria, viruses and parasites without damaging any of the...

Fatty liver (or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis) is a condition in which fat cells begin forming in your liver tissue. If not treated, it can lead to cirrhosis and possibly death. Although there is...

Clostridium botulinum is the name applied to a group of bacteria. These are anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria that are normally found in soil. Four of the seven types of Clostridium botulinum...

Bacteria in the form of spores are responsible for anthrax, while rabies is caused by a virus. The anthrax bacterium is found in many parts of the world, usually in the ground. It can stay dormant...

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious bacterial disease that usually attacks the lungs. It is spread through the air by coughing, sneezing, even speaking. Symptoms of TB include a severe cough that...

There are a number of things that someone living with colitis can do to control symptoms and live a normal lifestyle. Read on to learn how to make living with colitis easier.

Polycystic Ovarian Disease, also known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS, affects approximately one in 10 women in the United States. There is no cure for PCOS, so treatment is limited to...

Most people are at some point infected with the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which causes chickenpox. After chickenpox goes away, the virus remains in some of the body's nerve cells and can later...