Archive for the 'Special Features' Category

Hepatitis is a liver disease which occurs due to the presence of inflammatory cells in your liver tissue.

It is characterized as acute and chronic hepatitis. Acute hepatitis lasts less than six months, whereas chronic hepatitis persists for longer periods, may be life long also.

The main reason for this disease is group of hepatitis viruses which cause liver damage.

It can also come from some toxins like alcohol, other infections or due to autoimmune process.

Hepatitis viruses are from A to G and some other viruses include cytomegalovirus, Epstein - Barr virus, yellow fever, etc.

Hepatitis A and vaccine:

It is an acute and self-limiting disease of the liver. In youngsters, this infection is generally asymptomatic, but it is a symptomatic disease in adults.

The vaccine used to treat hepatitis A is completely different from the immune globulin (IG) that most of you receive after an outbreak. Only for short-term, IG can be used and it helps in boosting your immune system to keep you away from getting sick and with hepatitis A after exposure.

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COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) can cause blockage of air flow to your lungs.

Emphysema is the most common form of COPD which damages the tiny sacs through which air flows.

Chronic bronchitis is also a form of COPD in which airways become swollen and produce excessive amounts of mucus.

There is another obstructive lung disease called asthma which you can observe in most of the children and also in adults.

This disease affects 15-30 million Americans and is considered as the fourth leading cause of death.

COPD in men and women varies greatly:

COPD affects people in different ways. Women are more likely to develop this condition than men and in a different way. So, the treatment options are also different for both.

A woman with COPD experiences more breathlessness, a higher incidence of depression and a lower quality of life than man. Women are increasingly being diagnosed with COPD and most of the women in United States now die of this disease than men.

Contributory issues for COPD:

Smoking increases the risk of COPD five times:

You might have already known that smoking causes premature aging of the skin and in the same way most of the causes of COPD are due to smoking.Not all smokers will experience this pulmonary lung disease.

HPV (human papilla virus) is a group of viruses that consist of about 100 various types. Among which more than 30 viruses are sexually transmitted.

These viruses can affect the genital areas of the women and men. The virus affects the skin of the penis, the lining of the vagina and the area outside the vagina, rectum, or cervix uteri.

HPV does not show any symptoms and the infection will clear on its own. Some of the HPV viruses cause high risks and can lead to irregular pap tests. This condition can also lead to cancer in the areas like anus, cervix, penis, vulva, or vagina. Some others are low risk viruses and can cause mild Pap test irregularities.

HPV virus leads to genital warts and verrucas. You can observe them on different parts of the body, but most generally you can notice them on your hands and feet, in the genital area and at the anus. This condition is most common and generally occurs after the person becomes sexually active.

Do you know that heartburn is also called as pyrosis?

This painful or burning sensation in the esophagus is caused by the reflux of blood through defective heart valves.

Often the pain starts in the chest and gradually spread to the neck, throat, or angle of the jaw.

Sometimes, heartburn can also cause chronic cough and asthma attack.

Some people are confused that heartburn makes harm to the heart.

But, the fact is it has nothing to do with the heart.

Combating from heartburn:

In order to combat from heartburn, you need to avoid some foods which have chemicals that can trigger acid reflux. Some of the foods which trigger acid reflux include: chocolate, peppermints, tomatoes, and the products that are made from tomatoes because they lessen the chance of stomach acid refluxing into the esophagus and causing heartburn and acid reflux.

The acid reducers which are found in the market are called histamine receptor blockers. Proton-Pump Inhibitors or PPIs are considered as effective in inhibiting the acid production within your stomach and prevent excess stomach acids from refluxing into the esophagus. They treat the symptoms of GERD and other conditions caused by excess stomach acid.

Suffering with fibromyalgia can make your life difficult to lead. It is a chronic syndrome which involves muscle, joint, or bone pain, fatigue and many other symptoms.

According to recent studies, people with fibromyalgia are genetically predisposed.

There is a greater chance for a woman to effect with this condition than a man. 3-6 percent of general population has fibromyalgia.

Most commonly, you will observe this condition in people between the ages of 20 and 50.

It is not a life-threatening condition, but the symptoms can vary day-by-day with periods of flashes or remission.

It affects your emotional health and well-being. Individuals with the symptoms of fibromyalgia can also experience depression at some point in their lives.

Factors associated with fibromyalgia:

In addition to the chronic pain, fibromyalgia is also associated with cloudy thinking, morning stiffness and overall inability to function in their everyday life.

Pain associated with fibromyalgia usually fluctuates and is always associated with local or generalized tenderness. The pathogenesis of central nervous system changes in fibromyalgia is unclear, particularly in muscles those have been implicated.

Fibromyalgia patients experience abnormal stress reactivity, including blunting of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and increased autonomic nervous system responsiveness.