Health Articles

RSS

What is Fragile X Syndrome?

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic condition that shows typical physical attributes along with behavioural and developmental anomalies in children. It is also called Martin Bell syndrome or a Marker X syndrome.

18 Nov 2009

What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) refers to a set of physical and mental defects that are caused by a mother consuming alcohol during pregnancy.

18 Nov 2009

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Naming

The medical term used for chronic fatigue syndrome is myalgic encephalomyelitis. This term can be divided into “myo” for muscle, “algia” for pain and “encephalomyelitis” meaning inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

18 Nov 2009

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Society and Culture

Chronic fatigue syndrome affects thousands of people worldwide but is often challenging to diagnose, since there are no definitive tests or markers of the condition. Diagnosis is mainly based on observation of a patient’s pattern of symptoms over a period of time.

18 Nov 2009

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome History

Reports of illness that fit the description of chronic fatigue syndrome go back as far as 1750, when Sir Richard Manningham reported a syndrome called febricula, meaning “little fever.” Papers published by medical journals such as The Lancet and the British Medical Journal also refer to the likelihood that historical figures such as Florence Nightingale and Charles Darwin suffered from a condition that resembles the syndrome.

18 Nov 2009

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Epidemiology

Overall, evidence suggests a prevalence of about 0.25% to 0.40% which represents about 40 people in every 10,000 visiting a general practice. Epidemiological data for the UK is lacking but estimates based on data from other countries suggest there may be around 4000 cases of CFS per million people.

18 Nov 2009

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Prognosis

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an incurable condition for which there is no specific treatment. Treatment is therefore aimed at alleviating symptoms as much as possible and improving the patient’s quality of life.

18 Nov 2009

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as systemic exertion intolerance disease or myalgic encephalomyelitis, is a condition of extreme fatigue together with a group of other symptoms that are constantly present for at least six months.

18 Nov 2009

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Classification

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a poorly understood illness and there has been much debate surrounding the definition of the condition.

18 Nov 2009

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Pathophysiology

The underlying pathology of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is not clearly understood. There are several theories regarding the cause of this condition, ranging from viral infection such as glandular fever to abnormalities of the immune system and hormone imbalance.

18 Nov 2009

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms

The symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) vary widely between individuals but usually symptom onset is sudden, with an affected person becoming persistently or frequently tired for no apparent reason.

18 Nov 2009

What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition that leads to symptoms of persistent fatigue that do not resolve after rest or sleep.

18 Nov 2009

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that causes pain and tingling in the forearm, hand and fingers. The condition is caused by compression of the median nerve which passes through the carpal tunnel. The median nerve controls movement and sensation in the hand and in the case of carpal tunnel syndrome, this nerve is basically pinched at the wrist.

18 Nov 2009

What is Dysentery?

Dysentery is an infection of the intestines which causes the passage of bloody stools mixed with mucus. It is caused either by bacteria such as Shigella, or by parasites such as Entamoeba. These forms are called bacillary dysentery, or shigellosis, and amoebic dysentery respectively.

18 Nov 2009

What is Borrelia burgdorferi?

Borrelia burgdorferi is a member of the spirochete phylum of bacteria, which represents an ancient evolutionary branch only distantly related to gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. It is recognized as a causative factor of a special clinical entity known as Lyme disease which is transmitted by infected ticks.

18 Nov 2009

What is African Sleeping Sickness?

Human African trypanosomiasis (also known as African sleeping sickness) is a parasitic disease transmitted by tsetse flies of the genus Glossina, and caused by a group of parasites known as trypanosomes. This disease is found in equatorial Africa and follows a patchy distribution depending on the presence of vector and characteristic topographical features.

18 Nov 2009

What is Henipavirus?

Henipaviruses belong to the family of paramyxoviruses. Two species have been identified to be zoonotic, causing disease in animals. These are the Hendra virus (HeV) and the Nipah virus (NiV). They produce severe and often fatal illness in humans and horses.

18 Nov 2009

What is Bronchiolitis?

Bronchiolitis is an acute inflammation of bronchioles in the lower respiratory tract that causes airway obstruction.

18 Nov 2009

What is the Common Cold?

The common cold, also known as rhinopharyngitis, is a type of respiratory tract infection caused by a virus.

18 Nov 2009

What is Cytomegalovirus?

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) belongs to the herpes virus family. Infection with CMV is very common. Between 50% and 80% of people in the United States have had a CMV infection by the time they are 40 years according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

18 Nov 2009