Malignant mesothelioma is a rare malignancy with limited therapeutic options and its incidence is still increasing in both Europe and the developing nations. Symptoms and signs associated with mesothelioma are nonspecific and elusive, often seen with other disease processes (either benign or malignant) and the condition itself sometimes appears more than 40 years after exposure. Typical clinical presentation Early symptoms […]
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Sciatica is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve or its roots. Any condition which causes compression of the spinal cord, or the nerve roots emerging from the spinal foramina, causes sensory and motor symptoms in the area supplied by the sciatic nerve in a dermatomal distribution. The most common cause of sciatica is disc herniation in the lumbar region. […]
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Hypothyroidism is a condition of the thyroid gland that affects the production of thyroid hormones, important hormones in the regulation of metabolism. The symptoms of this condition are non-specific and develop slowly, meaning they are often missed or confused with symptoms of other conditions. Hypothyroidism therefore sometimes fails to be diagnosed for years. Some of the signs and symptoms of […]
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Bowel movements are regulated by the muscles and nerves around the rectum, anus, sphincters (internal and external) as well as the pelvic floor muscles. The common factors that affect the normal bowel function leading to incontinence include: inability of the rectum to hold the stool until social conditions permit evacuation inability of the sphincters and muscles to hold the stool […]
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By Jeyashree Sundaram (MBA) Cancerous lymphocytes (white blood cells) that develop in the bone marrow cause chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). These cancer cells gradually blend with the blood. CLL develops very slowly, hence the signs and symptoms of this cancer are invisible for certain years. Due to this, the cancer cells have the tendency to spread to the neighboring parts […]
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Extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EEA) is a group of diseases that involve a hypersensitivity reaction in the lungs to irritants in the air. The most common type is known as Farmer’s lung, which involves exposure to and inhalation of species in mouldy hay, but there are several other types: Farmer's lung: exposure to mouldy hay. Bird fancier's lung: exposure to avian […]
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Obesity affects almost half a billion people worldwide. It is fast becoming the major killer, overtaking even long-term predators such as tobacco. Its consequences range from diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which are metabolic in origin, to cancers of the endometrium, breast, and colon. Secondary complications of obesity include diabetes-linked blindness, renal failure, and psychological disturbances. Conventional Treatments for Obesity Obesity […]
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A cardiac arrest is also called a cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest and indicates a sudden stop in effective and normal blood circulation due to failure of the heart to pump blood. Cardiac arrest is different from myocardial infarction or heart attack but may be caused by a heart attack. When the blood flow to the heart is stopped due […]
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The symptoms of heart attack should be treated as a medical emergency and ambulance and critical care services should be alerted immediately. However, conditions such as indigestion can also cause severe chest pain. Once a patient is admitted to hospital, tests need to be performed immediately to check whether the chest pain is indeed being caused by a heart attack. […]
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Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein that is secreted by the cells of the prostate gland and is found in semen, the medium that carries sperm. PSA is the substance that liquefies semen, allowing sperm the freedom to swim. Small amounts of PSA are detectable in normal human blood and a serum PSA level of below 4 ng/mL is considered […]
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