What is Septic Arthritis?
Septic arthritis, also known as infectious arthritis or pyogenic arthritis, is a very rare condition involving inflammation of a joint caused by an infection in that joint. It is usually caused by bacteria, though it may be caused by other…
What are the Signs of Depression?
The signs of depression are many and varied. Depression is much more than a feeling of sadness; it is a medical condition that may cause severe, prolonged symptoms and significantly disrupt a person’s daily functioning.[1] Depression is thought to be…
What is Failure to Thrive?
Failure to thrive (FTT) is defined as a delay in physical growth and weight gain in babies and children. As children mature, they are normally carefully monitored by doctors to ensure that they are growing at a healthy rate. Percentiles…
What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a brain condition in which certain mental functions such as memory or reasoning are lost over time. It is the most common form of dementia.[1] The exact cause is unknown, but clumps of protein developing around the…
What is Adjustment Disorder?
Adjustment disorder is sometimes referred to as a situational depression. Unlike regular depression, the cause(s) of which may be ongoing and/or unspecified, adjustment disorder is an abnormal emotional and/or behavioral response to stressors that are present in a particular period…
What is Gallstones (Symptomatic Cholelithiasis)?
Gallstones, also known as symptomatic cholelithiasis, are hard, crystal-like deposits that can form in the gallbladder below the liver. They can range in size from as small as grains of sand to as large as golf balls – although small…
What is Bacterial Sinusitis?
Bacterial sinusitis is a bacterial infection of the paranasal sinuses, the hollow spaces in the bones of the face around the nose. Sinusitis is a very common problem, affecting approximately one in every eight American adults annually. Almost 30 million…
What is Sickle Cell Disease?
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an umbrella term for a group of genetic disorders affecting the body’s red blood cells. People with SCD have atypical hemoglobin, a protein within red blood cells that helps circulate oxygen throughout the body –…
What is Preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia also spelled pre-eclampsia and formerly sometimes called toxemia, is a potentially serious condition that affects only pregnant women after the 20th week of pregnancy or shortly after delivery.[1] Its characteristic symptoms are sudden-onset proteinuria (protein in the urine) and…
What is Hypoglycemia (Unspecified)?
Hypoglycemia describes a low blood sugar level (hypo means low, and glycemia refers to sugar or glucose in the blood). Sugar is an important source of energy for the body. Symptoms of low blood sugar levels include headache, nervousness, shaking,…
What is Pregnancy?
Pregnancy is the term used to describe the fertilization of a human egg and the carrying of a baby in the womb. To get pregnant it is necessary that semen gets in contact with a human egg. This may happen…
What is Nephrolithiasis (Kidney Stones)?
Kidney stones, or nephrolithiasis, is a common condition in which hard collections, or calculi, form in the renal system, usually in the tube between the kidney and the bladder. These collections are the result of urine becoming saturated with minerals…