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A Brief Overview of Huntington’s Disease

A Brief Overview of Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s disease where the mental ability of the individual gets affected is a genetic disorder. It is characterized by neurodegeneration that leads to a gradual loss of neurons. Uncoordinated body movement, degradation in the reasoning ability, and memory loss are other common symptoms of this disease. It is named after George Huntington, who conducted extensive research to give a more accurate description of this disorder. A dominant mutation in the Huntington gene causes this disease which belongs to the noncurable category. Proper treatment can only alleviate the problem and make it more manageable. The onset of Huntington’s disease usually takes place after the age of 30 years. However, a patient having a family history of this ailment may show signs even before 20 years of age. The symptoms of Huntington’s disease include: Initial stage – In the beginning, there can be slight uncoordinated movements, decreased cognitive ability, aggression, and depression. A person may make mistakes while performing even the simplest of tasks. This stage often gets ignored due to lack of awareness. Intermediate stage – By the time the individual finds out abnormalities in his behavior, the disease reaches the second stage. The symptoms get aggravated and include involuntary actions (chorea), sleep disorders, and distorted speech.
A Brief Overview of Ankylosing Spondylitis

A Brief Overview of Ankylosing Spondylitis

The sedentary human lifestyle has brought with it a baggage of newfound health issues resulting in weakening of the human body structure. Ensure to keep a constant track of changes in your body and maintain a regular body check-up schedule. Arthritis is a common health issue faced by youngsters today. What was earlier limited to people nearing their old age has now started showing up within the age group of 20 to 25. If you witness sudden pain and stiffness in your backbone, these are a few Ankylosing spondylitis symptoms. To precisely define it, ankylosing spondylitis is a form of arthritis that affects the bones and muscles of the spine thereby making it stiff, painful, and stooping. According to recent research, 0.1 percent to 0.4 percent of the total population is affected from ankylosing spondylitis. If classified gender wise, this medical issue is more common in males as compared to females. It is important to keep track of this form of arthritis as it escalates with every passing day. There is no proper medical clarification as to how and why ankylosing spondylitis affects your body. It has also been noted that people carrying a gene called HLA-B27 are prominently affected by this medical issue.
Pulmonary Fibrosis – Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Pulmonary Fibrosis – Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

When the lung tissue is scarred and damaged, it causes the lung disease called pulmonary fibrosis. The stiff and thickened tissue makes it difficult for the lungs to work properly. As the disease advances, people experience more shortness of breath. The scarring can be caused due to a number of factors. However, the doctors cannot figure out the reason in most of the cases. If the cause of the illness cannot be determined, then the condition is termed as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Though the lung damage as a result of pulmonary fibrosis cannot be reversed, the symptoms can surely be eased, and the quality of life can be improved with therapies and medications. Lung transplant is the ultimate option and hope for many people to get cured of pulmonary fibrosis. Symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis include: – Dry cough – Fatigue – Aching joints and muscles – Unexplained weight loss – Rounding and widening of the fingertips The course and severity of pulmonary fibrosis and symptoms vary from person to person. Some people fall prey to the disease very fast, while the health of others with moderate symptoms deteriorates slowly over several months or years. Some patients may suffer from the rapid aggravation of their symptoms like extreme shortness of breath lasting for several days to weeks.
Simple Ways to Undertake Colitis Treatment at Home

Simple Ways to Undertake Colitis Treatment at Home

When it comes to stomach diseases, colitis is one of the major ones that is found in a large number of people. In this disease, a person feels inflammation and irritation of the colon. Apart from this, it also promotes some other health issues including bowel disease, allergies, and Crohn’s disease. The reason behind raising the colitis is a disturbed lifestyle. Yes, the unscheduled lifestyle is one of the major causes that increase this problem. Besides, people who are habitual to consume tobacco and alcohol are often arrested in this problem. Moreover, the bad diet including spicy food and other junk food also increases the chances of colitis. The street side spicy food has a different type of bacteria, which present in the air. These bacteria easily enter in the stomach by consuming infected food. The bad bacteria increase in the stomach and cause inflammation and swelling in the colon. At the initial stage, you can diagnose colitis with a few symptoms, which include: • Abdominal Pain • Cramping • Diarrhea • Blood in the Stool • Fever • Chills • Fatigue • Dehydration • Eye Inflammation • Joint Swelling • Skin Inflammation If you are also noticing the same symptoms with you and facing the same issue in your life, then it is better you start some quick and effective colitis treatments at home.
Joint Pain – Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Joint Pain – Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Joints form the connection between the bones in the human body. Joints provide support and help a human move around. When a joint is damaged, a lot of pain may be caused, and movement may be greatly hampered. In a national survey that was recently conducted, it was found that about one-third of adults reported having joint pain within the past 30 days. The most common complaint concerning joint pain was knee pain, following which was hip and shoulder pain. Joint pain, however, is a very broad term and can affect any part of the body, from shoulders to hands and from ankles to feet. Painful joints are a very common occurrence which comes with aging. From mild discomfort to debilitating pain, joint pains come in varying degrees. It may be acute and last for a few weeks or become chronic and prolonged for many months. Treatment of joint pain depends on the severity and seriousness of the condition. Alternative treatments, physical therapy, and medication can help manage joint pain. A doctor usually needs to diagnose the problem properly and identify the primary joint pain causes. Based on the diagnosis, and the severity of the joint pain causes, treatment is developed to reduce pain and inflammation.
Kidney Failure – Causes and Symptoms

Kidney Failure – Causes and Symptoms

Kidneys are the filtering units of the human body. They filter the blood and expel the toxins which are flushed out of the body during urination. At times kidneys fail to perform their function. They become incapable to filer the waste from the blood. The kidney health deteriorates along with several other factors. Kidney trauma, chronic disease medications, and pollutants can aggravate the problem and cause complete kidney failure. This results in the overloading of toxins in the body. Kidney failure is life-threatening if it isn’t treated the right way. Kidney failure symptoms There are different symptoms of kidney failure. In the beginning, the kidney failure symptoms can’t be traced. As the kidneys weaken, symptoms such as reduced RBC production, imbalance of electrolytes, and uneasy waste clearance from the body arise. Some of the main kidney failure symptoms are: Lethargy, fatigue, and weakness Regular nausea and drowsiness Urine reduction Short breath Inflammation in ankles, feet, and legs caused by fluid retention Pain in chest Confusion Less appetite Congestive heart failure Metabolic acidosis High potassium levels in blood (hyperkalemia) High uric levels in the blood Irregular heartbeat rhythm Coma Causes of kidney failure Acute and chronic health problems result in the failure of the kidney.
Dry Eyes – Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

Dry Eyes – Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

Tears provide moistures and keep the eyes lubricated. Generally, tears contain water, oil, mucus and special proteins which protect from eye infections. In contrast dried eyes mean the eyes are deprived of the essential tears. Dry eyes don’t have adequate moisture. Those who suffer from dry eyes experience different symptoms such as itching, redness, and blurred vision. The eyes of people with dry eye syndrome fail to maintain a normal layer of tears which coat the eyes. It prevents the keeping away of the eye irritants. In some cases dry eyes also result in excess tears which are known as reflex tearing. Low moisture content causes irritation in the eye and asks the nervous system for more lubrication. In response to tears are generated to make up for the dryness in eyes. Tears keep the eyes protected and wash the dust and grime from the eye. Causes of dry eyes There are different causes of dry eyes. Occasionally deviations in the tear-flow system could be the probable causes of dry eyes. Heaters, air conditioners and several other environmental factors around us can also cause the eye to dry out. Drugs such as antihistamines, birth control pills, nasal decongestants may even cause side-effects on the eyes contributing to dry eyes.
Common Symptoms of Leg Pain You Should Not Ignore

Common Symptoms of Leg Pain You Should Not Ignore

The lower parts of our legs are the ones that keep us standing, walking and running as we go through everyday life. There are many factors that affect the health of our legs—the kind of surfaces we walk on, the kind of shoes we wear, our posture, occupation, overall weight, etc. All this means that on more than one occasion, a person may experience leg pain symptoms. Some common leg pain symptoms and causes include: Aches related to the bones, joints, and muscles Muscle cramp A muscle cramp is also known as Charley’s horse and can occur any time on its own. It can occur in the middle of the night or during the day. The pain due to a muscle cramp is often described as a tight grip around one’s muscle, usually the calf muscle. Once it takes a group, it can get worse in the form of an intense, tight lower leg pain. The main cause of this type of leg pain is dehydration and general tiredness. Some common remedies to deal with leg pain symptoms of this sort is to increase the intake of water, massage the affected muscles, and also to do a good round of stretching and warming up before exercise.
Severe Asthma Signs You Should Not Ignore

Severe Asthma Signs You Should Not Ignore

Many people in the world have asthma. However, now there are a number of treatments that help in efficient management of asthma as well. It is significant to follow all the Action Plan involved with asthma in coalition with a doctor. More importantly, you need to avoid the triggers for asthma as well as take medication on time but also following up on appointments regularly. Despite all the precautions, it is possible that asthma attacks can occur all of a sudden and could create quite an emergency. The trick to remember is that an asthma attack and never goes away on its own and unless you get the patient hospitalized things could not get out of hand. In case you have used an inhaler or a nebulizer, and yet these don’t provide any help, you need immediate medical attention. In case you have to glucocorticoid medicine, it can be immediately taken on the way to the hospital but then do not shy away from making the trip. Popularly, you could be hearing about severe asthma attacks known as asthma exacerbation or status asthmaticus. Discovering severe asthma symptoms The top symptoms for those having severe asthma attacks include the following: – Shortness of breath – Inability to complete sentences – A sense of breathlessness even while lying down – Tightness in the chest area – Blue tint on the lips – Inability to focus or concentrate – Having neck and abdominal muscles that are strained – Sense of unease while sitting A surprising fact to hear is that severe asthma symptoms might not cover excessive coughing or wheezing.
COPD – Symptoms, Risk Factors, and Stages

COPD – Symptoms, Risk Factors, and Stages

COPD is an acronym of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. COPD describes lung diseases like chronic bronchitis, emphysema, refractory or non-reversible asthma and some form of bronchiectasis. COPD is characterized by enhanced breathlessness. COPD takes time to develop and has several stages. In the early stages of the disease, the symptoms are not noticeable. The symptoms are more pronounced in the developed stages of the disease. Contact the doctor as soon as you notice COPD symptoms. Request your doctor for a spirometry test. Symptoms of COPD COPD is characterized by the following symptoms: – Enhanced breathlessness – Wheezing – Frequent coughing with or without sputum – Tightness in the chest The risk factors and the common causes of the disease COPD can occur because of the following causes: – Inhaling pollutants and that includes cigarette smoking (active or passive). – Chemicals, fumes, and dust found in the work environment contribute to the occurrence of the disease. – A person’s bad genes can be the cause of the disease. – To sum it up, smoking, environmental factors, and genetic factors result in the occurrence of the disease. Early detection of the disease and subsequent treatment is advisable for patients with COPD condition.
10 Tried and Tested Treatment Methods for Curing Nasal Congestion

10 Tried and Tested Treatment Methods for Curing Nasal Congestion

Nothing irritates a person more than sniffling throughout the day, and the very fact that it is the harbinger of other diseases should make you wary of it. What starts as an itchy throat can lead to a full-fledged case of nasal congestion. The human body has the ability to protect itself from various diseases, and the immune system is what helps it in this endeavor. However, due to poor diet or the magnitude of the disease, at times, the immune system fails to protect the body from the onslaught of diseases. Nasal congestion is one such infection which the body’s immune system couldn’t ward off. Though various treatments for nasal congestion are available, it causes great discomfort till the time it lasts. There’s not just one cause of nasal congestion; it stems from different sources. Irrespective of what is the source of nasal congestion, the treatment for nasal congestion is directed towards curing it of the roots. The causes and symptoms of nasal congestion Usually, common cold has been identified as the cause of nasal congestion. The common cold is known to give the individual a runny nose, which is a symptom of nasal congestion. However, one cannot simply limit the causes of nasal congestion to the common cold.