An ACL injury stands for an anterior cruciate ligament injury. It may also be known as a torn ACL. It is one of the most common types of knee injuries. There are about 200,000 people in the United States who have an ACL injury every year.
Read MoreVascular Dementia. Usually caused by a major stroke, or one or more silent strokes. The initial symptom is usually having poor judgement or difficulty planning, organizing, and making decisions. Other symptoms may include memory problems that disrupt your daily life, trouble speaking or understanding speech, problems recognizing sights and sounds that used to be familiar, being confused or agitated, changes in personality and mood, or problems walking and having frequent falls.
Read MoreMany of us have a drink with dinner, or a few when going out with friends or at family gatherings. But for some people, the occasional drink is not occasional at all, but habitual and excessive. Alcoholism is a disease where the body becomes physically addicted or dependent on alcohol. For many alcoholics, as with other substance abuse disorders, drinking becomes a compulsion rather than a choice. This means alcoholics continue to drink despite the deleterious effects on personal relationships, everyday life and overall health. Many suffering from alcoholism may not even recognize that they have it, and can’t recognize the symptoms that they display. About 8% of Americans are diagnosed as alcoholics.
Read MoreAn Achilles tendon rupture is an injury that affects the back of the lower leg. It most common among people who play sports. The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel. It is the tendon that is responsible for making it possible to walk, jump, run, and point your toes. The Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the body. If it is not used often, it can become weak. An Achilles tendon can tear or rupture if it is overstretched. The tear can be a partial tear or a full tear.
Read MoreA benign lipoma is a collection of fatty cells that form a lump, or a fatty tumor, underneath the skin. They are usually located between the skin and the muscular layer beneath the skin. Benign lipomas are not cancerous and are usually harmless. They are the most common type of soft tissue tumor. Benign lipomas are most often found on the shoulders, arms, trunk and back. However, they can occur anywhere in the body. Benign lipomas are very rare - about one percent of the population has at least one lipoma.
Read MoreThe name athlete’s foot sheds light on the origins of this skin condition, but don't let the name trick you. Anyone can get this itchy, bothersome condition, not just athletes. In fact, about 70% of people will get athlete's foot at some point in their life. This makes the fungal infection, typically one that begins between the toes, very common. To put this percentage into perspective, the United States sees more than 3 million cases per year.
Read MoreBell’s palsy is a condition that causes muscle weakness or paralysis in the facial muscles. When a person has Bell’s palsy, it looks like their face is drooping on one side. It is possible for Bell’s palsy to affect both sides of the face, however this is rarely seen. Bell’s palsy is also known as facial palsy. It is unclear what causes Bell’s palsy, however some believe that it is caused by inflammation and swelling that occurs in the nerve that controls the muscles on the side of the face that it affects.
Read MoreSnoring can be an annoying habit, especially for your partner or roommate, but might not be as harmless as some background noise. For those living with sleep apnea, snoring can be a serious symptom. Sleep apnea is when people stop and restart breathing multiple times while sleeping. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that is often linked to obesity, especially in the U.S. According to the National Sleep Foundation, there are over 18 million Americans who suffer from sleep apnea.
Read MoreAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (also known as ADHD) is behavioral disorder that often occurs in children. It is one of the most common childhood behavioral disorders. However, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can also occur in teenagers and adults. With attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, it is very hard for a person to concentrate, control their impulses, and act in a calm manner. Even though it is most common among children, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is often not diagnosed until adolescence or adulthood.
Read MoreFood-borne illness, also referred to as food poisoning, results from eating food contaminated by infectious organisms and/or their toxins. These infectious organisms can contaminate food throughout the production process: growing, harvesting, processing, storing, transporting or cooking. Contamination does not necessarily only happen at one point in the process, but could have occurred at multiple points. Their rough, porous skin is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.
Read MoreObsessive-compulsive disorder is also known as OCD. It involves having irrational thoughts, fears and obsessions that cause a person to have compulsions, or repetitive behaviors. Some people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder may only have one or the other (obsessions or compulsions). About 1 in 50 people in the United States has OCD.
Read MoreHerpes zoster, commonly known as shingles, is a reactivation of the varicella zoster virus. This viral infection may sound foreign, but it is actually the virus that causes chickenpox, the bane of everyone’s childhood. Shingles in essence is a reoccurrence of this original chickenpox, but at a later time. But why or how does this happen? Following the resolution of chickenpox, the varicella zoster virus lies dormant in the spinal dorsal root ganglia, or the spinal cord nerves until something triggers a reactivation is triggered. This is important as 95% of adults have antibodies to varicella zoster virus and all those individuals are vulnerable to reactivation of infection.
Read MoreAutism is a disease that affect millions around the world and about 1 in 68 children. The rate of Autism has steadily grown over the last 20 years. According to a new study in the American Journal of Medical Genetics, it is not Autism that's on the rise, it's actually Autism diagnoses. How we understand Autism Spectrum Disorder has evolved over the past 15 years. More children are being diagnosed with autism than ever before due to recent changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V).
Read MoreShin splints are also known as medial tibial stress syndrome. They are characterized by pain that occurs along or behind the shinbone. Shin splints are most often a result of overused and swollen muscles. The most common symptoms are pain or tenderness on the front of the lower legs, which is also known as the tibia. It is common for people who are involved in vigorous sports that put pressure on the shins like running, soccer, tennis, or dancing to develop shin splints. Shin splints are the cause of about 13 percent of all injuries in runners.
Read MoreSeasonal depression is also known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. It is a form of depression that is associated with the change in seasons and occurs at the same time every year. Most people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder being to experience symptoms in the fall and continue experiencing them throughout the winter. However, there are some people who get seasonal affective disorder in the spring or summer. About six percent of the population in the United States is affected by seasonal affective disorder. In addition, another 14 percent of adults in the United States suffer from a form of seasonal affective disorder that is milder.
Read MoreSickle cell disease is also known as sickle cell anemia. It is an inherited type of anemia. Sickle cell disease occurs when there are not enough healthy red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout the body. About 90,000 to 100,000 people in the United States have sickle cell disease.
Read MoreTuberculosis (also known as TB) is a serious and chronic condition that affects the lungs. It can also affect other areas such as the spine, brain, kidneys, and intestines. It is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. About 11,500 people in the United States get TB every year. How does TB spread? TB spreads when an infected person coughs, sneezes, speaks and infected droplets are released into the air which other people are exposed to. Once a person has been infected, they will usually experience chest pain, chills, fever, coughing which may have blood in it, and fatigue.
Read MoreSpinal meningitis, or meningitis, is a condition in which the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord become inflamed. It is also known as bacterial meningitis, viral meningitis, or meningococcal meningitis. The most common cause of meningitis is a viral infection, however, it may also be caused by fungal and bacterial infections. Meningitis is a serious medical condition that can be life-threatening. Less than 1 in 100,000 people in the United States are infected with bacterial meningitis every year.
Read MoreThe skin infection ringworm is not actually caused by a worm, but by a mold-like fungi called a dermophyte. The fungal infection caused by ringworm develops in the top layer of skin and created a red circular rash. This rash assumes the shape or resemblance to the outline of a worm, hence where it gets its name. The rash typically starts as a small red bump or scaly patch of skin. This rash may, or may not, itch – but if you ask those who have experienced it, they will tell you it tends to be itchy and uncomfortable.
Read MorePneumonitis, is often confused with pneumonia, but these are similar ailments but not the same. While pneumonia is a type of infection which causes lung inflammation, pneumonitis is a general term to describe inflammation in pulmonary, or lung, tissue. So technically pneumonia would fall into the category of being a type of pneumonitis, but generally most physicians look to other causes of lung inflammation when referring to a patient having "pneumonitis." These other causes vary dramatically, from airborne irritants, to different types of cancer treatments, and even some antibiotics or aspirin. Airborne irritants are probably the most common cause of pneumonitis and can stem from being exposed to a type of chemical, dust, or bacteria.
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