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| This glossary contains: 19186 medical terms |
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Disease, rheumatic heart
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Disease, rheumatic heartHeart damage caused by rheumatic fever. Treatment is by preventing reinfection with strep and by treating with heart drugs as needed.
RELATED TERMS--------------------------------------
Heart
The hollow, muscular organ responsible for pumping blood through the circulatory system.
Fever
When body temperature rises above its normal level - defined as 98.6 degrees F, though it varies by individual and time of day. A fever is the sign of an immune system at work and usually indicates an infection.
SIMILAR TERMS--------------------------------------
Disease
Illness or sickness often characterized by typical patient problems (symptoms) and physical findings (signs). Disruption sequence: The events that occur when a fetus that is developing normally is subjected to a destructive agent such as the rubella (German measles) virus.
Disease nomenclature
A system of classifying and naming diseases.
Disease surveillance
The ongoing systematic collection and analysis of data and the provision of information which leads to action being taken to prevent and control a disease, usually one of an infectious nature.
Disease, acute respiratory
A sudden condition in which breathing is difficult and the oxygen levels in the blood abruptly drop lower than normal.
Disease, Addison
Long-term underfunction of the outer portion of the adrenal gland.
Disease, adult celiac
This condition results from an immune (allergic) reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat and related grains and present in many foods that we eat. Sprue causes impaired absorption and digestion of nutrients through the small intestine. Symptoms include frequent diarrhea and weight loss. A skin condition called dermatitis herpetiformis can be associated with celiac sprue. The most accurate diagnostic test for sprue is a biopsy of the involved small bowel. Treatment is to avoid gluten in the diet. Medications are used for refractory (stubborn) sprue. Known under a number of other names, including celiac sprue.
Disease, alveolar hydatid
A parasitic disease caused by the larval stage of a microscopic tapeworm called Echinococcus multilocularis.
Disease, Bernard-Soulier
This disease is a primary problem of platelets in which the platelets lack the ability to stick adequately to injured blood vessel walls. This is a crucial aspect of the process of forming a blood clot, and as a result of this problem there is abnormal bleeding. Bernard-Soulier disease usually presents in the newborn period, infancy, or early childhood with bruises, nose bleeds (epistaxis), and/or gum (gingival) bleeding. Later problems can occur with anything which can induce bleeding such as menstruation, trauma, surgery, or stomach ulcers.
Disease, Bornholm
Bornholm disease is a temporary illness that is a result of virus infection. The disease features fever and intense abdominal and chest pains with headache. The chest pain is typically worsened by breathing or coughing. The illness usually lasts from 3 to 14 days. The most common virus causing Bornholm disease is an enterovirus called Coxsackie B. Bornholm disease is also called epidemic myalgia and pleurodynia (because of inflammation of the lining tissue of the lungs).
Disease, Brill-Zinsser
Recrudescence of epidemic typhus years after the initial attack. The agent that causes epidemic typhus (Rickettsia prowazekii) remains viable for many years and then when host defenses are down, it is reactivated causing recurrent typhus.
Disease, Canavan
A severe progressive inherited (genetic) disorder of the central nervous system (CNS).
Disease, cardiovascular
Disease affecting the heart or blood vessels.
Disease, Castleman
A disorder of lymphoid tissue (lymphadenopathy) with massive overgrowth (hyperplasia) of lymph nodes ("swollen glands"), most commonly affecting the nodes between the lungs (in the mediastinum).
Disease, cat scratch
A bacterial infection due to a cat scratch seen most often today in people with HIV. The disease characteristically presents with swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenitis), sore throat, fatigue, and fever, chills, sweats, vomiting, loss of appetite, and weight loss. There is usually a little bump (a papule) which may be pus-filled (a pustule) at the site of the scratch. Then more nodules appear on and under the skin. As the number of nodules increases, patients get sicker.
Disease, chronic obstructive lung (COLD)
Any disorder that persistently obstructs bronchial airflow. COLD mainly involves two related diseases -- chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Both cause chronic obstruction of air flowing through the airways and in and out of the lungs. The obstruction is generally permanent and progresses (becomes worse) over time.
Disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD)
Any disorder that persistently obstructs bronchial airflow. COPD mainly involves two related diseases -- chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Both cause chronic obstruction of air flowing through the airways and in and out of the lungs. The obstruction is generally permanent and progresses (becomes worse) over time.
Disease, clinical
A disease with clinical signs and symptoms that can be recognized. As distinct from a subclinical illness without recognizable clinical manifestations. Diabetes, for example, can be subclinical in a person before emerging as a clinical disease.
Disease, congenital heart
A malformation of the heart or the large blood vessels near the heart. The term "congenital" speaks only to time, not to causation; it means "born with" or "present at birth."
Disease, Conor and Bruch
African tick typhus, one of the tick-borne rickettsial diseases of the eastern hemisphere similar to Rocky Mountain spotted fever but less severe. Characteristic features include fever, a small ulcer (tache noire) at the site of the tick bite, swollen glands nearby (satellite lymphadenopathy), and a red raised (maculopapular) rash. Also called boutonneuse and fièvre boutonneuse.
Disease, coronary artery
A major cause of illness and death, coronary artery disease (CAD) begins when hard cholesterol substances (plaques) are deposited within a coronary artery.
Disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJD)
A dementing disease of the brain. It is believed due to an unconventional (not a bacteria or virus), transmissible agent called a prion. Symptoms of CJD include forgetfulness, nervousness, jerky trembling hand movements, unsteady gait, muscle spasms, chronic dementia, balance disorder, and loss of facial expression. CJD is classified as a spongiform encephalopathy. Most cases occur randomly (sporadically), but inherited forms exist. There is neither treatment nor cure for CJD. Other names for CJD include Creutzfeldt-Jakob syndrome, Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease, and spastic pseudoparalysis.
Disease, Crohn
A chronic inflammatory disease primarily involving the small and large intestine but which can affect other parts of the digestive system.
Disease, Cushing
The constellation of symptoms and signs caused by an excess of cortisol hormone. Cushing disease (or syndrome) is an extremely complex hormonal condition that involves many areas of the body. Common symptoms are thinning of the skin, weakness, weight gain, bruising, hypertension, diabetes, thin weak bones (osteoporosis), facial puffiness and, in women, cessation of menstrual periods.
Disease, cystine transport
Commonly known as cystinuria, this is an inherited (genetic) disorder of the transport of an amino acid (a building block of protein) called cystine resulting in an excess of cystine in the urine (cystinuria) and the formation of cystine stones.
Disease, degenerative joint
Also known as osteoarthritis, this type of arthritis is caused by inflammation, breakdown and eventual loss of the cartilage of the joints. Among the over 100 different types of arthritis conditions, osteoarthritis is the most common, affecting usually the hands, feet, spine, and large weight-bearing joints, such as the hips and knees. Also called degenerative arthritis.
Disease, exaggerated startle
A genetic disorder also known as hyperexplexia in which babies have an exaggerated startle reflex (reaction).
Disease, Fahr
This syndrome is a genetic (inherited) neurological disorder characterized by abnormal deposits of calcium in certain of areas of the brain (including the basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex). Symptoms may include motor function deterioration, dementia, mental retardation, spastic paralysis, dysarthria (poorly articulated speech), spasticity (stiffness of the limbs), ocular (eye) problems, and athetosis (involuntary, writhing movements).
Disease, Forestier
A form of degenerative arthritis characteristically associated with flowing calcification along the sides of the vertebrae of the spine and commonly with inflammation (tendinitis) and calcification of the tendons at their attachments points to bone. Because areas of the spine and tendons can become inflamed, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen can be helpful in relieving both pain and inflammation.
Disease, Graves
Generalized diffuse overactivity ("toxicity") of the entire thyroid gland which becomes enlarged into a goiter. Graves disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. There are three components to Graves disease: Hyperthyroidism (the presence of too much thyroid hormone), Ophthalmopathy specifically involving exophthalmos (protrusion of the eyeballs), Dermopathy with skin lesions.
Disease, gum
Inflammation of the soft tissue (gingiva) and abnormal loss of bone that surrounds the teeth and holds them in place. Gum disease is caused by toxins secreted by bacteria in "plaque" that accumulate over time along the gum line. This plaque is a mixture of food, saliva, and bacteria. Early symptoms of gum disease include gum bleeding without pain. Pain is a symptom of more advanced gum disease as the loss of bone around the teeth leads to the formation of gum pockets. Bacteria in these pockets cause gum infection, swelling, pain, and further bone destruction. Advanced gum disease can cause loss of otherwise healthy teeth.
Disease, hand-foot-and-mouth
A viral syndrome with a rash on the hands and feet and in the mouth. The internal rash (the enanthem) consists of blisters and little ulcers that may involve not only the lining of the mouth but also the gums, palate, and tongue. The external rash on the body (the exanthem) typically affects the hands (most commonly), feet and, sometimes, the buttocks. There may also be sore throat, irritability, decreased appetite, and fever.
Disease, Heberden
There are two different Heberden diseases: 1. Angina pectoris, chest pain that is often severe and crushing, due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. 2. Osteoarthritis of the small joints with nodules (Heberden nodes) in and about the last joint of the finger.
Disease, hemolytic of the newborn
Abnormal breakup of red blood cells in the fetus or newborn.
Disease, Hirschsprung
A congenital abnormality (birth defect) of the bowel in which there is absence of the ganglia (nerves) in the wall of the bowel. Nerves are missing starting at the anus and extending a variable distance up the bowel. This results in megacolon (massive enlargement of the bowel) above the point where the nerves are missing. (The nerves are needed to assist in the natural movement of the muscles in the lining of our bowels which move bowel contents through.)
Disease, His
Named for the Swiss physician Wilhelm His, Jr. (who also described the bundle of His in the heart), this is a louse-borne disease first recognized in the trenches of World War I and so was called trench fever. Urban trench fever occurs among the homeless people and people with alcoholism today. The cause of trench fever is Bartonella quintana (also called Rochalimaea quintana), an unusual rickettsial organism that multiplies in the gut of the body louse. Transmission of the rickettsia to people can occur by rubbing infected louse feces into abraded (scuffed) skin or into the conjunctivae (whites of the eyes). The disease is classically a 5-day fever. The onset of symptoms is sudden with high fever, severe headache, back pain and leg pain and a fleeting rash. Recovery takes a month or more. Relapses are common.
Disease, Hodgkin (adult)
A type of lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system). The most common symptom is painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin. Hodgkin disease is diagnosed when abnormal tissue is detected by a pathologist after a biopsy of an enlarged lymph node. Treatment usually includes radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Regular follow-up examinations are important after treatment. Patients treated for Hodgkin disease have an increased risk of developing other types of cancer later in life, especially leukemia.
Disease, Huntington
An hereditary disorder with mental and physical deterioration leading to death. Although characterized as an "adult-onset" disease (as is usually the case), we have seen children with full-blown Huntington disease. Huntington disease describes an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance with high penetrance (a high proportion of persons with the gene develop the disease). The characteristic findings of Huntington disease are caused by loss of neurons (nerve cells) in the brain.
Disease, hyaline membrane
Respiratory disease of the newborn, especially the premature infant, in which a membrane composed of proteins and dead cells lines the alveoli (the tiny air sacs in the lung), making gas exchange difficult or impossible.
Disease, hydroxyapatite crystal
The inflammation caused by hydroxyapatite crystals has been referred to as hydroxyapatite crystal disease.Hydroxyapatite is a major component and an essential ingredient of normal bone and teeth, makes up bone mineral and the matrix of teeth, and gives bones and teeth their rigidity.
Disease, inflammatory bowel
A group of chronic intestinal diseases characterized by inflammation of the bowel -- the large or small intestine. The most common types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease.
Disease, Kawasaki
A syndrome of unknown origin, mainly affecting young children, causing fever, reddening of the eyes (conjunctivitis), lips and mucous membranes of the mouth, ulcerative gum disease (gingivitis), swollen glands in the neck (cervical lymphadenopathy), and a rash that is raised and bright red (maculoerythematous) in a glove-and-sock fashion over the skin of the hands and feet which becomes hard, swollen (edematous), and peels off. Also called mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome.
Disease, Kikuchi
A disorder that typically causes "swollen glands" in the neck (cervical lymphadeniopathy) together with fever or flu-like symptoms. Laboratory test abnormalities include elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and white blood count abnormalities (low neutrophil count and elevated lymphocyte count with atypical lymphocytes in the peripheral blood).
Disease, Kimmelstiel-Wilson
Diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease). Kimmelstiel-Wilson disease is a kidney condition associated with long-standing diabetes. It affects the network of tiny blood vessels (the microvasculature) in the glomerulus, a key structure in the kidney that is composed of capillary blood vessels and which is critically necessary for the filtration of the blood. Features of Kimmelstiel-Wilson disease include the nephrotic syndrome with excessive filtration of protein into the urine (proteinuria), high blood pressure (hypertension), and progressively impaired kidney function. When severe, Kimmelstiel-Wilson disease leads to kidney failure, end-stage renal disease, and the need for chronic kidney dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Disease, kissing
Infectious mononucleosis ("mono"), a very common illness caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). By the time most people reach adulthood, an antibody against EBV can be detected in their blood meaning they have been infected with EBV. The illness is less severe in young children. The infection can be spread by saliva. Hence, the name: the kissing disease. The incubation period for "mono" is 4 to 8 weeks. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, sore throat, and swollen lymph glands. "Mono" can cause liver inflammation (hepatitis) and spleen enlargement. Vigorous contact sports should be avoided to prevent spleen rupture.
Disease, Kok
A genetic disorder also known as hyperexplexia in which babies have an exaggerated startle reflex (reaction).
Disease, Kostmann
A condition with a lack of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell that is important in fighting infection). Children with this disease suffer frequent infections from bacteria which in the past led to death in three-quarters of cases before 3 years of age. This disease is also known as severe congenital neutropenia (SCN).
Disease, Legionnaire
A disease due to the bacteria Legionella pneumophila found in plumbing, shower heads and water-storage tanks. Outbreaks of Legionella pneumonia have been attributed to evaporative condensers and cooling towers. The bacteria thrives in the mist sprayed from air-conditioning ducts and so it can infest an entire building or airplane. Travelers are especially vulnerable in the closed space within a plane. Legionnaire disease can cause a massive pneumonia associated with collapse of the respiratory function. It can be an overwhelming and sometimes fatal illness.
Disease, lipid storage
A series of disorders due to inborn errors in lipid metabolism resulting in the abnormal accumulation of lipids in the wrong places (Examples include Gaucher, Fabry and Niemann-Pick diseases and metachromatic leukodystrophy).
Disease, maple syrup urine
Hereditary disease due to deficiency of an enzyme involved in amino acid metabolism, characterized by urine that smells like maple syrup. The three branched-chain amino acids: (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) cannot be metabolized (processed) and build up in the blood to the detriment of brain function. Untreated maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) causes mental retardation, physical disability and death.
Disease, Marburg
A severe form of hemorrhagic fever which affects both humans and non-human primates. Caused by a genetically unique zoonotic (that is, animal-borne) RNA virus of the filovirus family, its recognition led to the creation of this virus family. The four species of Ebola virus are the only other known members of the filovirus family.
Disease, Meniere
A condition with recurrent vertigo accompanied by ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and deafness. Symptoms include vertigo, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, loss of hearing (in the affected ear), and abnormal eye movements. Meniere disease is due to dysfunction of the semi-circular canals (endolymphatic sac) in the inner ear.
Disease, Minamata
A disorder caused by methyl mercury poisoning that was first described in the inhabitants of Minamata Bay, Japan. Minamata disease resulted from their eating fish contaminated with mercury industrial waste. The disease is characterized by peripheral sensory loss, tremors, dysarthria, ataxia, and both hearing and visual loss. Even the unborn child is at risk from Minamata disease. Methyl mercury readily crosses the placenta from mother to fetus and is teratogenic, particularly to the developing brain. Children born with Minamata disease can have growth deficiency, microcephaly (an abnormally small head), severe mental retardation and be deaf and blind.
Disease, mixed connective tissue
A mixture of three diseases of connective tissue (the framework of the cells of the body) -- systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, and polymyositis. Patients with mixed connective tissue disease typically have features of each of the three component diseases. They also typically have very high quantities of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) and antibodies to ribonucleoprotein (anti-RNP) detectable in their blood. The symptoms eventually become dominated by features of one of three component illnesses, most commonly scleroderma. Patients can have overlap syndromes that involve any combination of the connective tissue diseases. Therefore, patients can have a combination, for example, of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (hence, the coined name "rhupus"). The treatment of mixed connective tissue disease depends on which features are causing symptoms. Treatment is often directed at suppressing the inflammation in the tissues by using anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medications. These medications include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cortisone drugs/steroids (such as prednisone), and cytotoxic drugs (such as methotrexate, azathioprine, and cyclophosphamide). Organ damage, such as in the kidneys, can require additional treatment directed at high blood pressure, etc. The abbreviation for mixed connective tissue disease is MCTD.
Disease, Norwalk
Disease due to Norwalk virus, not one but a family of small round viruses that are an important cause of viral gastroenteritis (viral inflammation of the stomach and intestines). The Norwalk viruses are all transmitted by fecal contamination of water and foods. Person-to-person transmission is far less common but has been documented. Water is the most common source of outbreaks and may include water from municipal supplies, wells, lakes, pools, and water stored aboard cruise ships. Shellfish and salad ingredients are the foods most often implicated. Eating raw or insufficiently steamed clams and oysters poses a high risk for infection with Norwalk virus.
Disease, Osgood-Schlatter
A condition involving inflammation and sometimes tearing of ligaments within the knee and lower leg. Treatment is by rest, casting if necessary, and sometimes surgery. Osgood-Schlatter disease is caused by repetitive stress or tension on a part of the growth area of the upper tibia (the apophysis). It is characterized by inflammation of the patellar tendon and surrounding soft tissues at the point where the tendon attaches to the tibia. The disease may also be associated with an avulsion injury, in which the tendon is stretched so much that it tears away from the tibia and takes a fragment of bone with it. The disease most commonly affects active young people, particularly boys between the ages of 10 and 15, who play games or sports that include frequent running and jumping.
Disease, pelvic inflammatory (PID)
Despite its seeming lack of gender, this term is applied to women only. PID refers exclusively to ascending infection of the female upper genital tract (the female structures above the cervix). PID is the most common and serious complication of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), aside from AIDS, among women. The signs and symptoms of PID include fever, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, extreme pain, including pain during intercourse, and vaginal bleeding. PID can scar the fallopian tubes, ovaries, and related structures and lead to ectopic pregnancies, infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and other serious consequences.
Disease, Pick
A form of dementia characterized by a slowly progressive deterioration of social skills and changes in personality leading to impairment of intellect, memory, and language. Dementia can be defined as a loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity, severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. The criteria for the diagnosis of dementia include impairment of attention, orientation, memory, judgment, language, motor and spatial skills, and function. By definition, dementia is not due to major depression or schizophrenia.
Disease, Raynaud
A condition resulting in skin discoloration of the fingers and/or toes when a person is exposed to changes in temperature (cold or hot) or to emotional events. This condition can occur alone or as a part of another disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis). When the condition occurs alone it is referred to as "Raynaud disease" or primary Raynaud phenomenon. When it accompanies other diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis), it is called secondary Raynaud phenomenon. The skin discoloration occurs because an abnormal spasm of the blood vessels causes a diminished blood supply. Initially, the digits involved turn white because of diminished blood supply, then turn blue because of prolonged lack of oxygen and finally, the blood vessels reopen, causing a local "flushing" phenomenon, which turns the digits red. This three-phase color sequence (white to blue to red), most often upon exposure to cold temperature, is characteristic of Raynaud disease.
Disease, Ritter
This is the scalded skin syndrome, a potentially serious side effect of infection with the Staph (Staphylococcus) bacteria that produces a specific protein which loosens the "cement" holding the various layers of the skin together. This allows blister formation and sloughing of the top layer of skin. If it occurs over large body regions it can be deadly (just like a large surface area of the body having been burned). It is necessary to treat scalded skin syndrome with intravenous antibiotics and to protect the skin from allowing dehydration to occur if large areas peel off. The disease occurs predominantly in children under 5 years of age. It is known formally as Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome.
Disease, rotator cuff
Damage to the rotator cuff, a group of four tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint and move the shoulder in various directions. A common cause of shoulder pain, rotator cuff disease can be due to trauma (e.g., from falling and injuring the shoulder or from overuse in sports particularly involving repetitive overhead motions), inflammation (e.g., from tendinitis, bursitis, or arthritis of the shoulder) or degeneration (e.g., from aging). The main symptom is shoulder pain of gradual or sudden onset, typically located to the front and side of the shoulder, increasing when the shoulder is moved away from the body. A person with tears to the rotator cuff tendons may not be able to hold the arm up because of pain. With very severe tears, the arm falls due to weakness (positive drop sign). The diagnosis of rotator cuff disease can be objectively confirmed by x-rays showing bony injuries from long-standing severe rotator cuff disease; an arthrogram in which contrast dye is injected into the shoulder joint to detect leakage out of the injured rotator cuff; or, preferably, an MRI which can provide more information than an X-ray or an arthrogram.
Disease, rotavirus
A leading cause of severe winter diarrhea in young children. Aside from causing acute infantile gastroenteritis and diarrhea in young children, RV infection is typically accompanied by low-grade fever.
Disease, sickle cell
A genetic blood disease due to the presence of an abnormal form of hemoglobin, namely hemoglobin S. Hemoglobin is the molecule in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the farthest reaches of the body. Sickle cell anemia is caused by an error in a gene that makes the beta globin chain of hemoglobin. The resultant abnormal hemoglobin (sickle hemoglobin) deforms the red blood cells when they are under low oxygen conditions. Children who inherit 2 copies of the sickle gene, one from each parent, have sickle cell anemia. Children who inherit the sickle gene from only one parent do not have the disease, but will carry the sickle cell trait. Individuals with sickle cell trait generally have no symptoms. The sickle mutation occurred thousands of years ago. The sickle gene became common in malarious areas because it affords a selective advantage against malaria. In sickle cell anemia, the hemoglobin molecules tend to aggregate after unloading oxygen. They form long, rod-like structures that force the red cells to assume a sickle shape. Unlike normal red cells, which are usually smooth and deformable, the sickle red cells cannot squeeze through small blood vessels.The sickle cells block little vessels depriving the organs of blood and oxygen. This leads to the periodic episodes of pain and damages the vital organs. Whereas normal red blood cells last about 120 days in the bloodstream, sickle red cells die after only about 10 to 20 days. Because they cannot be replaced fast enough, the blood is chronically short of red blood cells causing anemia -- sickle cell anemia.
Disease, sixth
A viral disease of infants and young children with sudden onset of high fever which lasts several days and then suddenly subsides leaving in its wake a fine red rash. The causative agent is herpesvirus type 6 so the disease is known as Sixth Disease. Also known as Exanthem subitum (sudden rash), Pseudorubella, Roseola, Roseola infantilis, and Roseola infantum.
Disease, startle
A genetic disorder also known as hyperexplexia in which babies have an exaggerated startle reflex (reaction).
Disease, Stein-Leventhal
Known descriptively as polycystic ovarian (PCO) disease, this syndrome is basically an hormonal problem that causes women to have various symptoms including: Irregular or no periods; Acne; Obesity, and Excess hair growth. All women with PCO have irregular or no menses. Women with PCO do not ovulate (do not release an egg every month).
Disease, subclinical
An illness that stays below the surface of clinical detection. A subclinical disease has no recognizable clinical findings. It is distinct from a clinical disease, which has signs and symptoms that can be recognized. Many diseases, including diabetes, hypothyroidism, and rheumatoid arthritis, can be subclinical before surfacing as clinical diseases.
Disease, Tsutsugamushi
Scrub typhus, a mite-borne infectious disease caused by a microorganism, Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, characteristically with fever, headache, a raised (macular) rash, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy) and a dark crusted ulcer (called an eschar or tache noire) at the site of the chigger (mite larva) bite.
Disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Abbreviated vCJD. A human disease thought due to the same infectious agent as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. Both the human and bovine disorders are invariably fatal brain diseases with unusually long incubation periods measured in years, and are caused by an unconventional transmissible agent, a prion, resulting in the deposition of amyloid tissue that causes a breakdown of brain tissue leaving the infected brain with a "spongy" ("spongiform") appearance. The disease in humans is sometimes called new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD).
Disease, Wilson
An inherited disorder in which too much copper accumulates in the body. Although the accumulation of copper begins at birth, symptoms of the disorder appear later in life, between the ages of 6 and 40. A diagnostic feature of Wilson disease is what is called a Kayser-Fleischer ring, a deep copper-colored ring around the edge of the cornea. It represents copper deposits in the eye.The main clinical consequence for about 40 percent of patients with Wilson disease is liver disease. In other patients the first symptoms are neurological or psychiatric or both, and include tremor, rigidity, drooling, difficulty with speech, abrupt personality change, grossly inappropriate behavior and inexplicable deterioration of school work, neurosis or psychosis.
Disease-free survival
The length of time after treatment during which no disease is found. Can be reported for an individual patient or for a study population.
Diseases related to obesity
Obesity increases the risk of developing a large number of diseases including: Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes; High blood pressure (hypertension); Stroke (cerebrovascular accident or CVA); Heart attack (myocardial infarction or MI); Heart failure (congestive heart failure); Cancer (certain forms such as cancer of the prostate and cancer of the colon and rectum); Gallstones and gall bladder disease (cholecystitis); Gout and gouty arthritis; Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) of the knees, hips, and the lower back; Sleep apnea (failure to breath normally during sleep, lowering blood oxygen); Pickwickian syndrome (obesity, red face, underventilation, and drowsiness).
Diseases, inherited metabolic
Also called inborn errors of metabolism, these are heritable (genetic) disorders of biochemistry. Examples include albinism, cystinuria (a cause of kidney stones), phenylketonuria (PKU), and some forms of gout, sun sensitivity, and thyroid disease. These are only a very few of the hundreds of known inborn errors of metabolism. Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of inborn errors of metabolism have improved the outlook for many of these conditions so that early diagnosis, if possible in infancy, can be helpful. Many of the inborn errors of metabolism in young infants cause symptoms such as sluggishness (lethargy), poor feeding, apnea (stopping breathing) or tachypnea (fast breathing), and recurrent vomiting. Any infants, particularly full-term infants, with these findings should be seen and checked immediately by a doctor.
Diseases, rickettsial
The infectious diseases caused by the rickettsiae fall into 4 groups:(1) typhus: epidemic typhus, Brill-Zinsser disease, murine (endemic) typhus, and scrub typhus; (2) spotted fever-Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Eastern tick-borne rickettsioses, and rickettsialpox; (3) Q fever; and (4) trench fever
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Disease, Norwalk
Disease due to Norwalk virus, not one but a family of small round viruses that are an important cause of viral gastroenteritis (viral inflammation of the stomach and intestines). The Norwalk viruses are all transmitted by fecal contamination of water and foods. Person-to-person transmission is far less common but has been documented. Water is the most common source of outbreaks and may include water from municipal supplies, wells, lakes, pools, and water stored aboard cruise ships. Shellfish and salad ingredients are the foods most often implicated. Eating raw or insufficiently steamed clams and oysters poses a high risk for infection with Norwalk virus.
Disease, Osgood-Schlatter
A condition involving inflammation and sometimes tearing of ligaments within the knee and lower leg. Treatment is by rest, casting if necessary, and sometimes surgery. Osgood-Schlatter disease is caused by repetitive stress or tension on a part of the growth area of the upper tibia (the apophysis). It is characterized by inflammation of the patellar tendon and surrounding soft tissues at the point where the tendon attaches to the tibia. The disease may also be associated with an avulsion injury, in which the tendon is stretched so much that it tears away from the tibia and takes a fragment of bone with it. The disease most commonly affects active young people, particularly boys between the ages of 10 and 15, who play games or sports that include frequent running and jumping.
Disease, pelvic inflammatory (PID)
Despite its seeming lack of gender, this term is applied to women only. PID refers exclusively to ascending infection of the female upper genital tract (the female structures above the cervix). PID is the most common and serious complication of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), aside from AIDS, among women. The signs and symptoms of PID include fever, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, extreme pain, including pain during intercourse, and vaginal bleeding. PID can scar the fallopian tubes, ovaries, and related structures and lead to ectopic pregnancies, infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and other serious consequences.
Disease, Pick
A form of dementia characterized by a slowly progressive deterioration of social skills and changes in personality leading to impairment of intellect, memory, and language. Dementia can be defined as a loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity, severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. The criteria for the diagnosis of dementia include impairment of attention, orientation, memory, judgment, language, motor and spatial skills, and function. By definition, dementia is not due to major depression or schizophrenia.
Disease, Raynaud
A condition resulting in skin discoloration of the fingers and/or toes when a person is exposed to changes in temperature (cold or hot) or to emotional events. This condition can occur alone or as a part of another disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis). When the condition occurs alone it is referred to as "Raynaud disease" or primary Raynaud phenomenon. When it accompanies other diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis), it is called secondary Raynaud phenomenon. The skin discoloration occurs because an abnormal spasm of the blood vessels causes a diminished blood supply. Initially, the digits involved turn white because of diminished blood supply, then turn blue because of prolonged lack of oxygen and finally, the blood vessels reopen, causing a local "flushing" phenomenon, which turns the digits red. This three-phase color sequence (white to blue to red), most often upon exposure to cold temperature, is characteristic of Raynaud disease.
Disease, rheumatic heart
Disease, Ritter
This is the scalded skin syndrome, a potentially serious side effect of infection with the Staph (Staphylococcus) bacteria that produces a specific protein which loosens the "cement" holding the various layers of the skin together. This allows blister formation and sloughing of the top layer of skin. If it occurs over large body regions it can be deadly (just like a large surface area of the body having been burned). It is necessary to treat scalded skin syndrome with intravenous antibiotics and to protect the skin from allowing dehydration to occur if large areas peel off. The disease occurs predominantly in children under 5 years of age. It is known formally as Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome.
Disease, rotator cuff
Damage to the rotator cuff, a group of four tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint and move the shoulder in various directions. A common cause of shoulder pain, rotator cuff disease can be due to trauma (e.g., from falling and injuring the shoulder or from overuse in sports particularly involving repetitive overhead motions), inflammation (e.g., from tendinitis, bursitis, or arthritis of the shoulder) or degeneration (e.g., from aging). The main symptom is shoulder pain of gradual or sudden onset, typically located to the front and side of the shoulder, increasing when the shoulder is moved away from the body. A person with tears to the rotator cuff tendons may not be able to hold the arm up because of pain. With very severe tears, the arm falls due to weakness (positive drop sign). The diagnosis of rotator cuff disease can be objectively confirmed by x-rays showing bony injuries from long-standing severe rotator cuff disease; an arthrogram in which contrast dye is injected into the shoulder joint to detect leakage out of the injured rotator cuff; or, preferably, an MRI which can provide more information than an X-ray or an arthrogram.
Disease, rotavirus
A leading cause of severe winter diarrhea in young children. Aside from causing acute infantile gastroenteritis and diarrhea in young children, RV infection is typically accompanied by low-grade fever.
Disease, sickle cell
A genetic blood disease due to the presence of an abnormal form of hemoglobin, namely hemoglobin S. Hemoglobin is the molecule in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the farthest reaches of the body. Sickle cell anemia is caused by an error in a gene that makes the beta globin chain of hemoglobin. The resultant abnormal hemoglobin (sickle hemoglobin) deforms the red blood cells when they are under low oxygen conditions. Children who inherit 2 copies of the sickle gene, one from each parent, have sickle cell anemia. Children who inherit the sickle gene from only one parent do not have the disease, but will carry the sickle cell trait. Individuals with sickle cell trait generally have no symptoms. The sickle mutation occurred thousands of years ago. The sickle gene became common in malarious areas because it affords a selective advantage against malaria. In sickle cell anemia, the hemoglobin molecules tend to aggregate after unloading oxygen. They form long, rod-like structures that force the red cells to assume a sickle shape. Unlike normal red cells, which are usually smooth and deformable, the sickle red cells cannot squeeze through small blood vessels.The sickle cells block little vessels depriving the organs of blood and oxygen. This leads to the periodic episodes of pain and damages the vital organs. Whereas normal red blood cells last about 120 days in the bloodstream, sickle red cells die after only about 10 to 20 days. Because they cannot be replaced fast enough, the blood is chronically short of red blood cells causing anemia -- sickle cell anemia.
Disease, sixth
A viral disease of infants and young children with sudden onset of high fever which lasts several days and then suddenly subsides leaving in its wake a fine red rash. The causative agent is herpesvirus type 6 so the disease is known as Sixth Disease. Also known as Exanthem subitum (sudden rash), Pseudorubella, Roseola, Roseola infantilis, and Roseola infantum.
RELATED TERMS--------------------------------------
Heart
The hollow, muscular organ responsible for pumping blood through the circulatory system.
Fever
When body temperature rises above its normal level - defined as 98.6 degrees F, though it varies by individual and time of day. A fever is the sign of an immune system at work and usually indicates an infection.
SIMILAR TERMS--------------------------------------
Disease
Illness or sickness often characterized by typical patient problems (symptoms) and physical findings (signs). Disruption sequence: The events that occur when a fetus that is developing normally is subjected to a destructive agent such as the rubella (German measles) virus.
Disease nomenclature
A system of classifying and naming diseases.
Disease surveillance
The ongoing systematic collection and analysis of data and the provision of information which leads to action being taken to prevent and control a disease, usually one of an infectious nature.
Disease, acute respiratory
A sudden condition in which breathing is difficult and the oxygen levels in the blood abruptly drop lower than normal.
Disease, Addison
Long-term underfunction of the outer portion of the adrenal gland.
Disease, adult celiac
This condition results from an immune (allergic) reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat and related grains and present in many foods that we eat. Sprue causes impaired absorption and digestion of nutrients through the small intestine. Symptoms include frequent diarrhea and weight loss. A skin condition called dermatitis herpetiformis can be associated with celiac sprue. The most accurate diagnostic test for sprue is a biopsy of the involved small bowel. Treatment is to avoid gluten in the diet. Medications are used for refractory (stubborn) sprue. Known under a number of other names, including celiac sprue.
Disease, alveolar hydatid
A parasitic disease caused by the larval stage of a microscopic tapeworm called Echinococcus multilocularis.
Disease, Bernard-Soulier
This disease is a primary problem of platelets in which the platelets lack the ability to stick adequately to injured blood vessel walls. This is a crucial aspect of the process of forming a blood clot, and as a result of this problem there is abnormal bleeding. Bernard-Soulier disease usually presents in the newborn period, infancy, or early childhood with bruises, nose bleeds (epistaxis), and/or gum (gingival) bleeding. Later problems can occur with anything which can induce bleeding such as menstruation, trauma, surgery, or stomach ulcers.
Disease, Bornholm
Bornholm disease is a temporary illness that is a result of virus infection. The disease features fever and intense abdominal and chest pains with headache. The chest pain is typically worsened by breathing or coughing. The illness usually lasts from 3 to 14 days. The most common virus causing Bornholm disease is an enterovirus called Coxsackie B. Bornholm disease is also called epidemic myalgia and pleurodynia (because of inflammation of the lining tissue of the lungs).
Disease, Brill-Zinsser
Recrudescence of epidemic typhus years after the initial attack. The agent that causes epidemic typhus (Rickettsia prowazekii) remains viable for many years and then when host defenses are down, it is reactivated causing recurrent typhus.
Disease, Canavan
A severe progressive inherited (genetic) disorder of the central nervous system (CNS).
Disease, cardiovascular
Disease affecting the heart or blood vessels.
Disease, Castleman
A disorder of lymphoid tissue (lymphadenopathy) with massive overgrowth (hyperplasia) of lymph nodes ("swollen glands"), most commonly affecting the nodes between the lungs (in the mediastinum).
Disease, cat scratch
A bacterial infection due to a cat scratch seen most often today in people with HIV. The disease characteristically presents with swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenitis), sore throat, fatigue, and fever, chills, sweats, vomiting, loss of appetite, and weight loss. There is usually a little bump (a papule) which may be pus-filled (a pustule) at the site of the scratch. Then more nodules appear on and under the skin. As the number of nodules increases, patients get sicker.
Disease, chronic obstructive lung (COLD)
Any disorder that persistently obstructs bronchial airflow. COLD mainly involves two related diseases -- chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Both cause chronic obstruction of air flowing through the airways and in and out of the lungs. The obstruction is generally permanent and progresses (becomes worse) over time.
Disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD)
Any disorder that persistently obstructs bronchial airflow. COPD mainly involves two related diseases -- chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Both cause chronic obstruction of air flowing through the airways and in and out of the lungs. The obstruction is generally permanent and progresses (becomes worse) over time.
Disease, clinical
A disease with clinical signs and symptoms that can be recognized. As distinct from a subclinical illness without recognizable clinical manifestations. Diabetes, for example, can be subclinical in a person before emerging as a clinical disease.
Disease, congenital heart
A malformation of the heart or the large blood vessels near the heart. The term "congenital" speaks only to time, not to causation; it means "born with" or "present at birth."
Disease, Conor and Bruch
African tick typhus, one of the tick-borne rickettsial diseases of the eastern hemisphere similar to Rocky Mountain spotted fever but less severe. Characteristic features include fever, a small ulcer (tache noire) at the site of the tick bite, swollen glands nearby (satellite lymphadenopathy), and a red raised (maculopapular) rash. Also called boutonneuse and fièvre boutonneuse.
Disease, coronary artery
A major cause of illness and death, coronary artery disease (CAD) begins when hard cholesterol substances (plaques) are deposited within a coronary artery.
Disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJD)
A dementing disease of the brain. It is believed due to an unconventional (not a bacteria or virus), transmissible agent called a prion. Symptoms of CJD include forgetfulness, nervousness, jerky trembling hand movements, unsteady gait, muscle spasms, chronic dementia, balance disorder, and loss of facial expression. CJD is classified as a spongiform encephalopathy. Most cases occur randomly (sporadically), but inherited forms exist. There is neither treatment nor cure for CJD. Other names for CJD include Creutzfeldt-Jakob syndrome, Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease, and spastic pseudoparalysis.
Disease, Crohn
A chronic inflammatory disease primarily involving the small and large intestine but which can affect other parts of the digestive system.
Disease, Cushing
The constellation of symptoms and signs caused by an excess of cortisol hormone. Cushing disease (or syndrome) is an extremely complex hormonal condition that involves many areas of the body. Common symptoms are thinning of the skin, weakness, weight gain, bruising, hypertension, diabetes, thin weak bones (osteoporosis), facial puffiness and, in women, cessation of menstrual periods.
Disease, cystine transport
Commonly known as cystinuria, this is an inherited (genetic) disorder of the transport of an amino acid (a building block of protein) called cystine resulting in an excess of cystine in the urine (cystinuria) and the formation of cystine stones.
Disease, degenerative joint
Also known as osteoarthritis, this type of arthritis is caused by inflammation, breakdown and eventual loss of the cartilage of the joints. Among the over 100 different types of arthritis conditions, osteoarthritis is the most common, affecting usually the hands, feet, spine, and large weight-bearing joints, such as the hips and knees. Also called degenerative arthritis.
Disease, exaggerated startle
A genetic disorder also known as hyperexplexia in which babies have an exaggerated startle reflex (reaction).
Disease, Fahr
This syndrome is a genetic (inherited) neurological disorder characterized by abnormal deposits of calcium in certain of areas of the brain (including the basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex). Symptoms may include motor function deterioration, dementia, mental retardation, spastic paralysis, dysarthria (poorly articulated speech), spasticity (stiffness of the limbs), ocular (eye) problems, and athetosis (involuntary, writhing movements).
Disease, Forestier
A form of degenerative arthritis characteristically associated with flowing calcification along the sides of the vertebrae of the spine and commonly with inflammation (tendinitis) and calcification of the tendons at their attachments points to bone. Because areas of the spine and tendons can become inflamed, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen can be helpful in relieving both pain and inflammation.
Disease, Graves
Generalized diffuse overactivity ("toxicity") of the entire thyroid gland which becomes enlarged into a goiter. Graves disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. There are three components to Graves disease: Hyperthyroidism (the presence of too much thyroid hormone), Ophthalmopathy specifically involving exophthalmos (protrusion of the eyeballs), Dermopathy with skin lesions.
Disease, gum
Inflammation of the soft tissue (gingiva) and abnormal loss of bone that surrounds the teeth and holds them in place. Gum disease is caused by toxins secreted by bacteria in "plaque" that accumulate over time along the gum line. This plaque is a mixture of food, saliva, and bacteria. Early symptoms of gum disease include gum bleeding without pain. Pain is a symptom of more advanced gum disease as the loss of bone around the teeth leads to the formation of gum pockets. Bacteria in these pockets cause gum infection, swelling, pain, and further bone destruction. Advanced gum disease can cause loss of otherwise healthy teeth.
Disease, hand-foot-and-mouth
A viral syndrome with a rash on the hands and feet and in the mouth. The internal rash (the enanthem) consists of blisters and little ulcers that may involve not only the lining of the mouth but also the gums, palate, and tongue. The external rash on the body (the exanthem) typically affects the hands (most commonly), feet and, sometimes, the buttocks. There may also be sore throat, irritability, decreased appetite, and fever.
Disease, Heberden
There are two different Heberden diseases: 1. Angina pectoris, chest pain that is often severe and crushing, due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. 2. Osteoarthritis of the small joints with nodules (Heberden nodes) in and about the last joint of the finger.
Disease, hemolytic of the newborn
Abnormal breakup of red blood cells in the fetus or newborn.
Disease, Hirschsprung
A congenital abnormality (birth defect) of the bowel in which there is absence of the ganglia (nerves) in the wall of the bowel. Nerves are missing starting at the anus and extending a variable distance up the bowel. This results in megacolon (massive enlargement of the bowel) above the point where the nerves are missing. (The nerves are needed to assist in the natural movement of the muscles in the lining of our bowels which move bowel contents through.)
Disease, His
Named for the Swiss physician Wilhelm His, Jr. (who also described the bundle of His in the heart), this is a louse-borne disease first recognized in the trenches of World War I and so was called trench fever. Urban trench fever occurs among the homeless people and people with alcoholism today. The cause of trench fever is Bartonella quintana (also called Rochalimaea quintana), an unusual rickettsial organism that multiplies in the gut of the body louse. Transmission of the rickettsia to people can occur by rubbing infected louse feces into abraded (scuffed) skin or into the conjunctivae (whites of the eyes). The disease is classically a 5-day fever. The onset of symptoms is sudden with high fever, severe headache, back pain and leg pain and a fleeting rash. Recovery takes a month or more. Relapses are common.
Disease, Hodgkin (adult)
A type of lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system). The most common symptom is painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin. Hodgkin disease is diagnosed when abnormal tissue is detected by a pathologist after a biopsy of an enlarged lymph node. Treatment usually includes radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Regular follow-up examinations are important after treatment. Patients treated for Hodgkin disease have an increased risk of developing other types of cancer later in life, especially leukemia.
Disease, Huntington
An hereditary disorder with mental and physical deterioration leading to death. Although characterized as an "adult-onset" disease (as is usually the case), we have seen children with full-blown Huntington disease. Huntington disease describes an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance with high penetrance (a high proportion of persons with the gene develop the disease). The characteristic findings of Huntington disease are caused by loss of neurons (nerve cells) in the brain.
Disease, hyaline membrane
Respiratory disease of the newborn, especially the premature infant, in which a membrane composed of proteins and dead cells lines the alveoli (the tiny air sacs in the lung), making gas exchange difficult or impossible.
Disease, hydroxyapatite crystal
The inflammation caused by hydroxyapatite crystals has been referred to as hydroxyapatite crystal disease.Hydroxyapatite is a major component and an essential ingredient of normal bone and teeth, makes up bone mineral and the matrix of teeth, and gives bones and teeth their rigidity.
Disease, inflammatory bowel
A group of chronic intestinal diseases characterized by inflammation of the bowel -- the large or small intestine. The most common types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease.
Disease, Kawasaki
A syndrome of unknown origin, mainly affecting young children, causing fever, reddening of the eyes (conjunctivitis), lips and mucous membranes of the mouth, ulcerative gum disease (gingivitis), swollen glands in the neck (cervical lymphadenopathy), and a rash that is raised and bright red (maculoerythematous) in a glove-and-sock fashion over the skin of the hands and feet which becomes hard, swollen (edematous), and peels off. Also called mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome.
Disease, Kikuchi
A disorder that typically causes "swollen glands" in the neck (cervical lymphadeniopathy) together with fever or flu-like symptoms. Laboratory test abnormalities include elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and white blood count abnormalities (low neutrophil count and elevated lymphocyte count with atypical lymphocytes in the peripheral blood).
Disease, Kimmelstiel-Wilson
Diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease). Kimmelstiel-Wilson disease is a kidney condition associated with long-standing diabetes. It affects the network of tiny blood vessels (the microvasculature) in the glomerulus, a key structure in the kidney that is composed of capillary blood vessels and which is critically necessary for the filtration of the blood. Features of Kimmelstiel-Wilson disease include the nephrotic syndrome with excessive filtration of protein into the urine (proteinuria), high blood pressure (hypertension), and progressively impaired kidney function. When severe, Kimmelstiel-Wilson disease leads to kidney failure, end-stage renal disease, and the need for chronic kidney dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Disease, kissing
Infectious mononucleosis ("mono"), a very common illness caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). By the time most people reach adulthood, an antibody against EBV can be detected in their blood meaning they have been infected with EBV. The illness is less severe in young children. The infection can be spread by saliva. Hence, the name: the kissing disease. The incubation period for "mono" is 4 to 8 weeks. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, sore throat, and swollen lymph glands. "Mono" can cause liver inflammation (hepatitis) and spleen enlargement. Vigorous contact sports should be avoided to prevent spleen rupture.
Disease, Kok
A genetic disorder also known as hyperexplexia in which babies have an exaggerated startle reflex (reaction).
Disease, Kostmann
A condition with a lack of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell that is important in fighting infection). Children with this disease suffer frequent infections from bacteria which in the past led to death in three-quarters of cases before 3 years of age. This disease is also known as severe congenital neutropenia (SCN).
Disease, Legionnaire
A disease due to the bacteria Legionella pneumophila found in plumbing, shower heads and water-storage tanks. Outbreaks of Legionella pneumonia have been attributed to evaporative condensers and cooling towers. The bacteria thrives in the mist sprayed from air-conditioning ducts and so it can infest an entire building or airplane. Travelers are especially vulnerable in the closed space within a plane. Legionnaire disease can cause a massive pneumonia associated with collapse of the respiratory function. It can be an overwhelming and sometimes fatal illness.
Disease, lipid storage
A series of disorders due to inborn errors in lipid metabolism resulting in the abnormal accumulation of lipids in the wrong places (Examples include Gaucher, Fabry and Niemann-Pick diseases and metachromatic leukodystrophy).
Disease, maple syrup urine
Hereditary disease due to deficiency of an enzyme involved in amino acid metabolism, characterized by urine that smells like maple syrup. The three branched-chain amino acids: (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) cannot be metabolized (processed) and build up in the blood to the detriment of brain function. Untreated maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) causes mental retardation, physical disability and death.
Disease, Marburg
A severe form of hemorrhagic fever which affects both humans and non-human primates. Caused by a genetically unique zoonotic (that is, animal-borne) RNA virus of the filovirus family, its recognition led to the creation of this virus family. The four species of Ebola virus are the only other known members of the filovirus family.
Disease, Meniere
A condition with recurrent vertigo accompanied by ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and deafness. Symptoms include vertigo, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, loss of hearing (in the affected ear), and abnormal eye movements. Meniere disease is due to dysfunction of the semi-circular canals (endolymphatic sac) in the inner ear.
Disease, Minamata
A disorder caused by methyl mercury poisoning that was first described in the inhabitants of Minamata Bay, Japan. Minamata disease resulted from their eating fish contaminated with mercury industrial waste. The disease is characterized by peripheral sensory loss, tremors, dysarthria, ataxia, and both hearing and visual loss. Even the unborn child is at risk from Minamata disease. Methyl mercury readily crosses the placenta from mother to fetus and is teratogenic, particularly to the developing brain. Children born with Minamata disease can have growth deficiency, microcephaly (an abnormally small head), severe mental retardation and be deaf and blind.
Disease, mixed connective tissue
A mixture of three diseases of connective tissue (the framework of the cells of the body) -- systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, and polymyositis. Patients with mixed connective tissue disease typically have features of each of the three component diseases. They also typically have very high quantities of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) and antibodies to ribonucleoprotein (anti-RNP) detectable in their blood. The symptoms eventually become dominated by features of one of three component illnesses, most commonly scleroderma. Patients can have overlap syndromes that involve any combination of the connective tissue diseases. Therefore, patients can have a combination, for example, of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (hence, the coined name "rhupus"). The treatment of mixed connective tissue disease depends on which features are causing symptoms. Treatment is often directed at suppressing the inflammation in the tissues by using anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medications. These medications include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cortisone drugs/steroids (such as prednisone), and cytotoxic drugs (such as methotrexate, azathioprine, and cyclophosphamide). Organ damage, such as in the kidneys, can require additional treatment directed at high blood pressure, etc. The abbreviation for mixed connective tissue disease is MCTD.
Disease, Norwalk
Disease due to Norwalk virus, not one but a family of small round viruses that are an important cause of viral gastroenteritis (viral inflammation of the stomach and intestines). The Norwalk viruses are all transmitted by fecal contamination of water and foods. Person-to-person transmission is far less common but has been documented. Water is the most common source of outbreaks and may include water from municipal supplies, wells, lakes, pools, and water stored aboard cruise ships. Shellfish and salad ingredients are the foods most often implicated. Eating raw or insufficiently steamed clams and oysters poses a high risk for infection with Norwalk virus.
Disease, Osgood-Schlatter
A condition involving inflammation and sometimes tearing of ligaments within the knee and lower leg. Treatment is by rest, casting if necessary, and sometimes surgery. Osgood-Schlatter disease is caused by repetitive stress or tension on a part of the growth area of the upper tibia (the apophysis). It is characterized by inflammation of the patellar tendon and surrounding soft tissues at the point where the tendon attaches to the tibia. The disease may also be associated with an avulsion injury, in which the tendon is stretched so much that it tears away from the tibia and takes a fragment of bone with it. The disease most commonly affects active young people, particularly boys between the ages of 10 and 15, who play games or sports that include frequent running and jumping.
Disease, pelvic inflammatory (PID)
Despite its seeming lack of gender, this term is applied to women only. PID refers exclusively to ascending infection of the female upper genital tract (the female structures above the cervix). PID is the most common and serious complication of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), aside from AIDS, among women. The signs and symptoms of PID include fever, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, extreme pain, including pain during intercourse, and vaginal bleeding. PID can scar the fallopian tubes, ovaries, and related structures and lead to ectopic pregnancies, infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and other serious consequences.
Disease, Pick
A form of dementia characterized by a slowly progressive deterioration of social skills and changes in personality leading to impairment of intellect, memory, and language. Dementia can be defined as a loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity, severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. The criteria for the diagnosis of dementia include impairment of attention, orientation, memory, judgment, language, motor and spatial skills, and function. By definition, dementia is not due to major depression or schizophrenia.
Disease, Raynaud
A condition resulting in skin discoloration of the fingers and/or toes when a person is exposed to changes in temperature (cold or hot) or to emotional events. This condition can occur alone or as a part of another disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis). When the condition occurs alone it is referred to as "Raynaud disease" or primary Raynaud phenomenon. When it accompanies other diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis), it is called secondary Raynaud phenomenon. The skin discoloration occurs because an abnormal spasm of the blood vessels causes a diminished blood supply. Initially, the digits involved turn white because of diminished blood supply, then turn blue because of prolonged lack of oxygen and finally, the blood vessels reopen, causing a local "flushing" phenomenon, which turns the digits red. This three-phase color sequence (white to blue to red), most often upon exposure to cold temperature, is characteristic of Raynaud disease.
Disease, Ritter
This is the scalded skin syndrome, a potentially serious side effect of infection with the Staph (Staphylococcus) bacteria that produces a specific protein which loosens the "cement" holding the various layers of the skin together. This allows blister formation and sloughing of the top layer of skin. If it occurs over large body regions it can be deadly (just like a large surface area of the body having been burned). It is necessary to treat scalded skin syndrome with intravenous antibiotics and to protect the skin from allowing dehydration to occur if large areas peel off. The disease occurs predominantly in children under 5 years of age. It is known formally as Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome.
Disease, rotator cuff
Damage to the rotator cuff, a group of four tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint and move the shoulder in various directions. A common cause of shoulder pain, rotator cuff disease can be due to trauma (e.g., from falling and injuring the shoulder or from overuse in sports particularly involving repetitive overhead motions), inflammation (e.g., from tendinitis, bursitis, or arthritis of the shoulder) or degeneration (e.g., from aging). The main symptom is shoulder pain of gradual or sudden onset, typically located to the front and side of the shoulder, increasing when the shoulder is moved away from the body. A person with tears to the rotator cuff tendons may not be able to hold the arm up because of pain. With very severe tears, the arm falls due to weakness (positive drop sign). The diagnosis of rotator cuff disease can be objectively confirmed by x-rays showing bony injuries from long-standing severe rotator cuff disease; an arthrogram in which contrast dye is injected into the shoulder joint to detect leakage out of the injured rotator cuff; or, preferably, an MRI which can provide more information than an X-ray or an arthrogram.
Disease, rotavirus
A leading cause of severe winter diarrhea in young children. Aside from causing acute infantile gastroenteritis and diarrhea in young children, RV infection is typically accompanied by low-grade fever.
Disease, sickle cell
A genetic blood disease due to the presence of an abnormal form of hemoglobin, namely hemoglobin S. Hemoglobin is the molecule in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the farthest reaches of the body. Sickle cell anemia is caused by an error in a gene that makes the beta globin chain of hemoglobin. The resultant abnormal hemoglobin (sickle hemoglobin) deforms the red blood cells when they are under low oxygen conditions. Children who inherit 2 copies of the sickle gene, one from each parent, have sickle cell anemia. Children who inherit the sickle gene from only one parent do not have the disease, but will carry the sickle cell trait. Individuals with sickle cell trait generally have no symptoms. The sickle mutation occurred thousands of years ago. The sickle gene became common in malarious areas because it affords a selective advantage against malaria. In sickle cell anemia, the hemoglobin molecules tend to aggregate after unloading oxygen. They form long, rod-like structures that force the red cells to assume a sickle shape. Unlike normal red cells, which are usually smooth and deformable, the sickle red cells cannot squeeze through small blood vessels.The sickle cells block little vessels depriving the organs of blood and oxygen. This leads to the periodic episodes of pain and damages the vital organs. Whereas normal red blood cells last about 120 days in the bloodstream, sickle red cells die after only about 10 to 20 days. Because they cannot be replaced fast enough, the blood is chronically short of red blood cells causing anemia -- sickle cell anemia.
Disease, sixth
A viral disease of infants and young children with sudden onset of high fever which lasts several days and then suddenly subsides leaving in its wake a fine red rash. The causative agent is herpesvirus type 6 so the disease is known as Sixth Disease. Also known as Exanthem subitum (sudden rash), Pseudorubella, Roseola, Roseola infantilis, and Roseola infantum.
Disease, startle
A genetic disorder also known as hyperexplexia in which babies have an exaggerated startle reflex (reaction).
Disease, Stein-Leventhal
Known descriptively as polycystic ovarian (PCO) disease, this syndrome is basically an hormonal problem that causes women to have various symptoms including: Irregular or no periods; Acne; Obesity, and Excess hair growth. All women with PCO have irregular or no menses. Women with PCO do not ovulate (do not release an egg every month).
Disease, subclinical
An illness that stays below the surface of clinical detection. A subclinical disease has no recognizable clinical findings. It is distinct from a clinical disease, which has signs and symptoms that can be recognized. Many diseases, including diabetes, hypothyroidism, and rheumatoid arthritis, can be subclinical before surfacing as clinical diseases.
Disease, Tsutsugamushi
Scrub typhus, a mite-borne infectious disease caused by a microorganism, Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, characteristically with fever, headache, a raised (macular) rash, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy) and a dark crusted ulcer (called an eschar or tache noire) at the site of the chigger (mite larva) bite.
Disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Abbreviated vCJD. A human disease thought due to the same infectious agent as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. Both the human and bovine disorders are invariably fatal brain diseases with unusually long incubation periods measured in years, and are caused by an unconventional transmissible agent, a prion, resulting in the deposition of amyloid tissue that causes a breakdown of brain tissue leaving the infected brain with a "spongy" ("spongiform") appearance. The disease in humans is sometimes called new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD).
Disease, Wilson
An inherited disorder in which too much copper accumulates in the body. Although the accumulation of copper begins at birth, symptoms of the disorder appear later in life, between the ages of 6 and 40. A diagnostic feature of Wilson disease is what is called a Kayser-Fleischer ring, a deep copper-colored ring around the edge of the cornea. It represents copper deposits in the eye.The main clinical consequence for about 40 percent of patients with Wilson disease is liver disease. In other patients the first symptoms are neurological or psychiatric or both, and include tremor, rigidity, drooling, difficulty with speech, abrupt personality change, grossly inappropriate behavior and inexplicable deterioration of school work, neurosis or psychosis.
Disease-free survival
The length of time after treatment during which no disease is found. Can be reported for an individual patient or for a study population.
Diseases related to obesity
Obesity increases the risk of developing a large number of diseases including: Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes; High blood pressure (hypertension); Stroke (cerebrovascular accident or CVA); Heart attack (myocardial infarction or MI); Heart failure (congestive heart failure); Cancer (certain forms such as cancer of the prostate and cancer of the colon and rectum); Gallstones and gall bladder disease (cholecystitis); Gout and gouty arthritis; Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) of the knees, hips, and the lower back; Sleep apnea (failure to breath normally during sleep, lowering blood oxygen); Pickwickian syndrome (obesity, red face, underventilation, and drowsiness).
Diseases, inherited metabolic
Also called inborn errors of metabolism, these are heritable (genetic) disorders of biochemistry. Examples include albinism, cystinuria (a cause of kidney stones), phenylketonuria (PKU), and some forms of gout, sun sensitivity, and thyroid disease. These are only a very few of the hundreds of known inborn errors of metabolism. Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of inborn errors of metabolism have improved the outlook for many of these conditions so that early diagnosis, if possible in infancy, can be helpful. Many of the inborn errors of metabolism in young infants cause symptoms such as sluggishness (lethargy), poor feeding, apnea (stopping breathing) or tachypnea (fast breathing), and recurrent vomiting. Any infants, particularly full-term infants, with these findings should be seen and checked immediately by a doctor.
Diseases, rickettsial
The infectious diseases caused by the rickettsiae fall into 4 groups:(1) typhus: epidemic typhus, Brill-Zinsser disease, murine (endemic) typhus, and scrub typhus; (2) spotted fever-Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Eastern tick-borne rickettsioses, and rickettsialpox; (3) Q fever; and (4) trench fever
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Disease, Norwalk
Disease due to Norwalk virus, not one but a family of small round viruses that are an important cause of viral gastroenteritis (viral inflammation of the stomach and intestines). The Norwalk viruses are all transmitted by fecal contamination of water and foods. Person-to-person transmission is far less common but has been documented. Water is the most common source of outbreaks and may include water from municipal supplies, wells, lakes, pools, and water stored aboard cruise ships. Shellfish and salad ingredients are the foods most often implicated. Eating raw or insufficiently steamed clams and oysters poses a high risk for infection with Norwalk virus.
Disease, Osgood-Schlatter
A condition involving inflammation and sometimes tearing of ligaments within the knee and lower leg. Treatment is by rest, casting if necessary, and sometimes surgery. Osgood-Schlatter disease is caused by repetitive stress or tension on a part of the growth area of the upper tibia (the apophysis). It is characterized by inflammation of the patellar tendon and surrounding soft tissues at the point where the tendon attaches to the tibia. The disease may also be associated with an avulsion injury, in which the tendon is stretched so much that it tears away from the tibia and takes a fragment of bone with it. The disease most commonly affects active young people, particularly boys between the ages of 10 and 15, who play games or sports that include frequent running and jumping.
Disease, pelvic inflammatory (PID)
Despite its seeming lack of gender, this term is applied to women only. PID refers exclusively to ascending infection of the female upper genital tract (the female structures above the cervix). PID is the most common and serious complication of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), aside from AIDS, among women. The signs and symptoms of PID include fever, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, extreme pain, including pain during intercourse, and vaginal bleeding. PID can scar the fallopian tubes, ovaries, and related structures and lead to ectopic pregnancies, infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and other serious consequences.
Disease, Pick
A form of dementia characterized by a slowly progressive deterioration of social skills and changes in personality leading to impairment of intellect, memory, and language. Dementia can be defined as a loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity, severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. The criteria for the diagnosis of dementia include impairment of attention, orientation, memory, judgment, language, motor and spatial skills, and function. By definition, dementia is not due to major depression or schizophrenia.
Disease, Raynaud
A condition resulting in skin discoloration of the fingers and/or toes when a person is exposed to changes in temperature (cold or hot) or to emotional events. This condition can occur alone or as a part of another disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis). When the condition occurs alone it is referred to as "Raynaud disease" or primary Raynaud phenomenon. When it accompanies other diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis), it is called secondary Raynaud phenomenon. The skin discoloration occurs because an abnormal spasm of the blood vessels causes a diminished blood supply. Initially, the digits involved turn white because of diminished blood supply, then turn blue because of prolonged lack of oxygen and finally, the blood vessels reopen, causing a local "flushing" phenomenon, which turns the digits red. This three-phase color sequence (white to blue to red), most often upon exposure to cold temperature, is characteristic of Raynaud disease.
Disease, rheumatic heart
Disease, Ritter
This is the scalded skin syndrome, a potentially serious side effect of infection with the Staph (Staphylococcus) bacteria that produces a specific protein which loosens the "cement" holding the various layers of the skin together. This allows blister formation and sloughing of the top layer of skin. If it occurs over large body regions it can be deadly (just like a large surface area of the body having been burned). It is necessary to treat scalded skin syndrome with intravenous antibiotics and to protect the skin from allowing dehydration to occur if large areas peel off. The disease occurs predominantly in children under 5 years of age. It is known formally as Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome.
Disease, rotator cuff
Damage to the rotator cuff, a group of four tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint and move the shoulder in various directions. A common cause of shoulder pain, rotator cuff disease can be due to trauma (e.g., from falling and injuring the shoulder or from overuse in sports particularly involving repetitive overhead motions), inflammation (e.g., from tendinitis, bursitis, or arthritis of the shoulder) or degeneration (e.g., from aging). The main symptom is shoulder pain of gradual or sudden onset, typically located to the front and side of the shoulder, increasing when the shoulder is moved away from the body. A person with tears to the rotator cuff tendons may not be able to hold the arm up because of pain. With very severe tears, the arm falls due to weakness (positive drop sign). The diagnosis of rotator cuff disease can be objectively confirmed by x-rays showing bony injuries from long-standing severe rotator cuff disease; an arthrogram in which contrast dye is injected into the shoulder joint to detect leakage out of the injured rotator cuff; or, preferably, an MRI which can provide more information than an X-ray or an arthrogram.
Disease, rotavirus
A leading cause of severe winter diarrhea in young children. Aside from causing acute infantile gastroenteritis and diarrhea in young children, RV infection is typically accompanied by low-grade fever.
Disease, sickle cell
A genetic blood disease due to the presence of an abnormal form of hemoglobin, namely hemoglobin S. Hemoglobin is the molecule in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the farthest reaches of the body. Sickle cell anemia is caused by an error in a gene that makes the beta globin chain of hemoglobin. The resultant abnormal hemoglobin (sickle hemoglobin) deforms the red blood cells when they are under low oxygen conditions. Children who inherit 2 copies of the sickle gene, one from each parent, have sickle cell anemia. Children who inherit the sickle gene from only one parent do not have the disease, but will carry the sickle cell trait. Individuals with sickle cell trait generally have no symptoms. The sickle mutation occurred thousands of years ago. The sickle gene became common in malarious areas because it affords a selective advantage against malaria. In sickle cell anemia, the hemoglobin molecules tend to aggregate after unloading oxygen. They form long, rod-like structures that force the red cells to assume a sickle shape. Unlike normal red cells, which are usually smooth and deformable, the sickle red cells cannot squeeze through small blood vessels.The sickle cells block little vessels depriving the organs of blood and oxygen. This leads to the periodic episodes of pain and damages the vital organs. Whereas normal red blood cells last about 120 days in the bloodstream, sickle red cells die after only about 10 to 20 days. Because they cannot be replaced fast enough, the blood is chronically short of red blood cells causing anemia -- sickle cell anemia.
Disease, sixth
A viral disease of infants and young children with sudden onset of high fever which lasts several days and then suddenly subsides leaving in its wake a fine red rash. The causative agent is herpesvirus type 6 so the disease is known as Sixth Disease. Also known as Exanthem subitum (sudden rash), Pseudorubella, Roseola, Roseola infantilis, and Roseola infantum.
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