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Medifocus health information is supported by a team of highly experienced medical research professionals, along with the assistance of the Medical Advisory Board and is dedicated to providing detailed information about specific medical conditions. Our Guidebooks contain health information online that is vital to anyone who has been diagnosed with a medical condition.
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Peripheral Neuropathy occurs most frequently in people who smoke, are over age 40, and have difficulty controlling their blood sugar levels. In fact, about half of all people with diabetes and thousands of others who suffer from immune system disorders, infection, trauma, or alcoholism are expected to develop Peripheral Neuropathy.
Medifocus Guidebook on Peripheral Neuropathy
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The term abdominal may lead you to believe that this aneurysm is in your stomach, but aortic aneurysm commonly occurs in the aorta immediately below the kidneys but above the iliac arteries going to the legs. An aneurysm here is called an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The MediFocus Guidebook on Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm contains health information online that is vital to anyone who has been diagnosed with this condition. |
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An acoustic neuroma, sometimes also called a vestibular schwannoma or neurolemmoma, is a benign (non-cancerrous) growth or tumor that is located on the eight cranial nerve (acoustic nerve) that leads from the inner ear to the brain. The problem with acoustic neuromas is that as they expand in size and grow larger, they can push against the brain. While the tumor does not actually invade the brain, the pressure of the tumor can displace brain tissue. |
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Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells and bone marrow. The bone marrow is the spongy inner part of bones where blood cells are made. White blood cells arise from the marrow and circulate in the blood. Leukemia is characterized by uncontrolled growth of blood cells. In acute leukemia, immature, functionless cells accumulate in the marrow and blood. The marrow often can no longer produce enough normal red and white blood cells and platelets. |
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Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a member of a group of rheumatic diseases that affect the spinal column known as "spondyloarthropathies". AS is a chronic, inflammatory rheumatic disease that causes arthritis of the spine and sacroiliac joint - the joint at the base of the spine where the spinal column joins the pelvis. The chronic inflammation and irritation of the spinal joints (vertebrae) can eventually cause the vertebrae to fuse together, a condition known as "ankylosis". Ankylosis is a debilitating condition that eventually can cause loss of spinal mobility and function and, thereby, severely impact a person's quality of life. |
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Atrial refers to the heart's two upper chambers, the left and right atria. The two lower chambers are called the ventricles. Fibrillating means quivering, or rapid beating. Irregular, rapid beating of the atrial chambers characterizes Atrial Fibrillation. This happens when the normal system that conducts electricity in the atria malfunctions. A storm of electrical activity across both atria causes them to fibrillate 300 to 600 times per minute. |
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A diagnosis of bipolar disorder - which was more commonly called manic depression - can be very alarming to a patient or the patient's family. However, treatment is advancing steadily and many symptoms can be controlled. Children, adolescents or adults can suffer this disorder, which is characterized by two opposite extremes of mood: mania and depression. Risk factors can include family history, ADD-HD, stress, abuse, hypothyroidism and even the effect of the time of year. |
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When bladder cancer is found and treated early, the chances of survival are very good, with an approximate 94% five-year survival rate for early bladder cancer. Risk factors for bladder cancer include smoking (causes one-third of bladder cancers), occupational exposure to carcinogens, age, race (Caucasians are at highest risk), age, chronic bladder problems and a history of bladder cancer. |
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Carcinoid tumors belong to a larger group of tumors called neuroendocrine tumors (NET's). This broad group of tumors also includes the pancreatic islet cell tumors. Although both carcinoid and pancreatic islet cell tumors share similar morphological features, they secrete different classes of either bioactive amines or peptides, respectively. Carcinoid tumors are the most common form of NET's. The majority of carcinoids arise in the appendix and to a lesser extent in the small bowel, stomach, and duodenum whereas pancreatic islet cell tumors arise predominantly in the pancreas. |
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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a cancer of the white blood cells and bone marrow. The bone marrow is the spongy inner part of bones where blood cells are produced. White blood cells arise from the marrow and circulate in the blood. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is characterized by uncontrolled growth of blood cells. |
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The pancreas is a long, slender organ in the upper abdomen. The exocrine area of the pancreas produces digestive juices and the endocrine area makes hormones, such as insulin, that regulate how the body stores and uses food. Both functions are impaired by chronic pancreatitis, an inflammatory disease that causes progressive, irreversible structural changes. Some persons develop diabetes and/or become unable to digest foods, especially fats. The lack of normal pancreatic enzymes adversely affects digestion and waste production. Abdominal pain is common, especially after eating. |
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Since the brain itself feels no pain, headache pain comes from the tissues around the brain, the attaching structures at the base of the brain, and the muscles and blood vessels of the scalp, face and neck. Cluster headache pain may be related specifically to blood vessel dilation or to inflammation of nerves behind the eye. During active periods, factors that may trigger attacks include alcohol, high altitude, air travel, bright sunlight, exertion or foods, especially foods high in nitrites. Drugs that dilate the blood vessels, such as nitroglycerine and various blood pressure medications, can also set off an attack. When the cycle is inactive, these triggers usually have no effect. |
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Ductal Carcninoma in Situ (DCIS), also known as intraductal carcinoma, is a type of breast cancer which is confined to the breast ducts. The breast is composed of glands called "lobules" that produce and release milk after childbirth. The tubes that connect the lobules to the nipple are the ducts in which Ductal Carcinoma in Situ develops. The MediFocus Guidebook on Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) contains information that is vital to anyone who has been diagnosed with this condition. You will learn about the latest clinical advances in the management of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ as well as about the treatment options that are available. |
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A Glioblastoma is a type of a primary brain tumor. Primary brain tumors are those that arise from the brain itself rather than traveling or metastasizing from another location in the body. Approximately 17,000 new cases of primary brain tumors are treated each year in the United States. The MediFocus Guidebook on Glioblastoma contains consumer health information that is vital to anyone who has been diagnosed with this condition. |
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Multiple myeloma (MM) is one of several cancers categorized as "plasma cell dyscrasias." They account for 10% of all blood system malignancies. The immune system has several types of cells that work together to fight infection and disease. Lymphocytes are the main immune system cell types. When B-cell lymphocytes respond to an infection, they mature and change into plasma cells, which produce and release proteins called immunoglobulins (antibodies) that attack and help kill disease-causing germs. |
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Parkinson's Disease is a slowly progressive disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement, muscle control and balance. Although the exact cause of Parkinson's Disease is unknown, research has concentrated on genetics, environmental toxins, endogenous toxins and viral infection. In Parkinson's, cells are destroyed in part of the brain stem - the substantia nigra, which sends out fibers to the corpus stratia, gray and white bands of tissue in both sides of the brain. Cells there release dopamine, one of three major neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) which help the body respond to stress. By the time symptoms develop, patients have lost 80 to 90 percent of their dopamine-producing cells. |
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Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is a hereditary disorder that causes fluid-filled cysts to form in the nephrons of the kidneys. These cysts can grow so large and so numerous that they crowd out the normal kidney tissue, rendering the kidneys unable to function normally. Damage to the kidneys is caused by structural deformities caused by the enlarging cysts as well as by elevations in blood pressure (hypertension). Cysts can also form in other organs such as the liver. |
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