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General Illness Information Medical Term: Spontaneous Abortion Common Name: Miscarriage (Spontaneous abortion) Description: Spontaneous termination of pregnancy within 20 weeks of fetal age.  At this stage. the fetus is considered to be unable to survive outside the uterus. About 20% of recognized pregnancies terminate in spontaneous abortions and 75% of these occur before the 8th week. Frequently the miscarriage occurs so early in pregnancy that the woman is not aware…

General Illness Information Medical Term: Mitral valve prolapse. Common Name: None Specified Description: Bulging of one or both leaflets of the mitral valve (valve between the left ventricle and left atrium in the heart) during the contraction phase of the heart cycle. This causes a characteristic heart murmur. This is a common and often benign disorder, and is most frequent in young to middle-aged women. Unknown in most cases. Occasionally…

General Illness Information Medical Term: Menorrhagia Common Name : Heavy Menses Description: A common disorder that is characterized by unusually heavy menstruation or prolonged menstrual flow. The average amount of blood loss during a normal menstrual period is 40 to 50 ml. With menorrhagia, a woman may lose 80 ml or more. It rarely signifies a serious underlying disorder. Causes: Menorrhagia can be caused by a variety of causes. These…

General Illness Information Common Name: Lyme Disease Medical Term: None Specified Description: Lyme disease is an infection caused by the bite of an infected tick. The tick is so small that you may not notice the tick or its bite. Because not all ticks are infected, a bite does not always result in Lyme disease. Even if the tick is infected, it may not transfer the disease to you. It…

General Illness Information Common Name: Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) Medical Term: None Specified Description: A chronic inflammatory disorder of connective tissue, of unknown cause. Involves major organs such as skin, joints, kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, etc. Occurs predominantly in young women, also occurs in children Causes: Lupus is an autoimmune disease. This means that the body’s defenses against infection attack the body’s own tissue. This causes inflammation. Areas of the…

General Illness Information Medical Term: Meniere’s Disease Common Name: None Specified Description: Meniere’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear Probably results from an abnormality in the inner ear fluid regulation. Usually it involves one ear, but both ears may be affected in 15% of patients. Typical onset age is between 20 and 50 years of age. Both sexes are equally affected.  Intermittent attacks of vertigo, tinnitus (ringing in the…

General Illness Information Medical Term: Menopause Common Name: Menopause Description: Menopause is final cessation of menstruation either as a normal part of aging, or surgical removal of both ovaries. This may occur as early as 40 years of age or as late as 55 years of age. It usually spans 1-3 years period, during which a woman adjusts to a diminishing and then absent menstrual flow. (Peri-menopausal Phase).  Average age…

General Illness Information Common Name: Leukemia, Chronic Myelocytic Medical Term: None Specified Description: A stem cell in the bone marrow becomes cancerous, and produces a large number of abnormal white cells, called granulocytes. May affect any age and sex, but uncommon under the age of 10. Causes: Unknown Prevention: Cannot be prevented. Signs & Symptoms No symptoms in early stages. Later, causes the following: Weakness and fatigue. Loss of appetite…

General Illness Information Common Name: Liver Cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) Medical Term: None Specified Description: A malignant tumor arising from liver cells. Although much less common than metastatic liver cancer in most areas of the world, hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common internal malignancy and an important cause of death in certain areas of Africa and Southeast Asia. This is mainly because of the high incidence of Hepatitis B in these…

General Illness Information Common Name: Lead poisoning Medical Term: None Specified Description: Increased levels of lead in the blood, to the point of toxicity.  Lead is an element with no biological value. It is found in a number of commercial and industrial products, namely storage batteries, paints, pottery, plumbing, gasoline and in some traditional ethnic medications. Very small amounts of lead finds its way into everyone, and causes no problems….