You searched for : 'K'

General Illness Information Common Name: Corn or callus Medical Term: Callosity Description: A thickening of the outermost skin layer, usually over bony areas such as toe joints (corn). Painless thickening of skin caused by repeated pressure and irritation (callus). This commonly involves the skin on the hands, feet and knees Causes: Corns and calluses form to protect a skin area form injury caused by repeated irritation (rubbing or squeezing); Pressure…

General Illness Information Common Name: Corneal Ulcer, Corneal abrasion. Medical Term: Corneal ulcer, Corneal abrasion Description: Ulceration or sore in the thin transparent layer of the colored part of the eye (cornea). Causes: Dry eye, burns, abrasion, contact lenses, inappropriate use of topical anesthetics, antibiotics, or antiviral drops, immunosuppressant drugs, diabetes, immunodeficiency are the main predisposing factors. Infection by bacteria or viruses frequently follows. Prevention: Avoid corneal abrasion or injury…

General Illness Information Common Name: Corneal Ulcer, Corneal abrasion. Medical Term: Corneal ulcer, Corneal abrasion Description: Ulceration or sore in the thin transparent layer of the colored part of the eye (cornea). Causes: Dry eye, burns, abrasion, contact lenses, inappropriate use of topical anesthetics, antibiotics, or antiviral drops, immunosuppressant drugs, diabetes, immunodeficiency are the main predisposing factors. Infection by bacteria or viruses frequently follows. Prevention: Avoid corneal abrasion or injury…

General Illness Information Common Name: Heart Failure, Dropsy Medical Term: Congestive Heart Failure Description: Inability of heart to pump sufficient blood to meet normal body requirements. Results in accumulation of fluid in lungs (left heart failure) or fluid in liver and extremities (right heart failure). This is the main complication of heart disease, and accounts for the majority of heart disease admissions to hospital. Causes: Coronary artery disease; High blood…

General Illness Information Common Name: Pink Eye Medical Term: Conjunctivitis Description: Inflammation of the mucosal lining (underside) of the eyelids and the white of the eyes.  Discharge may or may not be present. More commonly seen in children. It may be infectious or non-infectious. Causes: Bacterial Viral, allergic, autoimmune, chemical or irritative, rickettsial, fungal, parasitic, tuberculosis, syphilis, Kawasaki disease, Thyroid disease, gout, carcinoid, sarcoidosis, psoriasis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, Reiter’s syndrome. Prevention:…

General Illness Information Medical Term: CONSTIPATION Common Name: CONSTIPATION Description: Constipation is a condition in which a person has hard, dry stools causing difficult, uncomfortable or infrequent bowel movements. In most cases, constipation is harmless, but can indicate an underlying disorder. Acute constipation begins suddenly and noticeably. Chronic constipation begins insidiously and persists for months or years. Causes: Causes for constipation are listed below: Insufficient fiber in the diet. Fiber…

General Illness Information Common Name: Cirrhosis of the liver Medical Term: None Specified. Description: Pathological process characterized by liver fibrosis (scarring), and nodular liver cell regeneration.  Leads to loss of normal liver function. Third leading cause of death in individuals aged 45-60 years old. Regardless of cause, the basic process is the same: inflammation of liver, followed by destruction of liver cells, cell regeneration and scarring. Causes: Possible causes of…

General Illness Information Common Name: Claudication Medical Term: Claudication Description: Muscle fatigue and pain in an extremity, after a period of minimal exertion. Resting the extremity always relieves this. Repeating a similar exercise can reproduce the pain. It is more common in the lower extremity. Causes: Blockage of an artery in the affected area. Prevention: Stop smoking; Lose weight, if obese; Routine exercise program; Minimize the amount of saturated fats…

General Illness Information Medical Term: HERPES SIMPLEX Common Name: Cold Sores, Fever Blister. Description: A common, contagious virus (herpes simplex or HSV-1) infection. Usually involves the lips; gums and mouth area; cornea (rare); occasionally genitals. Causes: It is a herpes virus , a DNA virus of two major types: HSV1 and HSV2; most often HSV1 is associated with oral lesions and HSV2 with genital lesions but reverse occurs also ,…

General Illness Information Medical Term: Colic in Infants Common Name: None Specified Description: Colic is a disorder in which an otherwise healthy infant has severe and paroxysmal crying spells (usually occurring in the late afternoon or evening). May occur 1-2 times per day, lasting 1-3 hours occurring more than 3 days per week. Onset under 4 weeks of age and may continue up to 5 months old. More common in…