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General Illness Information Common Name: BLEPHARITIS Medical Term: None Specified Description: Infection or inflammation of the margins or edges of the eyelids. It can affect eyelids, eyelashes, meibomian glands (lubricating glands of the eyelid) or conjunctiva (whites of the eyes). Causes: Blepharitis can be cause by the following: Bacterial infection, usually staphylococcal, of the eyelash follicles and the meibomian glands; Allergic reaction (less serious- inflammation only); Body lice (rare). Prevention:…

General Illness Information Common Name: Meningitis, Bacterial Medical Term: None Specified Description: Bacterial infection of the coverings of the brain and spinal cord (the meninges).  May affect any age group, but most severe in infants and elderly. Causes: Many species of bacteria can cause meningitis. 3 species account for 80% of all cases: Meningococcus (Niesseria meningitides). Haemophilus (Haemophilus influenza type B).Pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumonia). Prevention: Get medical care for treatment of…

General Illness Information Common Name: ARTHRITIS, JUVENILE RHEUMATOID (JRA) Medical Term: None Specified Description: Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis begins before 16 yrs of age. It is a syndrome of unknown cause causing inflammation affecting one or more joints for at least six weeks. Joint inflammation is characterized by swelling, warmth, tenderness, pain on movement, limitation of movement or redness. Starts at age 2-5 years old and often disappears by young adulthood….

General Illness Information Common Name: BED-WETTING Medical Term: Enuresis Description: Involuntary urination during sleep in children 5 years of age or older. It is 3 times more common in boys than in girls. The occurrence of bed-wetting in children is: 15% at age 5, 10% at age 6, 7% at age 8, 3% at age 12, and 1% at age 18. Bed-wetting is usually caused by slow maturation ,but it…

General Illness Information Common Name: ATHEROSCLEROSIS Medical Term: None Specified Description: Atherosclerosis is a condition in which the wall of an artery becomes thick and less elastic due to the accumulation of fatty material under the inner lining of the arterial wall. It is the most important and common cause of hardening of the arteries in which plaque deposits form in the walls of the blood vessels that carry oxygen…

General Illness Information Common Name: ATRIAL FIBRILLATION (AF) Medical Term: None Specified Description: A completely irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), arising from the hearts upper chamber (atrium), and conducted downwards to the hearts main chambers (ventricles) causing the ventricles to contract faster and less efficiently than normal. Atrial fibrillation is the most frequent form of serious cardiac arrythmia. It’s incidence varies from 1% before age 60 to 20% at age 80. It…

General Illness Information Common Name: ARTHRITIS, INFECTIOUS Medical Term: Septic Arthritis Description: Painful swelling in an inflamed joint resulting from infection in the synovial fluid and the tissues of the joint. Any joint may be involved, but larger joints are more commonly affected. Causes: Infection is mainly caused by bacteria which usually enter the joint through the blood stream. However, a joint can be infected directly if it is contaminated…

General Illness Information Common Name: ASTHMA Medical Term: None Specified Description: Asthma is a chronic disorder with recurrent attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath and cough. Asthma is defined as an inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by intermittent or persistent symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing, sputum production and cough, associated with variable airflow limitation and a variable degree of airway hyperresponsiveness to endogenous or exogenous…

General Illness Information Common Name: ARTHRITIS, RHEUMATOID Medical Term: None Specified Description: A chronic auto-immune disease characterized by inflammation, swelling and pain in the joints, and it affects muscles, membrane linings of the joints and cartilage. Usually joints of the hands and feet are symmetrically inflamed. It is a multi-system disease, and sometimes the eyes and blood vessels are affected. It is 3 times more common in women than men….

General Illness Information Common Name: ATELECTASIS Medical Term: None Specified Description: Collapse of part or all of one lung, preventing normal oxygen absorption. Causes: Obstruction of small or large lung air passages by: Thick mucus plugs from infection or other disease, including cystic fibrosis; Tumors in the air passages; Tumors or blood vessels outside the air passages, causing pressure on airways; Inhaled objects, such as small toys or peanuts; Prolonged…