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General Illness Information Medical Term: Mononucleosis Common Name: None Specified Description: An acute illness,characterised by fever, sore throat and enlarged lymph glands, caused by the Epstein-Barr Virus. Causes: The causative agent is the Epstein-Barr virus.  After gaining entry to the nasopharynx and replicating, the virus infects B lymphocytes in the body. Prevention: Avoid contact with persons having infectious mononucleosis. Signs & Symptoms Fever. Sore throat (sometimes severe). Fatigue. Swollen lymph…

General Illness Information Medical Term: Multiple Myeloma Common Name: None Specified Description: Multiple myeloma is the most common malignancy of the bone. It is a  malignancy beginning in the plasma cells of the bone marrow and characterized by the presence of large amounts of monoclonal immunoglobulins in the blood. Plasma cells normally produce antibodies to help destroy germs and protect against infection. With myeloma, this function becomes impaired, and the…

General Illness Information Medical Term: Migraine headache Common Name: None Specified Description: A migraine headache is a recurring, throbbing, intense pain that most commonly affects one side of the head but may affect both sides. The pain is of sudden onset and may be preceded or accompanied by visual, neurologic, or gastrointestinal symptoms. It is a type of vascular headache: a genetically based, neuro-chemical instability of the nervous system triggered…

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: Molluscum Contagiosum Common Name: None Specified Description: A harmless viral infection characterized by shiny, pearly white bumps on the skin surface. Causes: The causative factor is the DNA virus of the pox group This virus may be transmitted by local or sexual contact. The incubation period is 2 weeks to 6 months. Prevention: Contact avoidance. Signs & Symptoms Papules (small, raised bumps on the skin)…

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…