Tag: abdomen , abdominal cramps , bloody stool , dizziness , Fever , gastrointestinal , infectious disease , intestine , loose stool , vomiting

Dizziness

Dizziness is a term used to describe a range of sensations like feeling of spinning, swaying, tilting, floating or woozy. You may also feel that you might faint (lightheadedness) or sometimes you may have difficulty walking straight. When dizziness is associated with a feeling of yo
Appendicitis

Appendicitis is the inflammation of the appendix. Appendix is a small, finger-shaped tubular structure attached to the large intestine located at the right side of lower abdomen. There is no known function of appendix in human body. When infected with bacteria or due to the blockage, the appendix gradually swells and g
Abdominal Pain

Pain felt between the ribcage and pelvis is called abdominal pain. It is a very common symptoms experienced by just about everyone at some point of time in their life. Abdominal pain can be generalised over entire abdomen or more commonly localised to one area. Based on the anatomic structure that gives rise to the pai
Fever

Definition A fever or pyrexia is a rise in body temperature above normal and often indicates an illness. Average normal body temperature is 98.6oF but it can range between 97 and 99.5
Palpitation

Palpitation is a condition where you become abnormally aware of your own heartbeat. You may feel a sensation of skipped heartbeat, rapid and irregular heartbeat, a forceful thumping or fluttering sensation in your chest. Palpitation,
Cough

Cough is our body’s protective response to the presence of irritants in the airway. It is a reflex action caused by the stimulation of the nerve endings in the respiratory tract by stimuli such as allergen, microbes, foreign body or excessive mucous. After the stimuli reaches the bra
Black stools

Black stools can be due to bleeding in gastrointestinal (GI) tract or ingestion of certain medications (iron, bismuth) or certain food (blueberries). Black, tarry, sticky and smelly stool is caused by bleeding in the GI tract, and is known as melena. Malena is a serious medical
Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs caused by a variety of germs. These germs reach the air sacs (lowest part of airways) after inhalation, overcoming body's normal defense mechanism like nasal hairs, mucus and cough which are weakened by smoking or dust inhalation. Once in the lungs,
Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a communicable disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It can affect any organ in the body but lungs (Pulmonary TB) are the most common site of infection. Other common sites of infection are bones, lymph nodes, kidneys, uterus, brain (meninges), skin, etc. Tuberculosis i
Constipation

Constipation is a common problem related to your bowel movement, when the stool is too hard, difficult to get out and occurs in small amount, less than three times a week. You might have abdominal cramps, may feel bloated or even sick if it is severe and prolonged. Why does

Ascariasis

Ascariasis is infestation of humans intestine by roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides). The roundworm may reside in the guts for 6 to 24 months. The eggs are passed into the stool and under warm, shady, moist conditions they can survive for up to 10 years. The infection is transmitted by in

Sore Throat

Sore throat (Pharyngitis & Tonsillitis) refers to pain, irritation or itchiness of the throat resulting from inflammation of the lining of throat and tonsils. It is common infection in children, but can affect people of any age. Symptoms include dryness of throat, swollen glands in

Nausea and Vomiting

Nauseas and vomiting are usually manifestation of some underlying disease that are usually non life threatening. Occasionally, it might be an indicator of underlying serious conditions like brain disease, intestinal obstruction and heart disease. Nausea is the feeling of uneasiness in th

Protein Energy Malnutrition

Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) is a potentially fatal disorder of undernutrition in children. It is a leading cause of death in developing countries. It refers to a form of malnutrition where there is inadequate

Vomiting of blood (Hematemesis)

Hematemesis refers to the presence of blood in your vomit or vomiting of pure blood that originates in upper part of your gastrointestinal tract. It needs to be differentiated from spitting blood mixed saliva which arises from teeth, mouth and throat. It also need to be differentiated

Red Eye

When the white part of eyes appears red, it is called a red eye. It is caused by dilatation of local blood vessels due to inflammation usually from either infection or irritation. Red eye can be a manifestation of local eye pathology or a sign of systemic disease. Red e

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus)

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease of immune system that can affect many organs in the body. Normally, the immune system produces proteins directed against infectious agents and protects us from infection. In SLE, however, your body produces antibodies that attack body’s o

Malaria

Malaria is a febrile, mosquito-borne disease caused by parasitic protozoa, Plasmodium. Four different species of Plasmodium cause malaria. The parasite is transmitted by bite of female Anopheles mosquito. It occurs mostly in high temperature areas - tropical regions and the Terai belt of Nepal. Infected female Anoph

HIV/AIDS

Introduction HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). Infection by HIV weakens your immune system. When the immune system becomes too weak to fight, organisms that would otherwise not cause an infection in a normal person, that person is

Heart Attack

Heart attack is a leading cause of death in adults. The medical term for heart attack is myocardial infarction. Heart attack occurs when the blood flow to the heart is severely reduced or completely blocked. The heart muscle needs regular supply of blood and oxygen to survive.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea is defined as increased frequency of defection (more than 3 per day) with excessive or abnormally loose consistency. Stool weights more than 200g/day are sometimes used to define diarrhoea but in the absence of abnormal consistency, weight alone is not an ideal indicator as bowel weight is influenced by high f

Hepatitis

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. Liver is one of vital organs and largest internal solid organ. Liver has large blood supply and functions as a chemical factory removing many unwanted substances from the body. This exposes liver to many insults including infections, drugs or

Gasteroesophageal Reflux Disease

Gasteroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is also known as acid reflux. GERD occurs is when stomach contents leak backwards (called “reflux”) into esophagus and cause symptoms or complications. Reflux is a normal process in infant, child or adult, but when it causes troublesome s

Esophageal Varices

Esophageal varices are abnormally swollen veins in the lining of the lower esophagus. Most of the time, esophageal varices develop due to obstruction in the portal venous circulation (blood flow through the liver) but mainly it occurs when a healt

Diphtheria

Diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by bacteria Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The infection affects the respiratory passage leading to sore throat and breathing difficulties. The disease produces a

Atrial Fibrillation (AF)

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a disorder of heart rhythm that manifests as an irregular heartbeat. Usually, it is associated with rapid heart rate ranging from 100 to 170 beats per minute. But you can have atrial fibrillation with normal heart rate specially if you are treated with med

Amoebiasis/Giardiasis

Amoebiasis is an infection of gastrointestinal tract caused by an intestinal parasite called Entamoeba histolytica. It causes dysentery, liver abscess and rarely affects lungs, heart and brain. It occurs everywhere in the world but especially in the areas where there is poor sanitation and poor socioeconomic status. Th

Acid Reflux Disease

When we eat food, it travels through the mouth to the food pipe (esophagus) and then to the stomach. Once in the stomach, food cannot come back up into the esophagus under normal conditions because of the presence of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). LES is a group of fiber muscle rings at the lower end of the food

Peptic Ulcer Disease

Peptic Ulcer Diseases (PUD) are conditions where the lining of the stomach and the duodenum (first part of the small intestine) are damaged leading to the formation of open sores. The stomach and duodenum are in constant contact with gastric juice but the presence of a protective layer o

Hookworm Infestation

Hookworm infestation is a parasitic disease of humans caused by one of the two organisms- Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. It is the second most common helminthic infection in developing world. Hookworms are found in soil contaminated by human feces. The transmission of infection occurs when the following