Arthritis

Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation; plural: arthritides) is a group of conditions involving damage to the joints of the body. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in people older than fifty-five years

All arthritides feature pain. Pain patterns may differ depending on the arthritides and the location. Rheumatoid arthritis is generally worse in the morning and associated with stiffness; in the early stages, patients often have no symptoms after a morning shower. In the aged and children, pain might not be the main presenting feature; the aged patient simply moves less, the infantile patient refuses to use the affected limb.

Elements of the history of the disorder guide diagnosis. Important features  are speed and time of onset, pattern of joint involvement, symmetry of symptoms, early morning stiffness, tenderness, gelling or locking with inactivity, aggravating and relieving factors, and other systemic symptoms. Physical examination may confirm the diagnosis, or may indicate systemic disease. Radiographs are often used to follow progression or assess severity in a more quantitative manner.
 
There are different forms of arthritis; each has a different cause. The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease) is a result of trauma to the joint, infection of the joint, or age. Emerging evidence suggests that abnormal anatomy might contribute to the early development of osteoarthritis[citation needed]. Other arthritis forms are rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, autoimmune diseases in which the body attacks itself. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection. Gouty arthritis is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint, causing inflammation. There is also an uncommon form of gout caused by the formation of rhomboid crystals of calcium pyrophosphate. This gout is known as pseudogout.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a form of arthritis that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in your joints. It can affect any joint but is common in the wrist and fingers. More women than men get rheumatoid arthritis. It often starts between ages 25 and 55. You might have the disease for only a short time, or symptoms might come and go. The severe form can last a lifetime. Rheumatoid arthritis is different from osteoarthritis, the common arthritis that often comes with older age. RA can affect body parts besides joints, such as your eyes, mouth and lungs. RA is an autoimmune disease, which means the arthritis results from your immune system attacking your body's own tissues. No one knows what causes rheumatoid arthritis. Genes, environment and hormones might contribute. Treatments include medicine, lifestyle changes and surgery. These can slow or stop joint damage and reduce pain and swelling.

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Also called: Rheumatoid spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis of the spine. It causes swelling between your vertebrae, which are the disks that make up your spine, and in the joints between your spine and pelvis. Ankylosing spondylitis is an autoimmune disease. This means your immune system, which normally protects your body from infection, attacks your body's own tissues. The disease is more common and more severe in men. It often runs in families. Early symptoms include back pain and stiffness. These problems often start in late adolescence or early adulthood. Over time, ankylosing spondylitis can fuse your vertebrae together, limiting movement. Symptoms can worsen or improve or stop altogether. The disease has no cure, but medicines can relieve the pain, swelling and other symptoms. Exercise can also help.

Bronchitis

Bronchitis is an acute inflammation of the air passages within the lungs. It occurs when the trachea windpipe and the large and small bronchi (airways) within the lungs become inflamed because of infection or other causes.

• The thin mucous lining of these airways can become irritated and swollen.
• The cells that make up this lining may leak fluids in response to the inflammation.
• Coughing is a reflex that works to clear secretions from the lungs. Often the discomfort of a severe cough leads you to seek medical treatment
• Both adults and children can get bronchitis. Symptoms are similar for both.
• Infants usually get bronchiolitis which involves the smaller airways and causes symptoms similar to asthma.

Bronchitis is an infection of the main airways of the lungs(bronchi), in which they become irritated and inflamed. It is common in winter, and often develops following a cold, sore throat or influenza (flu). Anyone can be affected by bronchitis, although smokers and those who work with substances that can irritate the lungs, such as grains or textiles, are more likely to get the condition. The main symptom of bronchitis is a cough, which may bring up yellowy grey mucus. Bronchitis may also cause a sore throat,wheezing and a blocked nose. Bronchitis is usually a mild and self-limiting condition, which means that it clears up by itself, usually within a couple of weeks. This is known as acute bronchitis, as it lasts for only a short period of time. However, in some cases, the damage caused by the infection of the bronchi can become permanent, which causes the condition to become more severe and long-lasting. Bronchitis which lasts longer than three months is known as chronic bronchitis.

Sciatica:

Sciatica commonly refers to pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve and is typically felt in the rear, down the back of the leg and possibly to the foot. Sciatica is one of the most common forms of pain caused by compression of the spinal nerves, and the leg pain often feels much worse than the back pain.

Sciatica is actually a symptom and not a diagnosis. The term literally means that a patient has pain down the leg resulting from compression of the sciatic nerve. The diagnosis is what is causing the compression.

The sciatic nerve is the largest single nerve in the human body; it runs from each side of the lower spine through deep in the rear and back of the thigh, and all the way down to foot, connecting the spinal cord with the leg and foot muscles.

Sciatica pain can occur when the nerve roots in the lower spine are irritated or compressed. Most often, sciatica pain is caused when the L5 or S1 nerve root in the lower spine is irritated by a herniated disc. When this happens, pain radiates into the rear and back of the thigh and calf, and occasionally may extend down to the foot. Numbness, tingling, and/or a burning or prickling sensation are also common symptoms.

Degenerative disc disease may also irritate the nerve root and cause sciatica, while conditions that mimic sciatica include piriformis syndrome and sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Sciatica may also be felt if the nerve is actually mechanically compressed, such as from spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, or arthritis in the spine.

Paralysis:

Also called: Hemiplegia, Palsy, Paraplegia, Quadriplegia
Paralysis is the loss of muscle function in part of your body. It happens when something goes wrong with the way messages pass between your brain and muscles. Paralysis can be complete or partial. It can occur on one or both sides of your body. It can also occur in just one area, or it can be widespread. Paralysis of the lower half of your body, including both legs, is called paraplegia. Paralysis of the arms and legs is quadriplegia.

Most paralysis is due to strokes or injuries such as spinal cord injury or a broken neck. Other causes of paralysis include
Nerve diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Autoimmune diseases such as Guillain-Barre syndrome
Bell's palsy, which affects muscles in the face

Paralysis may be localized, or generalized, or it may follow a certain pattern. For example, localized paralysis occurs in Bell's palsy where one side of the face may be paralyzed due to inflammation of the facial nerve on that side. Patients with stroke may be weak throughout their body (global paralysis) or have hemiplegia (weakness on one side of the body) or other patterns of paralysis depending on the area of damage in the brain. Other patterns of paralysis arise due to different lesions and their sequelae. For example, lower spinal cord damage from a severe back injury may result in paraplegia, while an injury higher up on the spinal cord, such as a neck injury, can cause quadriplegia. Patients with paraplegia or quadriplegia often use equipment such as a wheelchair or standing frame for mobility and to regain some independence.

Most paralyses caused by nervous system damage are constant in nature; however, there are forms of periodic paralysis, including sleep paralysis, which are caused by other factors.

Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome:

Also called: Infantile paralysis, Poliomyelitis, PPS
Polio is an infectious disease caused by a virus. It attacks your nervous system. In rare cases, polio infection can cause paralysis. Polio vaccination will protect most people for life. The United States and most other countries eradicated polio decades ago, except for rare cases.

The disease most commonly affects young children. Poliovirus spreads in human waste. People usually get it from contaminated food or water. Symptoms include fever, tiredness, vomiting, neck stiffness, and leg and arm pain. Most infected people never have symptoms. No treatment will reverse polio paralysis. Moist heat, physical therapy and medicines might ease symptoms.

Some people who've had polio develop post-polio syndrome (PPS) years later. Symptoms include tiredness, new muscle weakness and muscle and joint pain. There is no way to prevent or cure PPS.

Spinal cord injury:

The exact effects of a spinal cord injury vary according to the type and level injury, and can be organized into two types:

In a complete injury, there is no function below the "neurological" level, defined as the lowest level that has intact neurological function. If a person has some level below which there is no motor and sensory function, the injury is said to be "complete". Recent evidence suggest that less than 5% of people with "complete" spinal cord injury recover locomotion.

A person with an incomplete injury retains some sensation or movement below the level of the injury. The lowest spinal cord level is S4-5, representing the anal sphincter and peri-anal sensation. So, if a person is able to contract the anal sphincter voluntarily or is able to feel peri-anal pinprick or touch, the injury is said to be "incomplete". Recent evidence suggest that over 95% of people with "incomplete" spinal cord injury recover some locomotory ability.

The American Spinal Cord Injury Association or ASIA defined an international classification based on neurological levels, touch and pinprick sensations tested in each dermatome, and strength of ten key muscles on each side of the body, i.e. shoulder shrug (C4), elbow flexion (C5), wrist extension (C6), elbow extension (C7), hip flexion (L2). Traumatic spinal cord injury is classified into five types by the American Spinal Injury Association and the International Spinal Cord Injury Classification System.

A indicates a "complete" spinal cord injury where no motor or sensory function is preserved in the sacral segments S4-S5. Since the S4-S5 segment is the lower segmental, absence of motor and sensory function indicates "complete" spinal cord injury.

B indicates an "incomplete" spinal cord injury where sensory but not motor function is preserved below the neurological level and includes the sacral segments S4-S5. This is typically a transient phase and if the person recovers any motor function below the neurological level, that person essentially becomes a motor incomplete, i.e. ASIA C or D.

C indicates an "incomplete" spinal cord injury where motor function is preserved below the neurological level and more than half of key muscles below the neurological level have a muscle grade of less than 3.

D indicates an "incomplete" spinal cord injury where motor function is preserved below the neurological level and at least half of the key muscles below the neurological level have a muscle grade of 3 or more.

E indicates "normal" where motor and sensory scores are normal. Note that it is possible to have spinal cord injury and neurological deficit with completely normal motor and sensory scores.

Leukaemia:

The term leukaemia refers to a group of cancers of the blood cells. In leukaemia, white blood cells become abnormal, and divide and grow in an uncontrolled way. White blood cells and leukaemia

White blood cells are made in your bone marrow, which is the soft spongy centre of your bones. Your bone marrow makes the most basic type of cells (called stem cells), and they can develop further into three types of cells:

white blood cells - protect your body from infection
red blood cells - carry oxygen around your body
platelets - important for normal blood clotting

Once these cells are made, they enter your bloodstream.

White blood cells are involved in your body's immune system, a defence system that protects you from infections. There are two main types of white blood cells: myeloid cells and lymphocytes.

In leukaemia, some of the white blood cells don't grow properly. They stay in the bone marrow and keep reproducing in an uncontrolled way. These abnormal white blood cells fill up the bone marrow and prevent it from making healthy white blood cells. This means the body is less able to fight off infections.

The abnormal white blood cells also prevent bone marrow from making enough red blood cells and platelets. A lack of red blood cells leads to less oxygen being delivered to the organs and tissues of your body. This is called anaemia, and it can make you feel tired and breathless. A lack of platelets can lead to problems with the blood-clotting system, and results in bleeding and bruising much more easily than usual.

Types of leukaemia

There are several types of leukaemia. They are named according to the type of white blood cells (myeloid cells or lymphocytes) that are affected and how quickly the disease develops. Only the common types are discussed here. The two main types of leukaemia are acute and chronic.

Acute leukaemia
In acute leukaemia, symptoms develop rapidly and the leukaemia can quickly become life-threatening if it's not treated. The most common form of acute leukaemia affects lymphocytes. This is called acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL). Another type of acute leukaemia is acute myeloid leukaeumia (AML).

Chronic leukaemia
In chronic leukaemia, symptoms develop slowly and the white blood cells are almost fully grown and normal when they leave the bone marrow and enter the bloodstream. They can function, but not as well as they should do.

One type of leukaemia, called chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), affects a particular type of white blood cells called myeloid cells. It has two phases, a chronic phase that can last for several years, during which symptoms develop slowly, followed by a more aggressive phase (accelerated phase), where symptoms quickly get worse.

Dislocation:

A joint is a point where two or more of your bones come together. A dislocation is an injury to your joint in which the ends of your bones are forced from their normal positions. The injury temporarily deforms and immobilizes your joint and may result in sudden and severe pain.

Dislocations may occur in your major joints shoulder, hip, knee, elbow and ankle or in the smaller joints in your fingers, thumbs and toes. The cause is usually trauma, such as a fall or a hard blow. Dislocations are common injuries in contact sports, such as football and hockey, and in sports that may involve falls, such as downhill skiing, gymnastics and volleyball.

If you suspect a dislocation, seek prompt medical attention to return your bones to their proper positions without damaging your joint. When treated properly, most dislocated joints will return to normal function after several weeks of rest and rehabilitation. However, some joints, such as your shoulder and kneecap (patella), have an increased risk of repeat dislocation.

Migraine:

Migraine is a neurological syndrome characterized by altered bodily experiences, painful headaches, and nausea. It is a common condition which affects women more frequently than men.

The typical migraine headache is one-sided and pulsating, lasting 4 to 72 hours^[1]. Accompanying complaints are nausea and vomiting, and a heightened sensitivity to bright lights (photophobia) and noise (hyperacusis).^[2][3][4] Approximately one third of people who experience migraines get a preceding aura, in which a patient may sense a strange light or unpleasant smell.^[5]

Although the exact cause of migraine remains unknown, the most widespread theory is that it is a disorder of the serotonergic control system. Recently, PET scans have demonstrated the aura to coincide with spreading cortical depression after an episode of greatly increased blood flow (up to 300% higher than baseline). There also appear to be migraine variants that originate in the brainstem and involve dysfunction in calcium and potassium ion transport between cell membranes. Genetic factors may also contribute.[6] Studies on twins show that genes have a 60 to 65% influence on the development of migraine.[7][8] Fluctuating hormone levels show a relation to migraine in several ways: three quarters of adult migraine patients are female while migraine affects approximately equal numbers of boys and girls before puberty,[citation needed] and migraine is known to disappear during pregnancy in a substantial number of sufferers.

Migraine is three times more common in women than in men. Some people can tell when they are about to have a migraine because they see flashing lights or zigzag lines or they temporarily lose their vision.

Many things can trigger a migraine. These include

Anxiety
Stress
Lack of food or sleep
Exposure to light
Hormonal changes (in women)