Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells provide oxygen to body tissues. There are many types of anemia. Pernicious anemia is a decrease in red blood cells that occurs when the intestines cannot properly absorb vitamin B12.

Giant cell arteritis is an inflammation of the lining of your arteries. Most often, it affects the arteries in your head, especially those in your temples. For this reason, giant cell arteritis is sometimes called temporal arteritis. Giant cell arteritis frequently causes headaches, scalp tenderness, jaw pain and vision problems. If left untreated, it can lead to stroke or blindness. Prompt treatment with corticosteroid medications usually relieves symptoms of giant cell arteritis and may prevent loss of vision. You'll likely begin to feel better within days of starting treatment. But even with treatment, relapses are common. You'll need to visit your doctor regularly for checkups and treatment of any side effects from taking corticosteroids.

How to prepare for your bone density scan

Avoid Osteoporosis, Build Bone Density With Upper Body Exercises

A spinal tumor is a growth that develops within your spinal canal or within the bones of your spine. It may be cancerous or noncancerous. Tumors that affect the bones of the spine (vertebrae) are known as vertebral tumors. Tumors that begin within the spinal cord itself are called spinal cord tumors. There are two main types of tumors that may affect the spinal cord: Intramedullary tumors begin in the cells within the spinal cord itself, such as astrocytomas or ependymomas. Extramedullary tumors develop within the supporting network of cells around the spinal cord. Although they don't begin within the spinal cord itself, these types of tumors may affect spinal cord function by causing spinal cord compression and other problems. Examples of extramedullary tumors that can affect the spinal cord include schwannomas, meningiomas and neurofibromas.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is defined as a specific form of chronic, progressive fibrosing interstitial pneumonia of unknown cause, primarily occurring in older adults, limited to the lungs, and associated with the histopathologic and/or radiologic pattern of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP).[1] Signs and symptoms The clinical symptoms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are nonspecific and can be shared with many pulmonary and cardiac diseases. Most patients present with a gradual onset (often >6 mo) of exertional dyspnea and/or a nonproductive cough. Approximately 5% of patients have no presenting symptoms when idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is serendipitously diagnosed.

Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) provides an indirect estimate of left atrial pressure (LAP). Although left ventricular pressure can be directly measured by placing a catheter within the left ventricle, it is not feasible to advance this catheter back into the left atrium. LAP can be measured by placing a special catheter into the right atrium then punching through the interatrial septum; however, for obvious reasons, this is not usually performed because of damage to the septum and potential harm to the patient.

Honeymoon palsy from another individual sleeping on and compressing one's arm overnight. Saturday night palsy from falling asleep with one's arm hanging over the arm rest of a chair, compressing the radial nerve

In lumbar stenosis, the spinal nerve roots in the lower back become compressed and this can produce symptoms of sciatica—tingling, weakness or numbness that radiates from the low back and into the buttocks and legs—especially with activity. Lumbar spinal stenosis often mimics symptoms of vascular insufficiency. Both conditions can cause claudication, which means leg pain with walking. If vascular studies identify normal blood flow, and there is confirmation of spinal stenosis on diagnostic testing, the symptoms are then called neurogenic claudication. In the classic description, people with spinal stenosis will describe an onset of leg pain, or weakness with walking, but with relief of symptoms with sitting. Many will also describe increased tolerance to walking when flexed forward, such as when walking while leaning forward on a shopping cart.

What is Scleroderma? (also known as Systemic Sclerosis)

Acute kidney failure occurs when your kidneys suddenly become unable to filter waste products from your blood. When your kidneys lose their filtering ability, dangerous levels of wastes may accumulate, and your blood's chemical makeup may get out of balance. Acute kidney failure — also called acute renal failure or acute kidney injury — develops rapidly over a few hours or a few days. Acute kidney failure is most common in people who are already hospitalized, particularly in critically ill people who need intensive care. Acute kidney failure can be fatal and requires intensive treatment. However, acute kidney failure may be reversible. If you're otherwise in good health, you may recover normal or nearly normal kidney function.

Choking occurs when a foreign object becomes lodged in the throat or windpipe, blocking the flow of air. In adults, a piece of food often is the culprit. Young children often swallow small objects. Because choking cuts off oxygen to the brain, administer first aid as quickly as possible. The universal sign for choking is hands clutched to the throat. If the person doesn't give the signal, look for these indications: Inability to talk Difficulty breathing or noisy breathing Inability to cough forcefully Skin, lips and nails turning blue or dusky Loss of consciousness

My Skin Could Kill Me

WARNING SIGNS OF BREAST CANCER Due to the use of regular mammography screening, most breast cancers in the U.S. are found at an early stage, before warning signs appear. However, not all breast cancers are found through mammography. The warning signs of breast cancer are not the same for all women. The most common signs are a change in the look or feel of the breast, a change in the look or feel of the nipple and nipple discharge. If you have any of the warning signs described below, see a health care provider [21-23]. If you do not have a provider, one of the best ways to find a good one is to get a referral from a trusted family member or friend. If that’s not an option, call your health department, a clinic or a nearby hospital.

An undescended testicle (cryptorchidism) is a testicle that hasn't moved into its proper position in the bag of skin hanging below the penis (scrotum) before birth. Usually just one testicle is affected, but about 10 percent of the time both testicles are undescended. An undescended testicle is uncommon in general, but common among baby boys born prematurely. The vast majority of the time, the undescended testicle moves into the proper position on its own, within the first few months of life. If your son has an undescended testicle that doesn't correct itself, surgery can relocate the testicle into the scrotum.

Lung inflation and pleural membranes anatomy

The biceps muscle is located in the front of your upper arm. It is attached to the bones of the shoulder and elbow by tendons — strong cords of fibrous tissue that attach muscles to bones. Tears of the biceps tendon at the elbow are uncommon. They are most often caused by a sudden injury and tend to result in greater arm weakness than injuries to the biceps tendon at the shoulder. Once torn, the biceps tendon at the elbow will not grow back to the bone and heal. Other arm muscles make it possible to bend the elbow fairly well without the biceps tendon. However, they cannot fulfill all the functions of the elbow, especially the motion of rotating the forearm from palm down to palm up. This motion is called supination. To return arm strength to near normal levels, surgery to repair the torn tendon is usually recommended. However, nonsurgical treatment is a reasonable option for patients who may not require full arm function.

Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. You may have sleep apnea if you snore loudly, and you feel tired even after a full night's sleep. The main types of sleep apnea are: Obstructive sleep apnea, the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax. Central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn't send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. Complex sleep apnea syndrome, also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, occurs when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. If you think you might have any form of sleep apnea, see your doctor. Treatment can ease your symptoms and may help prevent heart problems and other complications.

Check out the remarkable bond between the mother and her baby.

The term subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) refers to extravasation of blood into the subarachnoid space between the pial and arachnoid membranes. SAH constitutes half of all spontaneous atraumatic intracranial hemorrhages; the other half consists of bleeding that occurs within the brain parenchyma. Subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs in various clinical contexts, the most common being head trauma. However, the familiar use of the term SAH refers to nontraumatic (or spontaneous) hemorrhage, which usually occurs in the setting of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation (AVM).