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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Email this page to a friend Print Facebook Twitter Google+ Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease. Having COPD makes it hard to breathe. There are two main forms of COPD: Chronic bronchitis, which involves a long-term cough with mucus Emphysema, which involves damage to the lungs over time Most people with COPD have a combination of both conditions. Causes Smoking is the main cause of COPD. The more a person smokes, the more likely that person will develop COPD. But some people smoke for years and never get COPD. In rare cases, nonsmokers who lack a protein called alpha-1 antitrypsin can develop emphysema. Emphysema Other risk factors for COPD are: Exposure to certain gases or fumes in the workplace Exposure to heavy amounts of secondhand smoke and pollution Frequent use of a cooking fire without proper ventilation Symptoms Symptoms may include any of the following: Cough, with or without mucous Fatigue Many respiratory infections Shortness of breath (dyspnea) that gets worse with mild activity Trouble catching one's breath Wheezing Because the symptoms develop slowly, some people may not know that they have COPD.
Hypothyroidism during pregnancy is treated with synthetic thyroid hormone, thyroxine (T4). Postpartum thyroiditis—inflammation of the thyroid gland—causes a brief period of hyperthyroidism, often followed by hypothyroidism that usually goes away within a year. Sometimes the hypothyroidism is permanent.
All forms of heparin (including low-molecular-weight heparin such as enoxaparin) must be stopped immediately in patients with suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) while awaiting diagnostic confirmation. Patients with HIT remain at high risk of thrombosis even after discontinuation of heparin. Therefore, an alternate, rapidly acting, non-heparin anticoagulant such as direct thrombin inhibitor (eg, argatroban, bivalirudin) must be started immediately.
Two types of clinically distinct necrotizing fasciitis have been described. The most common form (type II) usually occurs in individuals with no concurrent medical illness. Many patients report a history of laceration, blunt trauma, or a surgical procedure as a predisposing factor. It is typically caused by group A Streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes). In contrast, type I is usually seen in patients with underlying diabetes and peripheral vascular disease. It is generally a polymicrobial infection; some commonly isolated organisms include Staphylococcus aureus, Bacteroides tragi/is, Escherichia coli, group A Streptococcus, and Pre vote/fa species. Crepitus is more common if anaerobic organisms, such as Clostridium perfringens or 8 tragi/is, are involved.
Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is a rare autosomal dominant metabolic disorder affecting the production of heme, the oxygen-binding prosthetic group of hemoglobin. It is characterized by a deficiency of the enzyme porphobilinogen deaminase.
Uncomplicated acute otitis media (AOM) should be treated empirically with amoxicillin. Recurrent AOM should raise concern for beta-lactamase resistance and warrants treatment with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Ototopical medications are unnecessary, even if there is tympanic membrane perforation.
This video shows the technique of suprapatellar tibial nailing as used for a segmental tibia fracture. The broken leg was treated with the nail to allow immediate mobility and range of motion; no cast was needed for this injury.
In Reye's syndrome, a child's blood sugar level typically drops while the levels of ammonia and acidity in his or her blood rise. At the same time, the liver may swell and develop fatty deposits. Swelling may also occur in the brain, which can cause seizures, convulsions or loss of consciousness. The signs and symptoms of Reye's syndrome typically appear about three to five days after the onset of a viral infection, such as the flu (influenza) or chickenpox, or an upper respiratory infection, such as a cold
Preventing heart attacks and stroke can involve extensive surgery to remove plaque from your arteries, but as FOX17's Nick Paranjape shows us, there's a new procedure in Middle Tennessee that is less invasive and substantially cuts down on your recovery time. At 76, Jimmy Wilkie of Hendersonville exercises on his treadmill 3-4 times a week. Recently, he started having pain in his left leg. It was so bad, he couldn't even walk. Turned out, Mr. Wilkie had a blocked artery in his leg. In years past, this would've required major bypass surgery. Not anymore!"The Turbohawk Catheter has really opened a new door for us," says Dr. Dan Wunder.Dr. Wunder, an Interventional Radiologist at Premier Radiology in Madison, is talking about the Turbohawk. It's a device which is inserted into the blocked artery, and inside the Turbohawk are 4 tiny blades."It can cut the plaque and with that shape of the disc it cuts with it pushes it forward into the catheter," says Dr. Wunder.The one-hour procedure doesn't just push the plaque to the sides where it can re-grow, but instead grabs it and removes it!"We pull it back out and it fills up," says Dr. Wunder. "Empty it out, go back down and we can cut some more out."Before and after images really say it all."They used a roto rooter as he called it," says Wilkie.A roto rooter, Turbohawk, call it what you want, but Wilkie says all he knows is the procedure worked right away!"There wasn't any pain at all in my leg," says Wilkie.It's rare, but the outpatient procedure can have complications like plaque getting pushed down in the leg. Dr. Wunder says the main symptoms of a blockage in your legs is having severe pain or cramping when you're walking or exercising.
... Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Our Services Where Does it Hurt? SNAPPING SCAPULA SYNDROME PDF Icon PRINTABLE BOOKLET A PATIENT'S GUIDE TO SNAPPING SCAPULA SYNDROME INTRODUCTION The scapulothoracic joint is located where the shoulder blade (also called the scapula) glides along the chest wall (the thorax). When movement of this joint causes feelings or sounds of grating, grinding, popping, or thumping, doctors call it snapping scapula syndrome. Snapping scapula syndrome is fairly rare. When it happens, the soft tissues between the scapula and the chest wall are thick, irritated, or inflamed. Snapping scapula syndrome can also happen if the bones of the shoulder blade or rib cage grate over one another. This guide will help you understand what causes snapping scapula syndrome how doctors treat this condition ANATOMY What parts of the body are involved in this condition? The shoulder is made up of three bones: the humerus (upper arm bone), the clavicle (collarbone), and the scapula(shoulder blade). Two large muscles attach to the front part of the scapula where it rests against the chest wall. One of them, called the subscapularis muscle, attaches over the front of the scapula where it faces the chest wall. The serratus anterior muscle attaches along the edge of the scapula nearest the spine. It passes in front of the scapula, wraps around the chest wall, and connects to the ribs on the front part of the chest. A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that cushions body tissues from friction. A bursa sits between the two muscles of the scapula. There is also a bursa in the space between the serratus anterior muscle and the chest wall. When bursa sacs become inflamed, the condition is called bursitis. Scapulothoracic bursitis refers to inflammation in the bursa under the shoulder blade. This type of bursitis is most common in the upper corner of the scapula nearest the spine. It also occurs under the lower tip of the scapula. In either case, it can cause the sounds and sensations of snapping scapula syndrome. A person can have bursitis in the joint without any grinding or popping. Related Document: A Patient's Guide to Shoulder Anatomy CAUSES What causes this condition? Snapping scapula is caused by problems in the soft tissues or bones of the scapula and chest wall. It can start when the tissues between the scapula and shoulder blade thicken from inflammation. The inflammation is usually caused by repetitive movements. Certain motions of the shoulder done over and over again, such as the movements of pitching baseballs or hanging wallpaper, can cause the tissues of the joint to become inflamed. In other cases, the muscles under the scapula have shrunk (atrophied) from weakness or inactivity. The scapula bone then rides more closely to the rib cage. This means the scapula bumps or rubs on the rib bones during movement. Changes in the alignment or contour of the bones of the scapulothoracic joint can also cause snapping scapula. When a fractured rib or scapula isn't lined up just right, it can cause a bumpy ridge that produces the characteristic grind or snap as the scapula moves over the chest wall.
The goal of COPD management is to improve a patient’s functional status and quality of life by preserving optimal lung function, improving symptoms, and preventing the recurrence of exacerbations. Currently, no treatments aside from lung transplantation have been shown to significantly improve lung function or decrease mortality; however, oxygen therapy (when appropriate) and smoking cessation may reduce mortality. Once the diagnosis of COPD is established, it is important to educate the patient about the disease and to encourage his or her active participation in therapy.
In a normal person, when a muscle tendon is tapped briskly, the muscle immediately contracts due to a two-neuron reflex arc involving the spinal or brainstem segment that innervates the muscle. The afferent neuron whose cell body lies in a dorsal root ganglion innervates the muscle or Golgi tendon organ associated with the muscles; the efferent neuron is an alpha motoneuron in the anterior horn of the cord. The cerebral cortex and a number of brainstem nuclei exert influence over the sensory input of the muscle spindles by means of the gamma motoneurons that are located in the anterior horn; these neurons supply a set of muscle fibers that control the length of the muscle spindle itself.
A filling is a way to restore a tooth damaged by decay back to its normal function and shape. When a dentist gives you a filling, he or she first removes the decayed tooth material, cleans the affected area, and then fills the cleaned out cavity with a filling material. By closing off spaces where bacteria can enter, a filling also helps prevent further decay. Materials used for fillings include gold, porcelain, a composite resin (tooth-colored fillings), and an amalgam (an alloy of mercury, silver, copper, tin and sometimes zinc).