What is polycystic kidney disease? Polycystic kidney disease (also called PKD) causes numerous cysts to grow in the kidneys. These cysts are filled with fluid. If too many cysts grow or if they get too big, the kidneys can become damaged. PKD cysts can slowly replace much of the kidneys, reducing kidney function and leading to kidney failure. How common is PKD? In the United States about 600,000 people have PKD. It is the fourth leading cause of kidney failure. It is found in all races and occurs equally in men and women. It causes about 5% of all kidney failure. What other organs besides the kidney are affected by PKD? PKD can affect other organs besides the kidney. People with PKD may have cysts in their liver, pancreas, spleen, ovaries, and large bowel. Cysts in these organs usually do not cause serious problems, but can in some people. PKD can also affect the brain or heart. If PKD affects the brain, it can cause an aneurysm. An aneurysm is a bulging blood vessel that can burst, resulting in a stroke or even death. If PKD affects the heart, the valves can become floppy, resulting in a heart murmur in some patients. What are the clues that someone has PKD? Most people do not develop symptoms until they are 30 to 40 years old. The first noticeable signs and symptoms may include: Back or side pain An increase in the size of the abdomen Blood in the urine Frequent bladder or kidney infections High blood pressure High blood pressure is the most common sign of PKD. Occasionally, patients may develop headaches related to high blood pressure or their doctors may detect high blood pressure during a routine physical exam. Because high blood pressure can cause kidney damage, it is very important to treat it. In fact, treatment of high blood pressure can help slow or even prevent kidney failure. Fluttering or pounding in the chest About 25% of PKD patients have a so-called floppy valve in the heart, and may experience a fluttering or pounding in the chest as well as chest pain. These symptoms almost always disappear on their own but may be the first hint that someone has PKD. How is PKD diagnosed? Ultrasound is the most reliable, inexpensive and non-invasive way to diagnose PKD. If someone at risk for PKD is older than 40 years and has a normal ultrasound of the kidneys, he or she probably does not have PKD. Occasionally, a CT scan (computed tomography scan) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) may detect smaller cysts that cannot be found by an ultrasound. MRI is used to measure and monitor volume and growth of kidneys and cysts. In some situations, genetic testing might also be done. This involves a blood test that checks for abnormal genes that cause the disease. Genetic testing is not recommended for everyone. The test is costly, and it also fails to detect PKD in about 15% of people who have it. However, genetic testing can be useful when a person: has an uncertain diagnosis based on imaging tests has a family history of PKD and wants to donate a kidney is younger than 30-years old with a family history of PKD and a negative ultrasound, and is planning to start a family

Constipation is a common problem. It means either going to the toilet less often than usual to empty the bowels, or passing hard or painful stools (faeces). Constipation may be caused by not eating enough fibre, or not drinking enough fluids. It can also be a side-effect of certain medicines, or related to an underlying medical condition. In many cases, the cause is not clear. Laxatives are a group of medicines that can treat constipation. Ideally, laxatives should only be used for short periods of time until symptoms ease. Note: there is a separate leaflet on constipation in children. What is constipation? Constipation is common. If you are constipated it causes one or more of the following: Stools (faeces) become hard and difficult or painful to pass. The time between toilet trips increases compared with your usual pattern. (Note: there is a large range of normal bowel habit. Some people normally go to the toilet to pass stools 2-3 times per day. For others, 2-3 times per week is normal. It is a change from your usual pattern that may mean that you are constipated.) Sometimes, crampy pains occur in the lower part of your tummy (abdomen) You may also feel bloated and feel sick if you have severe constipation. What are the causes of constipation? Known causes include the following: Not eating enough fibre (roughage) is a common cause. The average person in the UK eats about 12 g of fibre each day. But, 18 g per day is recommended by the British Nutrition Foundation. Fibre is the part of plant food that is not digested. It remains in your gut. It adds bulk to the stools (faeces) and helps your bowels to work well. Foods high in fibre include fruit, vegetables, cereals and wholemeal bread. Not drinking much may make constipation worse. Stools are usually soft and easily passed if you eat enough fibre and drink enough fluid. However, some people need more fibre and/or fluid than others in order to avoid constipation. Some special slimming diets are low in fibre and may cause constipation. Some medicines can cause constipation as a side-effect. Examples are painkillers (particularly those with codeine, such as co-codamol, or very strong painkillers, such as morphine), some antacids, some antidepressants (including amitriptyline) and iron tablets; however, there are many others. See the list of possible side-effects on the leaflet that comes with any medicine that you may be taking. Tell a doctor if you suspect a medicine is making you constipated. A change of medication may be possible. Various medical conditions can cause constipation. For example, an underactive thyroid gland, irritable bowel syndrome, some gut disorders and conditions that cause poor mobility, particularly in the elderly. Pregnancy. About 1 in 5 pregnant women will become constipated. It is due to the hormonal changes of pregnancy that slow down the gut movements. In later pregnancy, it can simply be due to the baby taking up a lot of room in the tummy and the bowels being pushed to one side.

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.

Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease that, over time, can cause some of the vertebrae in your spine to fuse. This fusing makes the spine less flexible and can result in a hunched-forward posture. If ribs are affected, it can be difficult to breathe deeply. Ankylosing spondylitis affects men more often than women. Signs and symptoms typically begin in early adulthood. Inflammation also can occur in other parts of your body — most commonly, your eyes. There is no cure for ankylosing spondylitis, but treatments can lessen your symptoms and possibly slow progression of the disease.

Maybe you're just really eager to get pregnant, or maybe you hope that your baby will be born at a certain time of year. Here are five ways to boost your chances of conceiving quickly – along with tips for a healthy pregnancy and guidelines on when to be concerned about a fertility problem. Tip #1: See your healthcare provider You can lay the groundwork for a healthy pregnancy even before you get pregnant. You're more likely to have a successful pregnancy when your body is up to the task. Schedule a preconception checkup with a doctor or midwife to find out whether you're in your best baby-making shape – and to learn what changes may help. You may not be able to get an appointment right away or resolve any health issues immediately, but taking these steps as soon as possible can help you conceive more easily in the long run. Tip #2: Plan for a healthy pregnancy When you're trying to conceive, eat nutritious foods, maintain a healthy weight, get regular exercise, and try to kick any bad habits (like drinking, smoking, or using drugs). Limit your caffeine intake to less than 200 milligrams a day (about 12 ounces of coffee). Any more than that may contribute to fertility problems. At your preconception appointment, discuss any medications you're taking and find out if they'll be safe to use during pregnancy. You can dramatically reduce the risk of certain birth defects if you begin taking folic acid at least one month before you start trying to conceive. Find out what else you can do ahead of time to give your baby a healthy start. Tip #3: Figure out when you ovulate The biggest secret to getting pregnant quickly is knowing when you ovulate (release an egg from your ovary). You ovulate only once each menstrual cycle, and there are just a few days during that time when it's possible to conceive. Knowing when you ovulate means that you and your partner can time intercourse to have the best chance of getting pregnant that cycle. You can use a few different methods to figure out when you ovulate. Our article on predicting ovulation walks you through them. This ovulation calculator also does the math for you by determining when you're most likely to be fertile. (If you have irregular periods, pinpointing ovulation could be difficult. Ask your provider for advice.) Tip #4: Have sex at the right time Once you know the timeframe your egg is likely to be released from your ovary, you can plan to have sex during your most fertile days, which is usually about three days before ovulation through the day you ovulate. You have a range of days for baby-making sex because sperm can survive for three to six days in your body. (Your egg survives for only about a day.) That means if you have sex on Monday, sperm can survive in your fallopian tubes until Thursday – or even as late as Sunday. If you're not sure when your fertile period will be, just have sex every other day. This means you'll have healthy sperm in your fallopian tubes whenever your egg gets released. (If you want to have sex more often than every other day, that's fine. It won't improve your chances any more, but it won't hurt, either.) Another tip: If you and your partner are waiting to have sex until your most fertile time, make sure you haven't gone through too long of a dry spell beforehand. Your partner should ejaculate at least once in the days just before your most fertile period. Otherwise there could be a buildup of dead sperm in his semen. (Ed. note: Vaginal lubricants including saliva, olive oil, and most water-based lubricants can slow down sperm. Ask your provider to recommend one that's safe to use when trying to conceive. Canola oil can be a good alternative.) Tip #5: Give sperm a boost Sperm have the best shot of fertilizing an egg when they're healthy, strong, and plentiful. Your partner can do several things to help: Cut back on alcohol. Studies show that drinking daily can lower testosterone levels and sperm counts, increasing the number of abnormal sperm. Skip tobacco and recreational drugs. These can cause poor sperm function. Try to maintain a healthy weight. Obesity can lower sperm count and slow down sperm. Get enough of certain key nutrients – like zinc, folic acid, calcium, and vitamins C and D – that help create strong and plentiful sperm. Don't use hot tubs and saunas or take hot baths because heat kills sperm. (Testicles function best at 94 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit, a couple of degrees cooler than normal body temperature.) The sooner your partner can make these changes, the better: Sperm take a while to mature, so any improvements now will yield better sperm specimens about three months from now. How long to try before getting help If you're going to get pregnant naturally, it's very likely to happen within the first six months. About 8 out of 10 couples have conceived by then. After that, how long you should keep trying before you seek help from a fertility specialist depends in large part on your age. Fertility declines as you get older, so if you're age 40 or older, get help from an expert right away. If you're 35 to 40, talk to a specialist after you've tried for six months with no luck. And if you're younger than 35, it's probably fine to keep trying for a year before seeking assistance. Of course, if you know of a reason you or your partner are more likely to have a fertility problem, make an appointment right away. There's no reason to wait in that case.

The liver also detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs. As it does so, the liver secretes bile that ends up back in the intestines. The liver also makes proteins important for blood clotting and other functions. First, for those impatient, short answers to the mini-questions (if you're reading this in the news feed, you may want to click through for the question details): No one knows why we evolved 2 kidneys and one liver.

Chordoid meningioma, classified as atypical meningioma according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) classification, is a rare subtype, which represents only 0.5% of all meningiomas and is associated with a high incidence of recurrence. Multiple intracranial meningiomas are rare in non-neurofibromatosis patients. We present a female patient with both of these rare types of meningioma. The patient presented with two concurrent intracranial meningiomas, with one a meningotheliomatous subtype and the other a chordoid meningioma. Given the wide array of histological differential diagnoses in chordoid meningioma, immunohistochemistry has a significant role to play in differentiating them. Recurrence in chordoid meningioma can be generally predicted based on the extent of resection, the percentage of chordoid element, and proliferation indices.

Pediatric 4-Step Basic Technique

De Quervain's tenosynovitis (dih-kwer-VAINS ten-oh-sine-oh-VIE-tis) is a painful condition affecting the tendons on the thumb side of your wrist. If you have de Quervain's tenosynovitis, it will probably hurt when you turn your wrist, grasp anything or make a fist. Although the exact cause of de Quervain's tenosynovitis isn't known, any activity that relies on repetitive hand or wrist movement — such as working in the garden, playing golf or racket sports, or lifting your baby — can make it worse. Symptoms ShareTweet June 13, 2015 References Products and Services Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Newsletter: Mayo Clinic Health Letter See also Prednisone risks, benefits Prednisone withdrawal: Why taper down slowly? Integrative approaches to treating pain Lifestyle strategies for pain management Nutrition and pain Pain rehabilitation Self-care approaches to treating pain Show more Advertisement Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Advertising & Sponsorship PolicyOpportunitiesAd Choices Mayo Clinic Store Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic. NEW! – The Mayo Clinic Diet, Second Edition Healthy Heart for Life! Mayo Clinic on Better Hearing and Balance Treatment Strategies for Arthritis The Mayo Clinic Diet Online

Is your vertigo or dizziness BPPV or autoimmune?

If your knee is severely damaged by arthritis or injury, it may be hard for you to perform simple activities, such as walking or climbing stairs. You may even begin to feel pain while you are sitting or lying down. If nonsurgical treatments like medications and using walking supports are no longer helpful, you may want to consider total knee replacement surgery. Joint replacement surgery is a safe and effective procedure to relieve pain, correct leg deformity, and help you resume normal activities. Knee replacement surgery was first performed in 1968. Since then, improvements in surgical materials and techniques have greatly increased its effectiveness. Total knee replacements are one of the most successful procedures in all of medicine. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, more than 600,000 knee replacements are performed each year in the United States. Whether you have just begun exploring treatment options or have already decided to have total knee replacement surgery, this article will help you understand more about this valuable procedure.

Boxer’s Knuckle is an injury to the structures around the first knuckle of a finger, also known as the metacarpophalangeal joint (MPJ). The skin, extensor tendon, ligaments, joint cartilage, and the bone of the metacarpal head may all be involved. Repeated impacts to the extensor tendon over the knuckle causes Hypertrophic Interstitial Tendonosis, or HIT Syndrome. This is a thickening, weakening, inflammation, and scarring of the extensor tendon.

What Causes TMD? We don’t know what causes TMD. Dentists believe symptoms arise from problems with the muscles of your jaw or with the parts of the joint itself. Injury to your jaw, the joint, or the muscles of your head and neck -- like from a heavy blow or whiplash -- can lead to TMD. Other causes include: Grinding or clenching your teeth, which puts a lot of pressure on the joint Movement of the soft cushion or disc between the ball and socket of the joint Arthritis in the joint Stress, which can cause you to tighten facial and jaw muscles or clench the teeth

Experience with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in children has been limited due to multiple factors, including the relatively low incidence of diseases requiring ERCP in this age group, the impression that the procedure is technically difficult in children, and because the indications and safety of ERCP in children have not been well defined. As a result, patients are generally referred to a tertiary care facility or to adult endoscopists who perform a high volume of procedures.

Could this be a viable alternative to open heart surgery?

extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy is used to treat kidney stones

Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). When you become depressed, you may feel sad or hopeless and lose interest or pleasure in most activities. When your mood shifts to mania or hypomania (less extreme than mania), you may feel euphoric, full of energy or unusually irritable. These mood swings can affect sleep, energy, activity, judgment, behavior and the ability to think clearly. Episodes of mood swings may occur rarely or multiple times a year. While most people will experience some emotional symptoms between episodes, some may not experience any. Although bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition, you can manage your mood swings and other symptoms by following a treatment plan. In most cases, bipolar disorder is treated with medications and psychological counseling (psychotherapy).

Finger metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint collateral ligament sprains should not be overtreated. First-degree sprains may require a brief period of protection, usually consisting of buddy taping for 2-3 weeks. Second-degree sprains are immobilized in mid flexion for 3 weeks. Finger MCP joint hyperextension injuries may be treated by gently flexing the proximal phalanx and immobilizing the MCP joint in 30° of flexion for 2-3 weeks. A dorsal extension-block splint protects the healing volar plate while allowing active flexion of the finger. Early protected motion minimizes postinjury stiffness. Thumb MCP joint hyperextension injuries ("locked MCP joint") are immobilized in 20° MCP joint flexion for 3 weeks.

Male To Female Gender Reassignment Surgery

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