A drug allergy is the abnormal reaction of your immune system to a medication. Any medication — over-the-counter, prescription or herbal — is capable of inducing a drug allergy. However, a drug allergy is more likely with certain medications. The most common signs and symptoms of drug allergy are hives, rash or fever. A drug allergy may cause serious reactions, including anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition that affects multiple body systems. A drug allergy is not the same as drug side effects, the known possible reactions that are listed on a drug label. A drug allergy is also distinct from drug toxicity caused by an overdose of medication.

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.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common causes of vertigo — the sudden sensation that you're spinning or that the inside of your head is spinning. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo causes brief episodes of mild to intense dizziness. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is usually triggered by specific changes in the position of your head. This might occur when you tip your head up or down, when you lie down, or when you turn over or sit up in bed. Although benign paroxysmal positional vertigo can be a bothersome problem, it's rarely serious except when it increases the chance of falls. You can receive effective treatment for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo during a doctor's office visit

Less than a decade ago, corneal transplantation took a big leap forward with the introduction of Descemet’s stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK), which removes only Descemet’s membrane and the diseased endothelium and replaces them with a thin, tripartite donor graft of posterior corneal stroma, Descemet’s membrane, and healthy endothelium. Then came DSAEK, in which the donor graft is prepared with an automated microkeratome, allowing for easier donor preparation and reproducible results by surgeons and eye bank technicians.1 DSAEK has proved to have many advantages over penetrating keratoplasty (PK) and its endothelial predecessors (see “A Brief History of Endothelial Keratoplasty”). Now DSAEK is being compared with a newer technique, Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), which has emerged as a promising alternative—grafting only Descemet’s membrane and endothelium, allowing for a pure anatomical replacement of only what was removed and the possibility of even better vision with quicker healing.1 Although indications for these procedures are similar, each has unique benefits and drawbacks. Five cornea surgeons offer their perspectives on the procedures and their thoughts on whether it may be time to move to the newer surgery.

Pink eye (conjunctivitis) is an inflammation or infection of the transparent membrane (conjunctiva) that lines your eyelid and covers the white part of your eyeball. When small blood vessels in the conjunctiva become inflamed, they're more visible. This is what causes the whites of your eyes to appear reddish or pink. Pink eye is commonly caused by a bacterial or viral infection or an allergic reaction. It may affect one or both eyes. Pink eye can be irritating, but it rarely affects your vision. Treatments can help ease the discomfort of pink eye. Because pink eye can be contagious, early diagnosis and treatment can help limit its spread.

Heartburn is a burning pain in your chest, just behind your breastbone. The pain is often worse when lying down or bending over. Occasional heartburn is common and no cause for alarm. Most people can manage the discomfort of heartburn on their own with lifestyle changes and over-the-counter medications. Heartburn that is more frequent or interferes with your daily routine may be a symptom of a more serious condition that requires medical care

Autologous arteriovenous access is the key to long-term success with hemodialysis and is strongly supported by the National Kidney Foundation's Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative guidelines. Basilic vein transposition (BVT) fulfills the need for a durable conduit with high patency and maturation rates. This retrospective review examines a single group's experience with this procedure. All patients undergoing BVT for hemodialysis with available follow-up data were reviewed. Telephone interviews were used to supplement clinical data where needed. Functional assisted patency was used as the end point for this procedure, and if the access was never used for dialysis, then the patency was considered zero. Secondary interventions performed while the access remained patent and in use were not considered detrimental to the patency reported. One hundred seventy BVTs in 162 patients were performed between November 1992 and October 2001. There were 87 women (53.7%) and 112 black patients (69.1%); hypertension was present in 138 patients (85.2%) and diabetes in 89 patients (54.9%). Each year, an increasing incidence of BVT was performed in our dialysis population. The BVT was performed as the first access in that extremity in 73 of the procedures (42.9%). Functional patency (primary assisted) was achieved in 40.0% at 2 years and 15.2% at 5 years. The mean assisted patency was 14.6 months. To maintain BVT patency, 40 percutaneous secondary interventions (69.0%) and 18 surgical revisions (31.0%) occurred in 32 patients (19.0%). Ligation for swelling was necessary in 4 patients (2.5%), and steal syndrome occurred in 3 patients (1.9%). BVT is a useful autologous procedure for hemodialysis and the preferred access alternative in patients without an adequate cephalic vein. Although patencies remain poor relative to other conventional arterial vascular procedures, BVT is our most durable hemodialysis access procedure and is often the only available autologous conduit for hemodialysis.

Endocarditis is an infection of the inner lining of your heart (endocardium). Endocarditis generally occurs when bacteria or other germs from another part of your body, such as your mouth, spread through your bloodstream and attach to damaged areas in your heart. Left untreated, endocarditis can damage or destroy your heart valves and can lead to life-threatening complications. Treatments for endocarditis include antibiotics and, in certain cases, surgery. Endocarditis is uncommon in people with healthy hearts. People at greatest risk of endocarditis have damaged heart valves, artificial heart valves or other heart defects.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects the large intestine (colon). Irritable bowel syndrome commonly causes cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea and constipation. IBS is a chronic condition that you will need to manage long term. Even though signs and symptoms are uncomfortable, IBS — unlike ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, which are forms of inflammatory bowel disease — doesn't cause changes in bowel tissue or increase your risk of colorectal cancer. Only a small number of people with irritable bowel syndrome have severe signs and symptoms. Some people can control their symptoms by managing diet, lifestyle and stress. Others will need medication and counseling.

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In an autologous transplant, a patient's own blood-forming stem cells are collected. He or she is then treated with high doses of chemotherapy, or a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. The high-dose treatment kills cancer cells, but also eliminates the blood-producing cells that are left in the bone marrow.

Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after too much inhalation of carbon monoxide (CO). Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect.

What Is Sleep Apnea? When you have this condition, your breath can become very shallow or you may even stop breathing -- briefly -- while you sleep. It can happen many times a night in some people. Obstructive sleep apnea happens when something partly or completely blocks your upper airway during shut-eye. That makes your diaphragm and chest muscles work harder to open the obstructed airway and pull air into the lungs. Breathing usually resumes with a loud gasp, snort, or body jerk. You may not sleep well, but you probably won't be aware that this is happening.

Most blisters caused by friction or minor burns do not require a doctor's care. New skin will form underneath the affected area and the fluid is simply absorbed. Do not puncture a blister unless it is large, painful, or likely to be further irritated. The fluid-filled blister keeps the underlying skin clean, which prevents infection and promotes healing.

The kidneys are a pair of organs located in the back of the abdomen. Each kidney is about 4 or 5 inches long -- about the size of a fist. The kidneys' function are to filter the blood. All the blood in our bodies passes through the kidneys several times a day. The kidneys remove wastes, control the body's fluid balance, and regulate the balance of electrolytes. As the kidneys filter blood, they create urine, which collects in the kidneys' pelvis -- funnel-shaped structures that drain down tubes called ureters to the bladder. Each kidney contains around a million units called nephrons, each of which is a microscopic filter for blood. It's possible to lose as much as 90% of kidney function without experiencing any symptoms or problems.

If you or someone you love has atrial fibrillation, learn more about what AFib is, why treatment can save lives, and what you can do to reach your goals, lower your risks and live a healthy life.

Gastric Bypass Surgery - Maagverkleining - Weight Loss Surgery - WLS

Indications for intervention in patients with a renal artery aneurysm (RAA) include the following [20, 8, 13, 14] : Rupture Symptomatic RAA - Hypertension (from associated renal artery stenosis, refractory to medical management), pain, renal ischemia or infarction secondary to embolization from the aneurysm sac RAAs in females who are pregnant or are contemplating pregnancy Diameter greater than 2 cm Enlarging RAA RAA associated with acute dissection Currently, there is no consensus regarding the size at which an RAA should be repaired in an asymptomatic patient. Experts have recommended RAA repair at diameters ranging from 1.5 to 3 cm, [8] though most suggest 2 cm. Some reports have even suggest that larger asymptomatic saccular aneurysms may be managed expectantly. Note that aneurysm rupture at a diameter of 1.5 cm has been reported. Complete calcification of the wall of the aneurysm sac manifests in about 40% of patients. This was once believed to confer protection against rupture [21] ; however, this belief has since been questioned. [30] Asymptomatic, small (<2 cm in diameter) RAAs do not usually require treatment. One notable exception is an RAA in a woman who is pregnant or contemplating pregnancy. In view of the increased risk of rupture in such cases, even small asymptomatic aneurysms should be repaired in this population. For diagnosis and preinterventional planning, gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and computed tomography (CT) angiography (CTA) with three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction have essentially replaced conventional arteriography. Regular follow-up examination with ultrasonography (US) or CT) is recommended in patients who are treated expectantly. Spontaneous cure by thrombosis of small aneurysms has been described. Further refinements in endovascular techniques may allow more RAAs to be treated in this manner. So far, excellent short- and intermediate-term results have been described in the literature [40] ; however, there remains a need for further long-term outcome data.

Take regular breaks. If you are in a prolonged standing position or a prolonged sitting position, take regular breaks and move your arms or legs. Take a short walk, do some leg or arm exercises, on the spot walking/running, or take a walk outside the workplace. Get your circulation moving to your extremities.

There are currently 2 types of pneumococcal vaccines: pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13 or Prevnar 13®) and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23 or Pneumovax®). PCV13 is recommended for all children younger than 5 years old, all adults 65 years or older, and people 6 years or older with certain risk factors.