Disorders and Diseases

The Warriors
The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History
by John M. Barry
On September 12, 1876, the crowd overflowing the auditorium of Baltimore's Academy of Music was in a mood of hopeful excitement, but excitement without frivolity. Indeed, despite an unusual number of women in attendance, many of them from the uppermost

Understanding Anthrax
by National Institute of Health
Anthrax, notorious for its role in the fall 2001 bioterror attacks, is a disease caused by a microbe known as Bacillus anthracis. In the fall of 2001, lethal anthrax bacteria were spread deliberately through the U.S. mail.

Lassa Fever
by CDC
Lassa fever is an acute viral illness that occurs in West Africa. The illness was discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses died in Nigeria, West Africa. The cause of the illness was found to be Lassa virus, named after the town in Nigeria

Myasthenia Gravis (MG) FAQ
by Women's Health Information Center
What is myasthenia gravis (MG)? Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease that affects the transmission of signals from nerves to muscles. The name myasthenia gravis comes from Greek and Latin words meaning 'grave muscle weakness.'

Mad Cow Disease Emergency Respond
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
When Food and Drug Administration investigator Scott Nabe arrived at the Columbia River Gorge that separates Washington and Oregon in December 2003, he wasn't paying attention to the stunning beauty described by explorers Lewis and Clark nearly 200 years

Tick-borne Encephalitis
by CDC
Tick-borne encephalitis, or TBE, is a human viral infectious disease involving the central nervous system. The disease is most often manifest as meningitis (inflammation of the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord), encephalitis

A New Challenge for Former Polio Patients
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
While polio vaccines have nearly eradicated this potentially paralyzing disease in the United SDtates, some people who were stricken in the pre-vaccine era are now experiencing resurgence of symptoms.

Pet Reptiles Pose Risk of Salmonella Infection for Their Owners
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Approximately 3 percent of American households own an estimated 7.3 million reptiles. Because the most popular species will not breed if closely confined, most reptiles are captured in the wild or hatched at reptile ranches and imported.

Ten Questions to Ask Your Doctor After a Diagnosis
by US Department of Health and Human Services
These 10 basic questions can help you understand your disease or condition, how it might be treated, and what you need to know and do before making treatment decisions. 1. What is the technical name of my disease or condition, and what does it mean

Restless Legs Syndrome: Treatment
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a medical condition characterized by unpleasant sensations in the legs, including burning, tugging, and tightening, and feels 'like insects crawling inside the legs,' according to the National Institute of Neurological

Arenaviruses
by CDC
The Arenaviridae are a family of viruses whose members are generally associated with rodent-transmitted disease in humans. Each virus usually is associated with a particular rodent host species in which it is maintained.

Of Guts and Gluten: In Celiac Disease, the Two Don't Mix
by National Institute of Health
What if you couldn't eat bread? Or pasta? Or cookies? What if you couldn't eat anything containing wheat, rye and barley because of gluten, a protein found in these grains? You would be among the millions of American who get gas, diarrhea

Breast cancer, osteoporosis... Conditions Men Get, Too
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Breast cancer, osteoporosis, and eating disorders are three maladies often thought of as 'women's diseases.' This stereotype often prevents men who contract them from getting the help they need.

Rift Valley Fever
by CDC
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an acute, fever-causing viral disease that affects domestic animals (such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels) and humans. RVF is most commonly associated with mosquito-borne epidemics during years of unusually heavy

Human Ehrlichiosis
by CDC
Ehrlichiosis is caused by several bacterial species in the genus Ehrlichia (pronounced err-lick-ee-uh) which have been recognized since 1935. Over several decades, veterinary pathogens that caused disease in dogs, cattle, sheep, goats, and horses

Rare Diseases : Adopting the 'Orphans'
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Before the passage of rare disease laws in the United States, patients diagnosed with a rare disease were denied access to effective medicines because prescription drug manufacturers rarely could make a profit from marketing drugs to such small groups.

SARS Facts and FAQ
by CDC
What is SARS? Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory illness that was recognized as a global threat in March 2003, after first appearing in Southern China in November 2002.

A Pain in the Pelvis: Spreading Cells Can Cause a Condition Called Endometriosis
by National Institute of Health
Pain can be the first sign that something's wrong - cramping pain in the pelvis or pain during sex. But for women of childbearing age, difficulty getting pregnant is most often what leads them to see a doctor.

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever
by CDC
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is caused by infection with a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus) in the family Bunyaviridae. The disease was first characterized in the Crimea in 1944 and given the name Crimean hemorrhagic fever.

Protecting Against West Nile Virus
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Despite the risk of getting WNV through blood products, organs, and breast milk, these forms of transmission appear to be rare, according to the CDC. Bites from mosquitoes carrying WNV remain, by far, the most common means of transmission.