Disorders and Diseases

How Dialysis Works
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Dialysis acts as an artificial kidney. There are two types of treatment: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. About 90 percent of dialysis patients receive hemodialysis, in which the blood is circulated outside the body and cleaned inside a machine

How is anthrax diagnosed? Anthrax Laboratory Testing
by CDC
Anthrax is diagnosed by isolating B. anthracis from the blood, skin lesions, or respiratory secretions or by measuring specific antibodies in the blood of persons with suspected cases.

Understanding Wegener's Granulomatosis
by National Institute of Health
Wegener's granulomatosis is an uncommon disease, in which the blood vessels are inflamed (vasculitis). This inflammation damages important organs of the body by limiting blood flow to those organs and destroying normal tissue.

Interstitial Cystitis: Disabling Bladder Condition : Treating the Condition
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
There is no cure for IC. All doctors can do is try to relieve the symptoms, a challenging task, because they vary from person to person. People may have flare-ups and remissions, and different patients respond to different treatments.

Psoriasis Systemic Treatments
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Systemic drugs that may be prescribed for psoriasis include acitretin, methotrexate, cyclosporine, and biologics, which are drugs made from proteins of living cells. Methotrexate, cyclosporine, and the biologic drugs are immunosuppressants

Treating Hemorrhoids
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
People usually roll their eyes and want to change the subject when they hear the word hemorrhoids. Though not a serious risk to health, these anal problems can make people miserable. Measures from diet to surgery can help.

Cluster Headache, Tension-Type Headache
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Cluster headache is so-named because it recurs in clusters, several times a day, for several weeks or months. A cluster may start at a certain time of year, perhaps with a change of season.

Pertussis : Cough Prevention
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Different age groups - not just children - need to be protected against this highly infectious disease. Commonly thought of as a childhood illness, pertussis actually affects people of all ages.

Aedes Albopictus and Aedes Japonicus
by CDC
Aedes albopictus, an Asian mosquito, probably was introduced into Hawaii late in the last century. Until its discovery in Houston, Texas, in August 1985, this species was unknown in the New World.

Teens: Correcting the Curved Spine of Scoliosis : Surgery
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Today, molded braces are available that generally don't show under clothing because they fit close and only come up to the underarms. Although underarm braces are effective for lower chest and lower back curves, a full torso brace works best for a high

Tropical Diseases: Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, Elephantiasis
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
In the United States, Barat says, oral quinine given together with either tetracycline or sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (Fansidar) is the best regimen for treatment of mild to moderate falciparum malaria acquired in areas where resistance to chloroquine

Epilepsy: Diagnosis, Drugs, Controlling Seizures
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Tests may be done to rule out short-term causes of seizures, such as uncontrolled diabetes or infections. A complete neurological exam is done, including an EEG electroencephalogram, a machine that records brain waves picked up by wires taped to the head

Dehydration in Children
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Dehydration as a result of vomiting and diarrhea is one of the most common problems of infancy and early childhood. Oral rehydration therapy, readily available in fluid form for home use, is saving children's lives both in the United States and abroad.

Tourette Syndrome (TS)
by CDC
Tourette Syndrome (TS) is an inherited, neurological disorder characterized by multiple involuntary movements, called motor tics, and uncontrollable vocalizations called vocal or phonic tics.

Lupus : Multiple Factors, Typical Treatment
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
How and why lupus develops is not understood. Experts say the illness probably results from a complex mix of hormonal, genetic, and environmental factors. The hormone estrogen likely plays some role, which may explain why more women than men have

Hemophilia : The AIDS Disaster, Genetic Engineering
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
For some time, scientists had known that hemophiliacs were at high risk of hepatitis, a group of viral diseases that can be transmitted by contaminated blood and blood products. Though not usually fatal, hepatitis is serious.

Controlling Epilepsy : Surgical Cures, Pinpointing Epilepsy
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
When all else fails, some people with epilepsy may benefit from surgical removal of the malfunctioning brain cells that spark their seizures. To benefit from such surgery, patients' seizures must begin in one fairly small area of the brain that is not

Epilepsy : Types of Seizures
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
With epilepsy, people experience different types of seizures. Some people have just one type, while others have more than one. The kind of seizure a person has depends on which part and how much of the brain is affected by the electrical disturbance

Preventing Turista and Other Travelers' Ailments
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
There are also a number of other diseases or medical conditions that are rare or nonexistent in the United States but common abroad, especially in developing countries. These include the ancient scourges of malaria, typhoid, cholera, and yellow fever.

African Trypanosomiasis
by CDC
What is African trypanosomiasis? There are two types of African trypanosomiasis (also called sleeping sickness); each is named for the region of Africa in which they are found.