Disorders and Diseases

Viral Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu)
by CDC
Gastroenteritis means inflammation of the stomach and small and large intestines. Viral gastroenteritis is an infection caused by a variety of viruses that results in vomiting or diarrhea. It is often called the stomach flu, although it is not caused

Hemophilia : Genes
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
A person with hemophilia lacks one of the dozen or so factors that cause blood to clot. In hemophilia A, factor VIII is at fault; in hemophilia B, it's factor IX. Treatment consists of intravenous infusion of the missing factor and is now usually done

Cause of Gastritis and Ulcer Treatment : Treatment, Ulcer Bacterium and Cancer?
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Quite a few helpful drugs are already on the market, though they are not approved for treating ulcers. FDA's role now is to wade through studies, old and new, to identify the best combinations of drugs, a process that was under way when this issue of FDA

Graves' Disease : FAQ
by Women's Health Information Center
Graves' Disease is a type of autoimmune disease that causes over-activity of the thyroid gland, causing hyperthyroidism. This over-activity is also sometimes called 'toxic diffuse goiter.'

Sickle Cell Anemia : Hydroxyurea Studies, Part 2, Inheritance
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Many questions about hydroxyurea in the treatment of sickle cell anemia remain unanswered, said Bonds. Doctors do not know what the most effective and least toxic dose of the drug is or whether taking it for many years presents health risks.

Urinary Incontinence : Implanted Devices, Surgical Treatments
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
When other treatments have failed, implanted devices or surgery may be effective. In a 30-minute outpatient procedure, a thick substance - made of collagen, carbon-coated beads, or other particles suspended in a solution - can be injected into the area

Paget's Disease : Diagnoses, Treatments
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The role of genetics also is supported by observations that certain ethnic groups have higher rates of Paget's disease. According to the Paget Foundation, Paget's disease is most common in Caucasian people of Anglo-Saxon and European descent

Botulinum Toxin: A Poison That Can Heal
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Called the most poisonous substance known, botulinum toxin can paralyze and kill if consumed in contaminated food. Now scientists have found a way that it can be used, in a purified form, to treat certain muscle conditions.

Day-Care, For Safe Food, Handle with Car
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Another parasite gaining ground in this country is Giardia lamblia, a protozoan also spread through the fecal-oral route, either directly through person-to-person contact or through contaminated food or water.

Cause of Gastritis and Ulcer Treatment
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Antibiotics are now being used to treat ulcers, after researchers verified that bacteria are largely responsible for this condition, which was once thought to be caused by stress or diet.

Bacterial Meningitis : Hib Threat and Vaccines
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Over the past few years, there have been about 2,400 to 2,900 cases of meningococcal infection reported annually to the national Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. Some 46 to 47 percent are in children and teens who compose 27 percent

Connective Tissue Diseases (CTDs) : Causes and Diagnosing
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The causes of CTDs are unknown, although scientists are investigating factors that may play a role in triggering the disorders. Suspected culprits are defective genes, overproduction of hormones, and faulty clearing from the body of antibodies and the sub

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
by CDC
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is the most severe and most frequently reported rickettsial illness in the United States. It also occurs in Mexico and in Central and South America. The disease is caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, a species of bacteria

Urinary Incontinence : Prostate, Treatment
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
As a man ages, the prostate typically becomes enlarged. This enlarged gland may squeeze the urethra and irritate the bladder, causing urinary problems. 'Men with an enlarged prostate may have many of the same symptoms of an overactive bladder'

Aneurysms Difficult to Diagnose, Complex to Cure
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Often symptomless, aneurysms may be diagnosed by chance when a person is having an x-ray or ultrasound imaging for another reason. Drugs and surgery are used to treat these balloon-like swellings of blood vessel walls, which can be fatal if they burst.

Anthrax Sources and Treatment
by CDC
How long do anthrax spores live? Anthrax spores can survive for decades in soil. What is the importance of knowing the genetic information about anthrax? Genetic information about B. anthracis, particularly to determine genetic similarity among strains

Epilepsy : Controlling Seizures
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Diagnosing and characterizing epilepsy in people is a multi-step process. A person first must be confirmed to have had at least two or more epileptic seizures. Once the diagnosis of epilepsy is made, the patient's seizure type is characterized.

Lupus : Treatment - Part 2, New Therapies
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Some people who experience severe flares also may need immunosuppressive or chemotherapy drugs, which are given by mouth or infusion. Examples are Imuran (azathioprine), Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide), and Sandimmune and Neoral (both cyclosporines).

Sickle Cell Anemia
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
In the past, individuals with sickle cell anemia often died in childhood. Today, many with this inherited disease live at least into their 40s thanks to early diagnosis, drugs, and other therapies. And new treatments are on the horizon.

Chagas Disease
by CDC
Also called American trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease is an infection caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Worldwide, it is estimated that 16 to 18 million people are infected with Chagas disease; of those infected, 50,000 will die each year.