Glossary

Dressler’s Syndrome

Dressler’s Syndrome is a type of pericarditis, inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart (pericardium). Inflammation associated with Dressler’s syndrome is believed to be an immune system response following damage to heart tissue or the pericardium, such as a heart attack, surgery or traumatic injury.

Dressler’s Syndrome symptoms include chest pain, much like that experienced during a heart attack, and fever.

With recent improvements in heart attack treatment, Dressler’s syndrome is less common than it used to be. However, once you’ve had this condition, it may happen again.

Dressler’s Syndrome may also be called postpericardiotomy, post-myocardial infarction syndrome and post-cardiac injury syndrome.

Dyspnea

Few sensations are as frightening as not being able to get enough air. Although shortness of breath – known medically as dyspnea – is likely to be experienced differently by different people, it’s often described as an intense tightening in the chest or feeling of suffocation. You may experience shortness of breath just once or have recurring episodes that could become constant.

Unaccustomed or very strenuous exercise, extreme temperatures and high elevations all can cause shortness of breath. Often, however, new onset of shortness of breath is a sign of a medical problem. If you have unexplained shortness of breath, see your doctor as soon as possible.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is an often painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus – the endometrium – grows outside your uterus. Endometriosis most commonly involves your ovaries, bowel or the tissue lining your pelvis. Rarely, endometrial tissue may spread beyond your pelvic region.

In endometriosis, displaced endometrial tissue continues to act as it normally would: It thickens, breaks down and bleeds with each menstrual cycle. And because this displaced tissue has no way to exit your body, it becomes trapped. Surrounding tissue can become irritated, eventually developing scar tissue and adhesions – abnormal tissue that binds organs together.

This process can cause pain – sometimes severe – especially during your period. Fertility problems also may develop. Fortunately, effective treatments are available.

Enuresis

Soggy sheets and pajamas — and an embarrassed child — are a familiar scene in many homes. But don’t despair. Bed-wetting isn’t a sign of toilet training gone bad. It’s often just a normal part of a child’s development.

Bed-wetting is also known as nighttime incontinence or nocturnal enuresis. Generally, bed-wetting before age 6 or 7 isn’t cause for concern. At this age, your child may still be developing nighttime bladder control.

If bed-wetting continues, treat the problem with patience and understanding. Bladder training, moisture alarms or medication may help reduce bed-wetting.

Eosinophilic Esophagitis (Eosinophilic Oesophagitis)

Eosinophilic Esophagitis (Eosinophilic Oesophagitis) is an allergic inflammatory condition of the esophagus. Symptoms are swallowing difficulty,food impaction, and heartburn. The disease was first described in children but occurs in adults as well. The condition is not well understood, but food allergy may play a significant role.

The diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis is a clinicopathologic one, requiring mucosal biopsies of the esophagus obtained duringesophagogastroduodenoscopy. Normal esophageal mucosa does not have any infiltrating eosinophils. In eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophils inflitrate the epithelium. A minimum of 15 eosinophils per high power field are required to make the diagnosis. Typically, eosinophils can be found in superficial clusters near the surface of the epithelium. Degranulated forms of eosinophils are also often visualized. In addition to esophageal infiltration, an expansion of the basal layer is seen in response to the inflammatory damage to the epithelium.

Eosinophilic Fasciitis

Eosinophilic fasciitis, also known as “Shulman’s syndrome”, is a form of fasciitis. It is distinguished from scleroderma primarily because the affected area is the fascia, not the dermis as in scleroderma. Also, unlike scleroderma, Raynaud’s phenomenon and telangiectasia are not observed.

It was first characterized in 1974, and it is not yet known whether it is actually a distinct condition or just a different presentation. However, it remains used for diagnostic purposes.

Several cases have been reported after strenuous exercise.

Erythema Nodosum

Erythema nodosum (EN) is an inflammation of the fat cells under the skin (panniculitis) characterized by tender red nodules or lumps that are usually seen on both shins. EN is an immunologic response to a variety of different causes.

Erythema nodosum usually resolves itself 3–6 weeks after an event, either internal or external to the body, that initiates a hypersensitivity reaction in subcutaneous fat. EN is frequently associated with fever, malaise, and joint pain and inflammation. It presents as tender red nodules on the shins that are smooth and shiny. The nodules may occur anywhere there is fat under the skin, including the thighs, arms, trunk, face, and neck. The nodules are 1–10 cm in diameter, and individual nodules may coalesce to form large areas of hardened skin.

As the nodules age, they become bluish purple, brownish, yellowish, and finally green, similar to the colour changes that occur in a resolving bruise. The nodules usually subside over a period of 2–6 weeks without ulceration or scarring. Suggest altering this, not true Dermatophytids are similar skin lesions that result from a fungus infection such as ringworm in another area of the body.

Fainting

Fainting occurs when the blood supply to your brain is momentarily inadequate, causing you to lose consciousness. This loss of consciousness is usually brief.

Fainting can have no medical significance, or the cause can be a serious disorder. Therefore, treat loss of consciousness as a medical emergency until the signs and symptoms are relieved and the cause is known. Discuss recurrent fainting spells with your doctor.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a complex illness to diagnose and to treat. There is not yet a diagnostic test to establish that someone has it, there is no cure and many fibromyalgia symptoms – pain, fatigue, problems sleeping and memory and mood issues – can overlap with or get mistaken for other conditions. A new Mayo Clinic study suggests that many people who have fibromyalgia, especially men, are going undiagnosed.

Fibromyalgia is more common in women, but men can get it too. The discrepancy between the number of people reporting fibromyalgia symptoms and the number actually diagnosed with the condition was greatest among men, the study found. Twenty times more men appeared to have fibromyalgia based on their survey response than had been diagnosed, while three times more women reported fibromyalgia symptoms than were diagnosed.

Gaint Cell Arthritis/Temporal Arthritis

Giant Cell Arthritis is an inflammation of the lining of your arteries – the blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to the rest of your body. Most often, it affects the arteries in your head, especially those in your temples. For this reason, Giant Cell Arthritis is sometimes called Temporal Arthritis or Cranial Arthritis.

Giant Cell Arthritis frequently causes headaches, jaw pain, and blurred or double vision. Blindness and, less often, stroke are the most serious complications of Giant Cell Arthritis.

Prompt treatment of Giant Cell Arthritis is critical in order to prevent permanent tissue damage and loss of vision. Corticosteroid medications usually relieve symptoms of Giant Cell Arthritis and may prevent loss of vision. You’ll likely begin to feel better within days of starting your treatment.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is not just one eye disease, but a group of eye conditions resulting in optic nerve damage, which may cause loss of vision. Abnormally high pressure inside your eye (intraocular pressure) usually, but not always, causes this damage.

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. Glaucoma can damage your vision so gradually you may not notice any loss of vision until the disease is at an advanced stage. The most common type of glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma, has no noticeable signs or symptoms except gradual vision loss.

Early diagnosis and treatment can minimize or prevent optic nerve damage and limit glaucoma-related vision loss. It’s important to get your eyes examined regularly, and make sure your eye doctor measures your intraocular pressure.

Grave’s Dieases

Graves’ disease is an immune system disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones (hyperthyroidism). While a number of disorders may result in hyperthyroidism, Graves’ disease is the most common cause.

Because thyroid hormones affect a number of different body systems, signs and symptoms associated with Graves’ disease can be wide ranging and significantly influence your overall well-being.

Graves’ disease is rarely life-threatening. Although it may affect anyone, Graves’ disease is more common among women and before the age of 40. The primary treatment goals are to inhibit production of thyroid hormones and lessen the severity of symptoms.

Guillian Barre Syndroma

Guillain-Barre (ghee-YA-buh-RAY) syndrome is a disorder in which your body’s immune system attacks your nerves. Weakness and tingling in your extremities are usually the first symptoms. These sensations can quickly spread, eventually paralyzing your whole body. In its most severe form, Guillain-Barre syndrome is a medical emergency requiring hospitalization.

The exact cause of Guillain-Barre syndrome is unknown, but it is often preceded by an infectious illness such as a respiratory infection or the stomach flu. Luckily, Guillain-Barre syndrome is uncommon, affecting only 1 or 2 people per 100,000.

There’s no known cure for Guillain-Barre syndrome, but several treatments can ease symptoms and reduce the duration of the illness. Most people recover from Guillain-Barre syndrome, though some may experience lingering effects from it, such as weakness, numbness or fatigue.

Hair Loss and Premature Greying

Most people normally shed 50 to 100 hairs a day. But with about 100,000 hairs in the scalp, this amount of hair loss shouldn’t cause noticeable thinning of the scalp hair. As people age, hair tends to gradually thin. Other causes of hair loss include hormonal factors, medical conditions and medications.

Headache/Migraine

Headache is pain in any region of the head. Headaches may occur on one or both sides of the head, be isolated to a certain location, radiate across the head from one point or have a vise-like quality. A headache may be a sharp pain, throbbing sensation or dull ache. Headaches may appear gradually or suddenly, and they may last less than an hour or for several days.