Fact file

[4-ever-young]

I thought i would start a topic where i can post breifly about some diseases.

Nosebleeds

what causes them?
Usually, a broken vein-maybe due to a violent sneze,nose picking or excessive wiping.
A weak vein can be ruptured easily by anything which puts pressure on the head vein-coughing,bending,straining or lifting. Advanced pregnancy or tight clothing can have a simliar effect.

What first aid is needed?
Pinch the nostrils for 10 mins, leaning fowards rather than backwards, and spit out any bood into a tissue or basin.
Hold something cold-a pack forzen peas, or ice cubes in a plastic bag-on your forehead to reduce bleeding. Try not to sniff or sneze for half an hour

What if it wont stop?
Reapeat the rountine,being very careful when u release the pinching of your nose. If the bleeding really wont stop go to casualty. Repeated severe nosbleeds may need electrocautery to seal off the fragile veins. This is usually dont under a local anaesthetic by an ENT (ear,nose and throat) specialist.

[4-ever-young]

Hay Fever

What is it?
Sneezing,runny nose,itchy eyes and tickly throat caused by an allergic reaction to pollens,especailly from grasses and nettles in early summer.
Allergens on pollen dust case the release of an inflammatory substance calles histamine in the lining of the nasal cavity,membranes of the eyes and in the throat and chest. Despite the name there is no fever.


Who gets it?
It tends to begin in the teens or early 20s, often running in families,especially thoes with asthma or eczema. The symptoms slowly ease off over a period of about 10 years. People living in the country are more likely to be exposed to pollen that town-dwellers. Dry,sunny days with a lightbreeze are worst.

What can be done?
when pollen count is high, keep windows and doors shut. If travelling by car, close air vents. Wash your hair before bed to keep pollen off pillow. Ask your pharmacist about nasal sprays, eyedrops or tablets.

[FaHaD]

well done 4-ever-young..
nice keep it up with the file...

[4-ever-young]

Squint

what exactly is it?
Crooked eyes. Usually they're crossed, with one eye pointing inwards (convergent squint), perhaps only very slightly. But in some cases te eyes point outwards (divergent squint). The squint may only be aparent when the gaze is to one side or the other.

Why does it happen?
A squint may be quite normal in a newborn baby, but should correct itself within weeks. If it persists this is usually because one eye is longer-sighted than the other and cant's focus on near objects (lazy eye). It's then ignored by he brain and the two eyes stop moving properly together. Some persistent squints are casued by flu and measles.

What can be don about it?
Dont delay-mention it straight away to the doctor, eve if you're not sure. If the lazy eye isnt sorted early enough, it may become blind. Fortunately a simple patch over the good eye, or glasses to correct the vision in the lazy eye can usually solve the problem. In older children eye exercises or surgery may be needed.

[FaHaD]

emmm great 4-ever young...
emmm about flu i am not sure about it , i know viral infection does cause conjuctivitis but about squint ( diplopia) not sure...

anyway, other causes of diplopia ( squint) can be any problem in brain, nerves , muscle of teh eye, allso the boney surrounding of the eye like fracture in the face..
great youngi.. keep it up...:D

[Bimzoori]

very interesting 4-Eva..we'll be waiting for some more..

[4-ever-young]

Multiple Sclerosis

What exactly is it?
A disease of the nervous system which can cause various problems, such as numbness, pins and needles, stabbing pains, fatigue, weakness, stifness, cramps, difficulty speaking or swallowing, double vision, blind spots, giddiness and mood changes- but not nescessarily all of these. The symptoms tend to come and go in flare-ups

What causes it?
The basic cause isnt known for sure, but involves infalmmation and patchy damage to nerve fibres in the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. MS is most likely to strike young adutls, particulary women, and is probably a form of autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissue.

What can be done?
There's still no cure, but painkillers, steriods and other medication can give relief and muscle relaxants, exercise or physiotherapy can ease painful cramps. Many people with MS have few occasional episodes, but a minority become increasingly disabled. Flare-ups tend to east off in later life but damage to the nervous system may be permanent.

[FaHaD]

great 4-ever young..

many diseases in teh brain present like those symptoms which 4-ever-young indicating failure of brain to do its function...
but there is an important things u have to consider when differentiating multiple sclerosis from other brain diseases...
and this is what 4-ever-young said.. its involvmnet is patchy , mean that there are patchy lesions in spinal cord and brian... plus it mostly invovle optic nerve ( nerve for vision)...
great 4-ever .. keep it up

[4-ever-young]

Facts about nails

Contrary to popluar belief,white markson your nails arenot a sign of lack of calcium or vitamin deficiency. They're just a natural variation.

A red , painful swelling at the base of the fingernail coud indicate an infection underneath it. See your Doctor who can prescribe antibiotics or lance the site to drain it and relieve pressure.

Fungual infections make the nails thick at the end and crumbly. Usually toenails are affected. Some fungual infections clear themselves but sometimes you might need antifungual medicine which can be bought at the pharmacy.

[FaHaD]

white colours , it depends wether the whole nail is white or just there are small white patches..
small white patches: these are due to minor damage to collagen fibres in nail... these are not problamatic they will disappear..
but white nail called leukonychia, this is due to low albumin in blood , this is a protien in blood.. low albumin ( hypoalbunaemia) is caused by liver disease, kidney diseases , malnutrition...etc..

great 4-ever-young keep it up