Health and Fitness

 Enthesitis-Related Arthritis Enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) is one of several types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). These childhood autoimmune conditions begin before the child’s 16th birthday and can evolve, flare, or improve over time. Enthesitis is the painful inflammation of the entheses, the fibrous connective tissue that attaches your tendons and ligaments to your bones. There are over 100 entheses in your body. In ERA, your immune system mistakenly attacks both joints and entheses, leading to inflammation. Children with ERA may have swelling, pain, and stiffness of multiple joints and entheses, along with other symptoms. Although ERA is a chronic disease, treatment can manage symptoms and even cause them to go into remission. What are the symptoms of enthesitis-related arthritis? Common symptoms include: enthesitis (pain where tendons or ligaments join bones), m ost often at the lower part of the kneecap and the heel arthritis (pain, swelling, and stiffness) of ...

 Rhinovirus Rhinovirus is a virus. It's one of the most common causes of the common cold in children and adults. Young children can get a cold up to 12 times a year. Most adults will get a cold up to 4 times a year. For more information on colds in children, read the Pregnancy, Birth and Baby article Colds and flu in babies and children. What are the symptoms of rhinovirus? Normally, rhinovirus causes mild cold or flu-like symptoms that include: runny or blocked nose sneezing coughing sore throat and ears feeling unwell headache fever — a temperature over 38°C Normally, your symptoms will only last a few days. Most people feel better after 7 to 10 days. Young children may have a green or yellow discharge from the nose (snot) when sick with rhinovirus. What causes rhinovirus? Rhinovirus is spread from person to person. When you have rhinovirus, you release small droplets containing the virus into the air when you: talk sneeze cough These droplets can be breathed in by people nearby....

 Dysentery Overview Dysentery is a gastrointestinal disease. It causes severe diarrhea that contains blood or mucus. There are two main types of dysentery: Amoebic dysentery (amoebiasis): The parasite Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica) is one of the main causes of amoebic dysentery. Other parasites that cause amoebic dysentery include Balantidium coli (B. coli) and strongyloidiasis. Bacillary dysentery: A bacterial infection causes bacillary dysentery. Some of the most common bacteria that cause bacillary dysentery include Shigella, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Bacillary dysentery is the most common type of dysentery. Without proper treatment, dysentery can be fatal. If you have any symptoms of dysentery, reach out to your healthcare provider. Symptoms and Causes What are the symptoms of dysentery? Dysentery symptoms vary slightly according to what type of dysentery you have. Amoebic dysentery Most people who have amoebic dysentery don’t have any sy...

Intestinal Parasites Overview Intestinal parasites include worms and single-celled organisms that live in your intestines. A parasite is an organism that lives off another organism (host). Parasites use the host’s body for nourishment and shelter. They rely on the host as a vehicle to spread to the next potential host(s), where they can continue multiplying and spreading. In return, intestinal parasites provide zero benefits. Instead, they can cause unpleasant symptoms and (in some cases) pose serious health risks. What are the types of intestinal parasites? Intestinal parasites include helminths (parasitic intestinal worms) and one-celled organisms called protozoa. Helminths (parasitic intestinal worms) Helminths include various roundworms (with round bodies) and flatworms (with flat bodies). Although they thrive and grow in your body, most helminths can’t reproduce there. Instead, they lay eggs that exit your body in your feces (poop). The species survive because other people (unknow...

White spot on Skin Overview Vitiligo (pronounced “vit-il-EYE-go”) is a skin condition that causes your skin to lose its color or pigment. This causes your skin to appear lighter than your natural skin tone or turn white. Areas of your skin that lose their pigment are called macules if they’re less than 1 centimeter wide, or patches if they’re larger than 1 centimeter. If you have vitiligo on a part of your body that has hair, your hair may turn white or silver. The condition occurs when your body’s immune system destroys melanocytes. Melanocytes are skin cells that produce melanin, the chemical that gives skin its color, or pigmentation. Who does vitiligo affect? Vitiligo affects all races and sexes equally. It’s more visible in people with darker skin tones. Although vitiligo can develop in anyone at any age, macules or patches usually become apparent before age 30. You might be at a higher risk of developing vitiligo if you have certain autoimmune conditions like: Addison’s disease. ...

 Psoriasis Overview Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes a rash with itchy, scaly patches, most commonly on the knees, elbows, trunk and scalp. Psoriasis is a common, long-term (chronic) disease with no cure. It can be painful, interfere with sleep and make it hard to concentrate. The condition tends to go through cycles, flaring for a few weeks or months, then subsiding for a while. Common triggers in people with a genetic predisposition to psoriasis include infections, cuts or burns, and certain medications. Treatments are available to help you manage symptoms. And you can try lifestyle habits and coping strategies to help you live better with psoriasis. Symptoms Common signs and symptoms of psoriasis include: A patchy rash that varies widely in how it looks from person to person, ranging from spots of dandruff-like scaling to major eruptions over much of the body Rashes that vary in color, tending to be shades of purple with gray scale on brown or Black skin and pink or red w...

Fibromyalgia Overview Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition that involves widespread body pain. The pain happens along with fatigue. It also can involve issues with sleep, memory and mood. Researchers think that fibromyalgia affects the way the brain and spinal cord process painful and nonpainful signals. That increases your overall sensitivity to pain. Symptoms often start after a triggering event. Triggers can include injuries, surgery, infections or emotional stress. Or the symptoms can build up over time, with no single event to trigger them. Women are more likely to get fibromyalgia than are men. Many people who have fibromyalgia also have: Headaches. Jaw and facial pain due to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. Irritable bowel syndrome. Anxiety. Depression. There's no cure for fibromyalgia. But medicines and other treatments can help control the symptoms. Exercise, talk therapy and techniques that lower stress also may help. Symptoms The main symptoms of fibromyalgia in...

Motor Neuron Disease (MND) What is Motor Neuron Disease (MND)? Motor neuron disease (MND) is a group of neurological disorders that gradually destroy your motor neurons. Your motor neurons are nerve cells that control muscle movement involved in activities like breathing, speaking, swallowing and walking. Messages from neurons in your brain (upper motor neurons) are usually transmitted to neurons in your spinal cord (lower motor neurons). From there, they move to the muscles in your body. Your upper motor neurons tell your lower motor neurons to produce muscle movements. When your muscles can’t receive these messages from your lower motor neurons, they begin to weaken and shrink in size (muscle atrophy). When your lower motor neurons can’t receive signals from your upper motor neurons, it can cause muscle stiffness and overactive reflexes (hyperreflexia). This can make voluntary movements difficult and slow. Over time, you may lose the ability to walk and control other movements. There...