Monday, February 13, 2012
Advertisement

Celiac Disease Learning Center

The symptoms of celiac disease can vary significantly from person to person. This is part of the reason the diagnosis is frequently delayed. For example, one person may have constipation, a second may have diarrhea, and a third may have no irregul...
Source:ADAM
Date:May 27, 2008
The pattern of inheritance is complicated regarding this disease. The type of inheritance pattern that celiac disease follows is called multifactorial (caused by many factors, both genetic and environmental). Researchers think that several factors...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Each person with celiac disease is affected differently. When food containing gluten reaches the small intestine, the immune system begins to attack a substance called gliadin, which is found in the gluten. The resulting inflammation causes damage...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders Part I
Celiac disease can run in families and has a genetic basis, although the pattern of inheritance is complicated. The type of inheritance pattern that celiac disease follows is called multifactorial (caused by many factors, both genetic and environm...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Each person with celiac disease is affected differently. When food containing gluten reaches the small intestine, the immune system begins to attack a substance called gliadin, which is found in the gluten. The resulting inflammation causes damage...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders Part II
Diarrhea is loose, watery, and frequent stool. Diarrhea is considered chronic (long-term) when you have had loose or frequent stools for more than 4 weeks.
Source:ADAM
Date:February 19, 2009
To most persons, diarrhea means an increased frequency or softer consistency of bowel movements; however, the medical definition is more exact than this. Diarrhea best correlates with an increase in stool weight; stool weights above 300 g per day ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Abdominal pain is pain that you feel anywhere between your chest and groin. This is often referred to as the stomach region or belly.
Source:ADAM
Date:October 7, 2009
Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells provide oxygen to body tissues. Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein inside red blood cells. It gives red blood cells their red color. Peopl...
Source:ADAM
Date:April 5, 2009
Anemia is a condition characterized by abnormally low levels of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Anemia is characterized by an abnormally low number of red blood cells in the circulating blood. It frequently affects patients with cancer. In fact, in many cancer diagnoses such as multiple myeloma and acute leukemia , the presence of anemia may...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
Anemia is a blood disorder characterized by abnormally low levels of healthy red blood cells (RBCs) or reduced hemoglobin (Hgb), the iron-bearing protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to tissues throughout the body. Reduced blood cell vo...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Deficiency of red cells, or hemoglobin, in the blood. Anemia is a medical condition in which the quantity of red blood cells falls below an acceptable level. Red blood cells, produced in the bone marrow, contain hemoglobin, the component of blood ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Anemia is a condition characterized by abnormally low levels of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin (the component of red blood cells that delivers oxygen to tissues throughout the body).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Anemia is a condition characterized by abnormally low levels of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin (the component of red blood cells that delivers oxygen to tissues throughout the body).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Anemia affects more than 30 percent of the world's population, and it is one of the most important worldwide health problems. It has a significant prevalence in both developing and industrialized nations. Causes of anemia include nutritional defic...
Source:Gale Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z
Gas, also called flatus or flatulence, is air in the intestine that is passed through the rectum. Air that is passed from the digestive tract through the mouth is called belching.
Source:ADAM
Date:February 20, 2008
Gas, or flatus, is produced when naturally occurring bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract begin to break down, or digest, food. When an excess of air builds up in the tract from swallowing air or a disorder that prevents digestion, it is release...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Indigestion is a vague feeling of abdominal discomfort - possibly including belching, heartburn, a feeling of fullness, bloating, and nausea.
Source:ADAM
Date:January 28, 2009
Dyspepsia can be defined as painful, difficult, or disturbed digestion, which may be accompanied by symptoms such as nausea and vomiting , heartburn , bloating, and stomach discomfort.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Stomachache is pain or discomfort in the stomach that is a symptom of many different gastrointestinal diseases or conditions.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Indigestion, which is sometimes called dyspepsia, is a general term covering a group of nonspecific symptoms in the digestive tract. It is often described as a feeling of fullness, bloating, nausea, heartburn , or gassy discomfort in the chest or ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Indigestion, which is sometimes called dyspepsia ,is a general term covering a group of nonspecific symptoms in the digestive tract. It is often described as a feeling of fullness, bloating, nausea, heartburn , or gassy discomfort in the chest or ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Anorexia is characterized by a loss of appetite or lack of desire to eat.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
Abdominal bloating is a condition in which the abdomen (belly) feels full and tight.
Source:ADAM
Date:March 8, 2008
A swollen abdomen is when your belly area is bigger than usual. See also: Abdominal girth
Source:ADAM
Date:November 16, 2008
Delayed growth is poor or abnormally slow height or weight gains in a child younger than age 5. See also: Short stature
Source:ADAM
Date:February 27, 2009
Foul-smelling stools are stools with a very bad odor. They usually have to do with what you eat, but may be a sign of a medical condition.
Source:ADAM
Date:August 22, 2008
Unintentional weight loss is a decrease in body weight that is not voluntary. In other words, you did not try to loss the weight by dieting or exercising. See: Intentional weight loss
Source:ADAM
Date:February 22, 2009
Bowel movements normally occur at approximately the same time each day. The feces (stool) itself should be soft enough that it can be passed without straining.
Source:Healthline
Date:September 30, 2007
Stools that float are generally associated with some degree of malabsorption of nutrients or excessive flatus (gas.
Source:ADAM
Date:March 8, 2008
Abdominal distention, gaseous often results from overeating or from swallowing air, but can be a sign of a more serious medical condition, such as bowel obstruction. Eating certain foods such as legumes (beans) can cause abdominal distention due to intestinal gas.
Source:Healthline
Date:September 30, 2007
Pain is a universal human experience. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Pain, medically termed "nociception," is a response to noxious stimuli that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons . The discomfort signals actual or impending injury to the body. However, pain is more than a sensation, or the physical awaren...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons. The discomfort signals actual or potential injury to the body. However, pain is more than a sensation, or the physical awareness of pain; it also includes perception, ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons. The discomfort signals actual or potential injury to the body. However, pain is more than a sensation, or the physical awareness of pain; it also includes perception, ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by nerves in the body.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods. True clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, o...
Source:ADAM
Date:January 20, 2009
Depression, also known as depressive disorders or unipolar depression, is a mental illness characterized by a profound and persistent feeling of sadness or despair and/or a loss of interest in things that once were pleasurable. Disturbance in slee...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Depression is sometimes referred to as the common cold of mental illness. It is a debilitating disease with significant societal costs. It is, however, one of the most clearly defined and treatable of mental illnesses. Technically, the term "depre...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health
Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy.
Source:ADAM
Date:August 3, 2009
Fatigue is physical and/or mental exhaustion that can be triggered by stress , medication, overwork, or mental and physical illness or disease.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Fatigue may be defined as a subjective state in which one feels tired or exhausted, and in which the capacity for normal work or activity is reduced. There is, however, no commonly accepted definition of fatigue when it is considered in the contex...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Fatigue is physical and/or mental exhaustion that can be triggered by stress , medication, overwork, or mental and physical illness or disease.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Fatigue may be defined as a subjective state in which one feels tired or exhausted, and in which the capacity for normal work or activity is reduced. There is, however, no commonly accepted definition of fatigue when it is considered in the contex...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
Fatigue is a feeling of exhaustion or loss of strength. The duration of fatigue for a patient with cancer has been found to last from one to two times the length of time between diagnosis and completion of treatment, so it is common for fatigue to...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
Partial or complete loss of hair is called alopecia.
Source:ADAM
Date:May 7, 2009
Alopecia, also called hair loss, baldness, and epilation, is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy . Most patients undergoing chemotherapy, especially those who are being treated with more than one drug, will suffer from hair ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
Hair loss. Alopecia is partial or total loss of hair as a result of any number of causes, including the normal aging process. In children, alopecia may be a reaction to a drug or therapy (such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy), or may result f...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Hair loss syndromes are a varied group of disorders and conditions characterized by the gradual or sudden loss of large amounts of hair—most often from the scalp, but sometimes from other areas of the body. Hair loss (or baldness) is sometimes ref...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders Part I
Alopecia is the partial or complete loss of hair—especially on the scalp—either in patches (alopecia areata), on the entire head (alopecia totalis), or over the entire body (alopecia universalis).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Hair loss syndromes are a varied group of disorders and conditions characterized by the gradual or sudden loss of large amounts of hair—most often from the scalp, but sometimes from other areas of the body. Hair loss (or baldness) is sometimes ref...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders Part II
Alopecia simply means hair loss (baldness).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Hair loss, or alopecia , is total or partial baldness caused by hormonal changes or physical or mental stress .
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Question: Why does it get harder to lose weight with age? Answer: One must burn more calories than one takes in to lose weight at any age. This can be done either with caloric restriction or with exercise. Although metabolism slows down somewhat a...
Source:ADAM
Date:August 1, 2009
Weight loss is a reduction in body mass characterized by a loss of adipose tissue (body fat) and skeletal muscle.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
Nausea is the sensation of having an urge to vomit. Vomiting is forcing the contents of the stomach up through the esophagus and out of the mouth.
Source:ADAM
Date:October 20, 2009
Nausea is the sensation of having a queasy stomach or being about to vomit. Vomiting , or emesis, is the expelling of undigested food through the mouth.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Constipation refers to infrequent or hard stools, or difficulty passing stools. Constipation may involve pain during the passage of a bowel movement, inability to pass a bowel movement after straining or pushing for more than 10 minutes, or no bow...
Source:ADAM
Date:August 22, 2008
Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual or consist of hard, dry stools that are painful or difficult to pass. Bowel habits vary, but an adult who has not had a bowel movement in three days...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Difficulty with producing a bowel movement, or infrequent bowel movements. Constipation, a condition that can affect the human digestive system at any stage of life, is rarely serious or chronic. Because bowel functions vary from individual to ind...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual or consist of hard, dry stools that are painful or difficult to pass. Although constipation is a relative term, with normal patterns of bowel moveme...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual or consist of hard, dry stools that are painful or difficult to pass. Bowel habits vary, but an adult who has not had a bowel movement in three days...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Vomiting is the forceful discharge of stomach contents through the mouth.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
A seizure is the physical findings or changes in behavior that occur after an episode of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. See also: Generalized tonic clonic seizure; Partial (focal) seizure; Petit mal (absence) seizure; Epilepsy; Fever (...
Source:ADAM
Date:March 29, 2009
A seizure is a sudden change in behavior characterized by changes in sensory perception (sense of feeling) or motor activity (movement) due to an abnormal firing of nerve cells in the brain. Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizu...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
A seizure is a sudden change in behavior characterized by changes in sensory perception (sense of feeling) or motor activity (movement) due to an abnormal firing of nerve cells in the brain . Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seiz...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
A temporary series of uncontrollable muscle spasms brought on by unusual electrical activity in the brain. Also known as convulsion, clonic seizure, or tonic-clonic seizure. A seizure is characterized by a sudden episode of un- controllable brain ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Weakness is a reduction in the strength of one or more muscles.
Source:ADAM
Date:August 8, 2009
Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose (a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy products.
Source:ADAM
Date:August 22, 2008
Lactose intolerance refers to the inability of the body to digest lactose.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose, the primary sugar in milk. This inability results from a shortage of the enzyme lactase, which is normally produced by the cells that line the small intestine. Lactase ...
Source:Gale Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z
Lactose intolerance refers to the inability of the body to digest lactose.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Being tired is the familiar aftermath of physical exertion, prolonged labor or lack of sleep. When does being tired become a symptom of a condition? Fatigue, malaise, lassitude, exhaustion are all subtle variations of the same subjective feelings of not having enough energy to meet the demands of one's life.
Source:Healthline
Date:September 30, 2007
A bruise is an area of skin discoloration. A bruise occurs when small blood vessels break and leak their contents into the soft tissue beneath the skin.
Source:ADAM
Date:May 2, 2009
Bruises, or ecchymoses, are a discoloration and tenderness of the skin or mucous membranes due to the leakage of blood from an injured blood vessel into the tissues. Pupura refers to bruising as the result of a disease condition. A very small brui...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Bruises, or ecchymoses, are a discoloration and tenderness of the skin or mucous membranes due to the leakage of blood from an injured blood vessel into the tissues. Purpura refers to bruising as the result of a disease condition. A very small bru...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Bruises, or ecchymoses, are a discoloration and tenderness of the skin or mucous membranes due to the leakage of blood from an injured blood vessel into the tissues. Pupura refers to bruising as the result of a disease condition. A very small brui...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Irritability is an excessive response to stimuli.
Source:ADAM
Date:November 7, 2009
Breathing difficulty involves a sensation of difficult or uncomfortable breathing or a feeling of not getting enough air. See also: Difficulty breathing - first aid
Source:ADAM
Date:June 12, 2009
Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, is a feeling of difficult or labored breathing that is out of proportion to the patient's level of physical activity. It is a symptom of a variety of different diseases or disorders and may be either acute or chronic.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding refers to any bleeding that starts in the gastrointestinal tract, which extends from the mouth to the anus. The amount of bleeding can range from nearly undetectable to acute, massive, and life threatening. Bleeding ...
Source:ADAM
Date:January 28, 2009
GI bleeding studies uses radioactive materials in the investigation of bleeding from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These studies go under various names such as "GI bleeding scans" or "Tagged red blood cell scans." They are performed and interpr...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Everybody feels sad sometimes, but to be clinically depressed is not just a matter of feeling sad. A patient with cancer is diagnosed as having major depression only if certain symptoms, such as loss of pleasure or thoughts of death, are present f...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
An emotional state or mood characterized by one or more of these symptoms: sad mood, low energy, poor concentration, sleep or appetite changes, feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness, and thoughts of suicide. Until recently, it was thought that...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Depression is the general name for a family of illnesses known as depressive disorders. Depression is an illness that affects not only the mood and thoughts, but also the physical functions of affected individuals. Depressive disorders usually res...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders Part I
Depression and depressive disorders (unipolar depression) are mental illnesses characterized by a profound and persistent feeling of sadness or despair and/or a loss of interest in things that once were pleasurable. Disturbance in sleep , appetite...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Depression is the general name for a family of illnesses known as depressive disorders. Depression is an illness that affects not only the mood and thoughts, but also the physical functions of affected individuals. Depressive disorders usually res...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders Part II
Depression or depressive disorders (unipolar depression) are mental illnesses characterized by a profound and persistent feeling of sadness or despair and/or a loss of interest in things that were once pleasurable. Disturbance in sleep, appetite, ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Depression or depressive disorders (unipolar depression) are mental illnesses characterized by a profound and persistent feeling of sadness or despair and/or a loss of interest in things that were once pleasurable. Disturbance in sleep, appetite, ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
A depressive disorder is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) as an illness that involves the body, mood and thoughts. It encompasses feelings of overwhelming sadness and despair that persist or intensify over time.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Mouth ulcers are sores or open lesions in the mouth. (See also mouth sores or canker sores)
Source:ADAM
Date:February 1, 2009
Stomatitis describes an inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth. This condition, frequently referred to as mucositis , can result from cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy . It is characterized by mouth ulcers or ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
Stomatitis is an inflammation of the mucous lining of the mouth, which may involve the cheeks, gums, tongue, lips, and roof or floor of the mouth. The word "stomatitis" literally means inflammation of the mouth.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Inflammation of the mucous lining of any of the structures in the mouth, which may involve the cheeks, gums, tongue, lips, and roof or floor of the mouth. The word "stomatitis" literally means inflammation of the mouth. The inflammation can be cau...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Stomatitis is an inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth. It may involve the cheeks, gums, tongue, lips, and roof or floor of the mouth. The inflammation may be caused by conditions within the mouth itself, such as poor oral hygiene and ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
A nosebleed is loss of blood from the tissue lining the nose. Bleeding most commonly occurs in one nostril only.
Source:ADAM
Date:October 18, 2009
A nosebleed is characterized by bleeding from the interior of the nasal cavity. It can be caused by heat, dry air, trauma to the nose, certain medications, or a medical condition.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
A nosebleed, also called epistaxis, is a loss of blood from any blood vessel in the nose. It usually appears in only one nostril.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
A nosebleed is bleeding from the nose called epistaxis.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Paleness is an abnormal loss of color from normal skin or mucous membranes.
Source:ADAM
Date:April 13, 2009
Muscle cramps are involuntary and often painful contractions (movements) of the muscles.
Source:ADAM
Date:July 22, 2008
Muscle spasms and cramps are spontaneous, often painful muscle contractions.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Muscle spasms and cramps are spontaneous, often painful muscle contractions.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Various types of sores can appear anywhere within the mouth, including the inner cheeks, gums, tongue, lips, or palate.
Source:ADAM
Date:November 15, 2009
Problem behavior is often associated with adolescence but may manifest in the very young or in adults. Delinquency, drug use, academic failure, risky sexual behavior, violence, property damage, vandalism and disregard of the rights of others are all problem behaviors.
Source:Healthline
Date:November 30, 2007
Antispasmodic drugs relieve cramps or spasms of the stomach, intestines, and bladder.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Most of us get bruises from bumping into something from time to time. Bruising sometimes increases with age, especially in women as the capillary walls become more fragile and the skin becomes thin.
Source:Healthline
Date:November 30, 2007
Stools are produced in the intestines and are the end product of the digestive system. When we consume food, it passes from our stomach into our intestines.
Source:Healthline
Date:November 30, 2007
Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or anxious. What is stressful to one person is not necessarily stressful to another. Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension or fear. The source of this uneasiness i...
Source:ADAM
Date:December 15, 2008
Systematic desensitization is a technique used to treat phobias and other extreme or erroneous fears based on principles of behavior modification .
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
Anxiety is a bodily response to a perceived threat or danger. It is triggered by a combination of biochemical changes in the body, the patient's personal history and memory, and the social situation. It is important to distinguish between anxiety ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Anxiety is a multisystem response to a perceived threat or danger. It reflects a combination of biochemical changes in the body, the patient's personal history and memory, and the social situation. As far as we know, anxiety is a uniquely human ex...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Anxiety is a multisystem response to a perceived threat or danger. It reflects a combination of biochemical changes in the body, the patient's personal history and memory , and the social situation at hand. Human anxiety involves an ability to use...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Anxiety is a condition of persistent and uncontrollable nervousness, stress, and worry that is triggered by anticipation of future events, memories of past events, or ruminations over day-to-day events, both trivial and major, with disproportionat...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
A condition of persistent nervousness, stress, and worry that is triggered by anticipation of future events, memories of past events, or ruminations about the self Stimulated by real or imagined dangers, anxiety affects people of all ages and soci...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Belching is the act of bringing up air from the stomach. It produces a characteristic (typical) sound.
Source:ADAM
Date:October 31, 2009
Advertisement
Copyright © 2005 - 2012 Healthline Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.
Healthline is for informational purposes and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment recommendations. more details