What is Thrombophlebitis?

This is the inflammation of one or more of your veins. Breaking the word down, “Thrombo” means blood clot and “Phlebitis” means inflammation of vein. It is also called phlebitis for short.

Types

There are two different types of thrombophlebitis, which are:

Superficial vein thrombophlebitis

This is when the inflammation is just below the surface of the skin. This type of thrombophlebitis will usually cause no pain and are harmless. The clots will gradually break apart as they flow along with the blood. They could also be a symptom of deep vein thrombophlebitis.

Deep vein thrombophlebitis

This is when the inflammation is in a deep vein, normally in your abdomen or lower area of your legs, and implanted in your muscles. They are harmful and can lead to damage of your vein that is permanent.

Thrombophlebitis Symptoms

The main symptoms of thrombophlebitis are:

• In the affected area you will notice pain, warmth, and tenderness.
• Swelling and redness and irritated tissue and skin around the area.
• You may have a fever.
• Having pain when flexing your ankle.
• Having a swollen ankle or foot especially if it is just one side that is swollen.

If it is superficial vein thrombophlebitis and the skin is affected you may notice a hard, tender, red cord just underneath the surface of the skin. Both of the above symptoms are more common in deep vein thrombophlebitis but can happen in superficial vein thrombophlebitis. Many times a person with deep vein thrombophlebitis you will not symptoms at all. You mostly notice these symptoms when you are walking or standing.

There is a possibility that in a deep vein thrombophlebitis that the blood clot will travel to other parts of your body such as your lungs, heart, etc. This could cause an embolism, which is a blockage of you blood vessel. It this happens a person may show these symptoms.

• Heart rate that is increased
• Being short of breath
• Having chest pains

If they have any of these symptoms you should see immediate medical attention because the blood can become dislodged and cause death if it settles in the wrong place.

Thrombophlebitis Causes

The main cause of thrombophlebitis is the formation of a blood clot or clots. These clots will usually affect the veins in your legs but they can also affect the veins in your neck and arms. Basically anything that causes your blood not to circulate the right way can cause a clot. There are several risk factors that can cause a person to form a blood clot.

• Having any type of injury to the vein that can lead to a blood clot forming.
• Using birth control pills.
• Being required to be on bed rest for a long period of time after having surgery of any type, having a heart attack, injury, etc.
• Smoking
• Type 2 diabetes
• Sitting in the same position or being inactive for a long period of time like sitting in a car or on an airplane.
• Having a deficiency in your blood that will prevent the normal dissolution of the blood clot. This could be a deficiency such as vitamin B-12 deficiency.
• A blood clotting disorder that is inherited.
• Having cancer like pancreatic cancer that causes an increase of pro-coagulants, which is necessary for your blood to clot.
• Having a stroke that caused your legs or arms to be paralyzed.
• Having a catheter in a central vein for treating a medical condition and it irritates your blood vessel wall causing a decrease in blood flow or having a pacemaker.
• Having just had a baby or are pregnant possibly causing an increased pressure in the veins of your legs and pelvis.
• Using hormone replacement therapy.
• Having the tendency to easily form blood clots.
• Being obese or just overweight.
• Being over the age of sixty.

Thrombophlebitis Treatment

What treatment plan your physician decides to use will depend on were the blood clot is and the type of thrombophlebitis it is. If it is a superficial vein thrombophlebitis it can be cured by externally treating the area but with a deep vein thrombophlebitis you need urgent treatment to prevent an embolism from developing. Your physician may prescribe medications like anti-coagulants to help prevent the clots from enlarging. They may also prescribe pain medication or over-the-counter pain relief medications.

For treating superficial vein thrombophlebitis elevating and bandaging the area can sometimes help. The physician will use clot busters to treat deep vein thrombophlebitis to help in dissolving the blood clot. If there is an infection the physician will prescribe antibiotics. Wearing support hose can help with the discomfort. If the vein is severely affected by thrombophlebitis the physician may have the affected vein or blood clot surgically removed.

You should also avoid sitting for long periods of time. On long car rides stop several times so you can get out and stretch and walk around. Normally a case of superficial vein thrombophlebitis will improve within seven to fourteen days and usually does not require hospitalization.

Thrombophlebitis Pictures

What is a Tattoo infection?

This is when the tattoo you have just gotten becomes infected for a variety of reasons. The infection can range from minor and easy to take care of to life-threatening. When you get a tattoo it can be a very exciting experience especially if it is your first one. A tattoo is basically a wound on your body so the tattoo artist can inject permanent ink there to create a beautiful masterpiece.

Symptoms of a Tattoo Infection

Inflammation

This can be anything from a pink to red discoloration around your tattoo. Your tattoo may start to feel itchy which can be a sign of irritation. Gently put your clean hand over the area that appears inflamed to see if it feels warmer than the rest of your skin and if the heat appears to radiate which can signal a sign of a problem developing. It is normal to have a small amount of inflammation on a tattoo that is fresh but if you notice it increasing over the first couple of days you may have an infection.

Swelling

A slight amount of swelling is typical but the swelling should not be excessive. Depending on how much swelling there is, if it is in the immediate area of the tattoo it can give your design a distorted and puffy appearance. If it is not treated the swelling can spread, which is a definite sign that the infection is there.

Fever

Depending on how long you have left the infection untreated your fever can range from light to severe. If it is above one hundred degrees you should seek medical help.

Pain

If is normal to have some tenderness or discomfort but if the initial pain does not go away after the first couple of days or if it gets worse this could be a sign that the tattoo is in the early stages of an infection and you should see your physician.

Discharge

All new tattoos will have a little clear liquid with tiny spots of blood, which is part of the process of healing. If it starts to produce yellowish-green push there is definitely a problem and it needs to be checked. There may also be excessive bloody discharge.

Foul odor

Bad bacteria will give out a foul smell so if it starts to stink you need to have it checked.

Red streaks

If these go outward from the site of the original tattoo this is a serious symptom of blood poisoning and you should go for immediate medical attention.

Tattoo Infection Causes

There are many different reasons as to why a person’s tattoo becomes infected. Some of them include:

• The number one reason for an infection is that the instructions given on how to care for your tattoo is not being properly followed.
• The place where you got your tattoo is not clean.
• The tattoo artist is not certified or trained.
• The person who is giving you the tattoo does not sterilize their equipment, the needles used may not be clean, they do not wear gloves or wash their hands.
• You are not letting your new tattoo get fresh air.
• You could be wearing clothing that is irritating your tattoo and preventing it from healing. Your clothing could also be rubbing against your tattoo.
• Because your skin is being pricked and bruised it is being exposed to the air and there could be bacteria in the air that gets into the tattoo while it is being done.

Tattoo Infection Treatment

If the tattoo is infected it becomes more susceptible to being attacked by many different viruses and bacteria so it is very important to treat the infection before it becomes a serious health problem and endangers your life. If you thing your tattoo may be infected you should first visit the tattoo artist to make sure if it is infected. They are experts at detecting infections and can tell you what you should do. If the infection is severe, or there are red streaks apparent then you need to seek medical attention immediately. It can be your physician or the emergency room. If it is a minor infection the tattoo artist may have some suggestions on how you can take care of the infection at home.

If the tattoo artist tells you that the tattoo is infected you should make an appointment with your physician so they can diagnose the infection and start you on the right treatment. One type of treatment is being given antibiotics. The physician may also have you apply topical ointments but do not use these ointments to prevent an infection because they will do the opposite. They will clog your skin and cause an infection. Keep the tattoo dry at all times while it is healing. When taking a shower try to avoid getting the infected area wet. Make sure that you are not exposing your infected tattoo to sunlight until it heals up.

Make sure that you are covering the infected tattoo so there will not be any chances of further growth of bacteria in the tattoo. Use sterile gauze with a light coating of topical or antibiotic cream on it and change it several times a day. Above all, keep it clean.

Tattoo Infection Pictures

Photos, Images and Pictures of tattoo infection…

What is Chondrosarcoma?

This is a very rare type of cancer. It develops in your cartilage cells and is second most common type of bone cancer. The first common type of bone cancer is osteosarcoma. It accounts for twenty-six percent of the primary bone cancers. This type of cancer belongs to the category called sarcomas. It is the type of cancer that mainly affects your shoulder blade, ribs cage, legs, pelvis bones, and upper arms but can be found in any part of your body that has cartilage. The cartilage it affects is what plays an important role in your growth process. This type of cancer is categorized into secondary and primary tumors.

• Primary – this type will usually develop from a tiny collection of cartilage cells.
• Secondary – this type will usually develop from a benign tumor of cartilage that was already there. It is pre-existing.

This medical disease will usually appear in people between fifty and seventy years of age but can affect all ages. It is most commonly found in males. This type of cancer is not only common in humans but also in animals. In the United States each year only two thousand one hundred patients are diagnosed with this type of cancer.

Symptoms of Chondrosarcoma

The symptoms associated with chondrosarcoma can vary from person to person depending on where their tumor is located and the size of the tumor.

Some of the more common symptoms include:

• Having tenderness in the area affect, a lump on the bone, or swelling in your joints. All three can cause pain which may interfere with normal movement of your body.
• Fracture of weakening of the bone because of the swelling in the area affected.
• On the affected bone, you may experience pressure against the lump.
• The pain may be worse at night but can possibly be relieved by taking some anti-inflammatory medication.
• Experiencing pain that rest does not relieved.
• If the tumor has spread to your lungs you may cough up blood or feel short of breath.
• The pain will worsen gradually and can last for years.

Usually a person who has chondrosarcoma does not feel sick but they can feel a boney bump.

Chondrosarcoma Causes

What causes this type of bone cancer is not clearly known but due to research that has been done it is thought to be due to chromosomal factors or genetics. If you know your risks factors it will help you monitor your tumor so you get the right treatment. Most of the time, chondrosarcoma happens from healthy, normal cartilage cells but can also come from benign bones, which means they are non-cancerous or cartilage tumors.

Some of the benign conditions that are there when you get chondrosarcoma include:

• Enchondroma – this is a tumor that comes from cartilage cells and is usually found in your hands.
• Osteochondroma – this is a rare genetic skeletal disorder. It is caused by the presence of many osteochondromas. This is an excessive growth of bone and cartilage that is near the end of your growth plate.
• Ollier’s disease – this is a group or clump of enchondromas
• Maffucci’s syndrome – this is a combination of many enchondromas and is a genetic disorder. It is associated with a malignancy rate that is high and affects both females and males. It is characterized by cartilage enlargements, deformities of the bone, etc.

Chondrosarcoma Treatment

The plan of treatment will depend on how aggressive the tumors are, the grade of the tumor, the size of the tumor, and where they are located. Because of their rarity persons with this type of cancer will need to be treated at specialty hospitals that have Sarcoma Centers. The main form of treatment is surgery in order to remove the tumor but the specific treatment that your physician will use will be based on the patient’s medically history, their age, and their overall health. The reason that most physicians opt for surgery is that this type of cancer does not react to chemotherapy and radiation. Sometimes when surgery is done it may be necessary to amputate the limb where the tumor is.

Some of the treatments that may be used include:

Physical therapy

Why a patient would need physical therapy is to help heal the area that was affected and help the patient regain their strength after having surgery.

Radiation therapy

With this treatment they will use high-power x-rays to mark and destroy the cancer cells to help reduce the risk of cancer from being spread to your other organs. This type of treatment is usually done after you have had surgery.

Chemotherapy

Using this treatment they used anti-cancerous medication to destroy any cancer cells in your body. This treatment is usually necessary if the cancer has spread to any other areas of your body.

Tumors can come back so it is very important that you visit your physician for regular check ups. How long it takes to recover will vary from person to person.

Chondrosarcoma Pictures

What is Senile Dementia?

This is a mental condition where your brain cells begin to degenerate. It is not to be confused with senility in aged people because this is a part of life and is a gradual deterioration of the brain cells. It is not a specific medical condition but more like a group of symptoms that caused by the changes in your brain functions. Approximately ten percent of people over the age of sixty-five have some type of dementia symptoms. In the United States approximately fifteen percent of one thousand people have some type of dementia.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association in the United States there are approximately five point three million people with Alzheimer’s disease along with related senile dementia. Worldwide there are approximately twenty-seven million people. Annually it costs approximately three hundred fifteen point four billion dollars for the care of people with senile dementia. A person can have more than one type of senile dementia.

Senile Dementia Symptoms

The symptoms of senile dementia are broken down into three categories. The earlier the symptoms for senile dementia are recognized the faster treatment can be started. Recognizing the symptoms is crucial for the cure and treatment.

Senile Dementia Early Symptoms

• Loss of memory
• Having insomnia
• Being disoriented and/or having poor balance
• Physical coordination is poor
• Apathy
• Fatigue
• Confusion that is slight especially over directions, time, and place
• Withdrawal sociably
• Anxiety
• Loss of initiative
• Forgetfulness such as recent events. As the disease progresses the distant memory will start to fade.
• Having difficulty in accepting new things, reasoning, and calculation

Senile Dementia Middle Stage Symptoms

• Learning ability is poor
• Poorer cognitive abilities and judgment
• Unstable emotionally, losing their temper easily, becoming agitated
• Confusion increases
• Family member’s sleep times is disrupted because they are confusing day and night.
• They need assistance to live day to day
• They become aggressive

Senile Dementia Severe Stage Symptoms

• Loosing weight gradually.
• Loss of all cognitive ability.
• Having the inability to walk and may become confined to bed.
• Neglecting personal hygiene.
• Involuntary defecation or urination.
• Not being able to recognize members of the family which can be sporadic or ongoing.
• Wanders away with out telling anyone.
• Unable to dress, bathe, eat, or take care of themselves.
• Can become violent.
• Hallucinating visual and auditory.
• Changes in their personality such as becoming fearful or suspicious.
• Having problems with communications.

Senile Dementia Causes

Senile dementia is always caused by an underlying condition or disease. Their brain tissue is degenerating causing their functioning ability to diminish. . The most common cause is having Alzheimer’s disease. There are more than fifty conditions that can cause senile dementia.

Other causes can include:

Vascular dementia – this is the second leading cause of senile dementia and counts for approximately one third of all cases of senile dementia. This is when fatty deposits and other debris accumulate in your brain and cause the arteries to harden, blocking the blood flow. The brain cells are not getting enough oxygen so they die.

Frontotemporal Lobe Dementias – this accounts for approximated ten percent of all cases of senile dementia. The damage is to the temporal and frontal lobes of your brain. Pick’s disease is one type of this dementia.

• Huntington disease
• Hardening of the arteries
• Multiple sclerosis
• HIV
• Parkinson’s disease
• Bacterial or viral encephalitis
• Brain tumors
• Neurosyphilis
• Chronic steroid abuse
• Side effects to certain medications
• Having a deficiency of vitamin B12, niacin, thiamine, etc but if the cause is this, it can be reversed by restoring your deficient vitamin level to normal.

Senile Dementia Treatment

The main way to find out what treatment is needed is to find out what is causing senile dementia. There are some conditions that are the cause of senile dementia that can be cured. Some of these causes include chronic drug abuse, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, head injuries, tumors that are removable, malnutrition, hypoglycemia, and hypothyroidism. Some of the treatments for these causes can be as simple as eating a diet that is healthy. The first step in determining the right treatment would be to have a complete physical. There are some who treatment will not help because they have had permanent changes in their brain.

The standard treatment for irreversible senile dementia, because it is not curable, is just managing the symptoms. At this time there are three medications that have been approved for treating these symptoms.

• Aricept (donepezil)
• Excelon (rivastigmine) – there has been some success with patients using the Excelon patch.
• Reminyl (galantamine)

Using any of these medications may help to temporarily stabilize or improve the symptoms of senile dementia but there are some patients who cannot take these medications because they cannot tolerate the side effects.

What is a puffy eyelid?

Since the skin around the eyes are very sensitive and thin, puffy eyelids is a common problem that can happen to both men and women and in children it is a common complaint. They can make a person look old and tired. Puffy eyelids are usually a temporary condition but they can last for days, even for weeks. It can happen in either the upper or lower eyelids or to both of them.

Puffy eyelids Symptoms

The symptoms of puffy eyelids can occur with other symptoms if the cause is an underlying disorder, condition, or disease.

General symptoms

Your eyelids may have a ”marshmallow like appearance”
Excessive skin or bags under your eyes that appears to hand or puff out
Inability to close or open your eyes completely because of the puffiness
Dark circles that is accompanied by sagging skin under your eyes

Puffy eyelids symptoms caused by vision problems

• Bleeding from the eye(s)
• Discharge from the eye(s)
• Having a drooping eyelid
• Pain in the eye
• Dry eyes
• Having an increased sensitivity to light.
• Having an increase in the production of tears leading to watery eyes.
• Bulging or protruding eye(s) called proptosis.
• Itchy, swollen, red eyes, which could be due to allergies or an allergic reaction.
• Pus filled bump or skin sores.
• Problems with your vision like vision loss, blurred vision, or floaters.

Puffy eyelids and other symptoms

• Fatigue
• Having trouble concentrating.
• Fever, pain, and redness, which could be due to an infection.
• Headache
• Having high blood pressure.
• Runny nose and sneezing, which could be due to allergies or an allergic reaction.
• Swelling and facial pain, which could be symptoms of sinusitis.
• Having weight loss that is unexplainable, goiter, intolerance to heat, bulging eyeballs, which could be symptoms of Grave’s disease.

Symptoms that could indicate a condition that is life threatening

• Puffy eyelids after a trauma to the head.
• Your throat feels tight.
• Fever higher than one hundred one degrees Fahrenheit along with tender and red areas.
• Fever, pain, redness along with bulging or protruding eye(s).
• Having a severe headache.
• Tongue is swollen
• Difficult breathing

Puffy eyelids Causes

The most common cause is from crying. The sodium that is in your eyelids causes the skin that surrounds the eyes to swell. It could also be one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism along with other causes like:

• Being dehydrated
• Not getting enough sleep
• Allergies
• Having a hangover
• Having some type of trauma to your eyes.
• The side effects of the makeup you wear.
• Wearing the wrong lenses or glasses.
• Getting older because as you age the muscles that support the tissues around your eyes start to become weaker.
• Heredity
• Certain medical conditions like Graves disease.
• Fat deposits that are used to support your eye can move into the spaces around your eye, especially on the lids.
• Hormones that fluctuate and cause your body to retain fluids.
• Fluid retention throughout your entire body which can be caused by inflammation, fatigue, and illnesses. It could even be pregnancy.
• Certain medications like being allergic to codeine or penicillin.
• Blocked oil glands called a stye.
• Viral or bacterial conjunctivitis.
• Having an infected eyelash follicle called Blepharitis.

Puffy eyelids Treatment

Having puffy eyelids in not a medical condition that is serious so you will usually not need a treatment that is serious but if it is because of an accident or trauma you should see your ophthalmologist. Most of the time puffy eyelids can be treated with eye drops and medications. In children, most of the time puffy eyelids are due to allergies so you should try to find what is causing the allergy and try to prevent the child from coming in contact with it again.

If you wake up in the morning with puffy eyelids you may have slept in the wrong position so you should try to sleep with your head elevated a little from the rest of your body by using a firmer pillow. You also need to make sure that you are getting an adequate amount of sleep each night. You should also reduce your intake of salt to help prevent excessive fluid retention. If you are wearing contacts make sure you disinfect and clean them on a regular basis. Women should also make sure that they are wearing hypoallergenic eye makeup. You can also apply cold compresses to your puffy eyelids. Cucumber is another item you can put on your eyelids to help with the puffiness. When you are out in the sun make sure that you are wearing UV sunglasses to protect your eyes from excessive exposure to the sun.

What is Vasculitis?

This medical condition is the inflammation of your blood vessels. It can affect all ages, race, and gender but there are some varieties of vasculitis that is more common among particular groups. It is considered a common banner for the group of diseases that are caused by the inflammation of your blood vessels. This includes your veins, capillaries, and arteries. When you have vasculitis it will affect the working order of your vascular system. It will impair the primary function of your veins, which are to return blood that is oxygen depleted back to your heat and the function of your arteries, which are to supply blood that is rich in oxygen to the body’s tissues. If your blood vessels are inflamed they can stretch, become weakened, and either become more narrow or increase in size.

Another name for vasculitis is angiitis or arteritis. There are many forms of vasculitis. The ones that last a long time is called chronic vasculitis and the ones that last for a short time is called acute vasculitis. Many types of vasculitis may be restricted to certain organs of your body like they affect only your eyes, brain, skin, etc or affect many of your organ systems at the same time. Some types of vasculitis may be mild and not require any type of treatment but others may need medical intervention.

Vasculitis Symptoms

General symptoms

• Having a low grade fever that may or may not go higher.
• Having a loss of appetite
• Weight loss that is unexplainable
• Tiredness and fatigue
• Muscle pain
• Joint stiffness
• In some cases you can feel the swelling of your veins and arteries.
• Loss of energy

If the blood flow is hampered or completely blocked off, it can affect certain organs and systems of your body each of these will have their own symptoms. For example:

Affecting your brain

• Headaches that are severe
• Stroke

Affecting your heart

• Chest pain
• Having a heart attack

Affecting your skin

• Having clusters of small dots
• Spots
• Rashes
• Hives
• Bruises

Affecting your joints

• Pain
• It could lead to conditions related to the joints such as arthritis.

Affecting your nerves

• You could have numbness.
• Tingling
• You may have weakness around the part that is affected.
• Shooting pain

Affecting your kidneys

• Abnormal urine tests
• Progressive kidney failure

Vasculitis Causes

Researchers are still studying to find out just what causes your blood vessels to become inflamed but there are several reasons that can cause them to weaken, become narrow, thicken, close off totally, scar, and/or stretch. Although they feel the main cause is the attack by your immune system they are not exactly sure why the immune system would be the cause. The trigger could be a disease of your immune system, an allergic reaction, infection, or an autoimmune disorder. Another cause could be cancer, especially the ones that particularly affect your blood cells like lymphoma or leukemia. It could also be caused by chronic medical conditions that are long term like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

Medical conditions

• Behcet’s syndrome – this disorder will cause your veins and arteries both to become inflamed and happens to people usually in their twenties and thirties.
• Buerger’s disease – this disorder will cause clots and inflammation in the blood vessels of your extremities and is associated with smoking cigarettes.
• Churg-Strauss syndrome – this disorder commonly affects the blood vessels in the lungs and is associated with having asthma.
• Giant cell arteritis – this disorder is an inflammation of the arteries in the head, especially around the temples and usually happens in people over the age of fifty.
• Henoch-Schonlein purpura – this disorder causes the inflammation of your blood vessels of your bowel, kidneys, joints, and skin.
• Microscopic polyangitis – this disorder affects the tiny sized blood vessels in your skin, kidneys, and lungs.
• Polyarteritis nodosa – this disorder affects the medium sized blood vessels in different areas of your body that can include your heart, muscles, and intestine.
• Takayasu’s arteritis – this disorder affects the largest arteries in your body such as the aorta. It usually happens to young women.
• Granulomatosis with polyangiitis – this disorder affects the inflammation of your blood vessels in your sinuses, nose, lungs, kidneys, and throat.

If vasculitis has no known cause it is referred to as primary vasculitis and if it is due to another disease it is referred to as secondary vasculitis.

Vasculitis Pictures

Vasculitis on skin

Pictures of vasculitis on legs

Vasculitis Treatment

How vasculitis is treated depends on the organs that are affected when you are diagnosed. It may not need treatment and go away on its own if the cause is an allergic reaction but if it affects organs that are critical to life like your brain, kidneys, or lungs, the treatment will be more aggressive. The standard treatment that is used is corticosteroid medications. If the cause is cancer you may be given chemotherapy medication but in lower doses.

When you are given corticosteroid medications, known as steroids, they will be used to treat your inflammation. You may be prescribed predinisone.
You may also be prescribed medications to help control your immune system if your vasculitis does not respond the right way to corticosteroids. The physician may prescribe cytotoxic medications that will kill your immune system cells that are causing the inflammation.

The specific treatment and how long it will last will be specific to the type of vasculitis that you have. The treatments are designed to not only reduce the inflammation of the blood vessels but also to help repair the weakened or damaged blood vessels. The treatment will also help to bring the infected organ back to health.

What is Neurosyphilis?

This medical condition is the infection of your spinal cord or brain. The people who are usually affected by this disease are the ones that have had chronic syphilis that has not been treated for ten to twenty years after they had their first infection but everyone who has had syphilis will not get neurosyphilis.

Neurosyphilis can be described in four forms.

• Asymptomatic – with this type, which is the most common, you do not have any symptoms
• General paresis – this is where there is a problem with mental function because of damage to your brain from having syphilis that was not treated.
• Meningovascular – this type is related to the blood vessels in the meninges or just in the blood vessels. Meninges is the system of membranes that cover your spinal cord and brain.
• Tabes dorsalis – this is the slow degeneration of your nerve fibers and nerve cells. These are the ones that carry any sensory information to your brain

Neurosyphilis Symptoms

When you have neurosyphilis you may or may not have any symptoms. Some of the symptoms that may occur include:

• Having abnormal gait and/or not able to walk.
• Blindness and/or visual disturbances.
• Being confused
• Depressed
• Dementia
• Having headaches
• Being incontinent
• Being irritable
• Having numbness in your legs, toes, or feet.
• Concentration that is poor
• Seizures and/or tremors
• Stiff neck
• Weakness in your muscles

When the physician does a diagnostic workup he may see other symptoms such as:

• Reflexes that are not normal
• Having muscle contractions and/or muscle atrophy

Causes of Neurosyphilis

The main cause of neurosyphilis is from the bacteria that cause syphilis which is called the Treponema pallidum.

Diagnosis

When you visit your physician they will take your health history information, do a physical exam, look at your symptoms, and various other tests to see if you have neurosyphilis.

Tests to screen for syphilis

• One of the oldest blood tests that is used to check for substances that are made by bacteria which can cause syphilis is called the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test (VDRL). It measures the antibodies that your body may be producing if you have come in contact with these particular bacteria. The test can be done using either a sample of your spinal fluid or a regular blood sample.
• Rapid Plasma Regain test (RPR) – this is another screening test for syphilis in which they are looking for antibodies that are in the blood of people who have neurosyphilis. This is similar to the VDRL test.
• Enzyme Immunoassay test (EIA) – this is a newer blood test and if it is positive it should be checked with either a RPR or VDRL blood test.

Tests to diagnose syphilis

• Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody Absorption test (FTA-ABS) – this blood tests will detect if there any antibodies to the bacteria that causes syphilis
• Treponema Pallidum Particle Agglutination Assay test (TPPA) – this is the test that they use to confirm an infection of syphilis if another blood test used is positive for the bacteria. This test is only a blood test and is not done using spinal fluid.
• Darkfield Microscopy – this is a special microscope that examines a sample of tissue or fluid from a sore that is open for the bacteria that causes syphilis. This test can be used to detect it in an early stage.
• Microhemagglutination Assay test (MHA-TP) – this is another test that can be used to confirm an infection if another tests is positive.

The physician may also order tests to check with any problems with your nervous system such as:

• Cerebral Angiogram – this is where they would use x-rays and special dye to see the blood flow through your brain to see if there is any problems.
• Head CT Scan
• Lumbar Puncture which is also known as a spinal tap
• MRI

Neurosyphilis Treatment

The most common antibiotic used in treating neurosyphilis is penicillin. It can be taken in two different ways.

• The penicillin is injected into your vein for ten to fourteen days, several times each day. Your physician will make the decision as to how many times a day this must be done.
• You could take probenecid, which is usually a medicine that is used to treat gouty arthritis and gout but can be used for other conditions. It is in pill form and you will take it four times each day along with muscle injections each day. You will do both for ten to fourteen days.

If you are diagnosed with neurosyphilis you have to have blood work done every three, six, twelve, twenty-four, and thirty-six months in order to be sure that the neurosyphilis is totally gone. Every six months you have to have a lumbar puncture done. This is done so they can do a CSF fluid analysis. The follow ups can be different if you there are any other medical conditions or you have HIV.

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What is Leukocytosis?

This is a medical condition in which there is an overproduction of leukocytes. Leukocytes are referred to as white blood cells (WBC) and are one part of the immune system. The immune system is what helps your body fight diseases and infections. White blood cells are made in the bone marrow where some are released into your blood and the rest are kept inside your bone marrow. The marrow is a spongy, soft tissue that is inside the bones. Leukocytosis can be classified into five subcategories which depend on the type of the white blood cells have increased in number.

The five subcategories of white blood cells include:

1. Neutrophils
2. Eosinophils
3. Basophils
4. Monocytes
5. Lymphocytes

Leukocytosis can affect any age, gender, or sex.

Leukocytosis Symptoms

Many times when you have Leukocytosis you may or may not have any symptoms. If you do have any symptoms they are usually caused by the disease that is causing the increase in your white blood cell production. Some of the common symptoms you could have include:

• Having a high fever
• Bruising or bleeding
• Feeling tired, sick, or weak.
• Feeling faint, sweaty, or dizzy.
• Having tingling or pain in your legs, abdomen, or arms.
• Having trouble breathing
• Having trouble seeing or thinking.
• Loss of appetite
• Losing weight when you are not trying to.

Leukocytosis Causes

Generally when a person has an elevated white blood cell count it means that their body is fighting some type of infection. This infection could be caused by bacteria, fungal, a parasite, or a virus. It could also be caused by chicken pox or pneumonia. Some other causes may include:

Inflammation

This is when you see redness, swelling, or feel pain in some part of your body. It could also be caused by rheumatoid or regular arthritis, an inflammation in your joints.

Damage to your tissues

You could have an elevated white blood count if you have damage to your tissues due to burns, heart disease, and cancer.

Immune reactions

This is when the immune system reacts very strong such as when you have an allergy or asthma attack.

Problems with your bone marrow

This is when your bone marrow makes an overproduction of white blood cells such as when you have leukemia, thrombocytopenia, myelofibrosis, etc.

Medicine

Some of the medicines that can cause an increase in your white blood cells include ones that are used in treating mental health conditions, breathing problems, inflammation, and cancer. Some of these medications may include corticosteroids, aspirin, anti-seizure, lithium, chloroform, etc.

Stress

This includes both physical and emotional stress.

Medical conditions

Some of these various medical conditions can include tuberculosis, pneumonia, whooping cough, and measles.

Pregnancy

This is a very common cause of elevated white blood cells in your blood.

Urinary

If there is an elevated white blood cell count in your urine it can be caused by a bacterial infection of they urinary tract such as a bladder or kidney infection or the formation of kidney stones or other bladder obstruction.

Leukocytosis Treatment

Before any treatment can be started your physician will have to find out what is causing the increase production in your white blood cells causing you to have leukocytosis. There is a possibility that they will return to the normal range without doing any type of treatment. If the elevation is due to a medication then the physician will discontinue the medication and put you on another one.

Some treatments that your physician may use include:

Intravenous fluids – you will have a tube inserted into your veins in order to be given these extra fluids.

Antibiotics – if the cause is an infection an antibiotic will help to prevent or treat the infection. Antibiotics could help prevent you from developing sepsis. This is a very serious blood infection.

Steroids – this medication will help to reduce the inflammation in your body and may help lower your white blood cell cont.

Antacids – these are used to lower the acid in the urine while you are being treated for leukocytosis.

Anti-uric acid medications – this medication will help to lower how much uric acid that is in your body and may help prevent cell damage.

Leukocytoreduction – this is a procedure that is used to lower the white blood cells count in the blood. This may be used to slow down leukostasis. This is the disease when your white blood cells in your blood clump together.

Chemotherapy – this is the medicine that is used to treat cancer and works by killing the tumor cells.

Blood transfusions – you may get parts of or whole blood through an IV when you have a transfusion

Bone marrow transplant – your unhealthy bone marrow is replaced with healthy bone marrow and is given to you through an IV tube.

What is Polyarteritis Nodosa?

This is a serious disease of your blood vessels in which your medium and small sized arteries become damaged and swollen. These are the arteries that take blood that is rich in oxygen to your tissues and organs. It can also be considered a multi-system disorder that is rare. It can affect any blood vessel in your body. It is a disorder that is usually found more in men and is most like to present itself between the ages of forty and fifty. It can also be a potentially life threatening disease.

When a person has polyarteritis nodosa the damage to your blood vessels slows down the supply of nourishment and blood to your arteries which in turn can cause the tissue that is nearby in various parts of your body to be destroyed or injured. Because the symptoms of this disease can be confused with other forms of vasculitis and diseases it is hard to estimate just how many people are affected with polyarteritis nodosa each year. It can affect people of all races. People who have the proper treatment for polyarteritis nodosa have at least an eighty percent chance of surviving five or more years after being diagnosed.

Polyarteritis Nodosa Symptoms

The symptoms that you see with polyarteritis nodosa are usually caused by the damage these swollen blood vessels have done to the organs or body systems that are affected. These organs and body systems that are commonly affected are your nerves in your legs and arms, abdominal organs, and your kidneys. It can also affect your skin, brain, muscles and joints, reproductive organs, eyes, and your heart.

The general symptoms a person might experience may include:

• Pain in your abdomen
• Your appetite decreases
• Feeling fatigued
• Having a fever
• Aches in your joints and muscles.
• Weight loss that is unintentional.
• Weakness
• Severe headaches
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Numbness, burning, weakness, loss of sensation and movement, and pain if your nerves are affected.
• Sweats
• You may have ulcers, gangrene, nodules, and purpura if they affect your skin, which is usually your legs and can be very painful.
• Impaired kidney function, high blood pressure, and protein in your urine, and fluid retention if it affects your kidneys.
• Shortness of breath or chest pain.
• Having pain in your pelvis or testicles.

Polyarteritis Nodosa Causes

The exact cause of this disease is not known but in times past the minority of the cases of polyarteritis nodosa was caused by Hepatitis B. With the Hepatitis B vaccine now available in the developed world it is rare to find this as the cause for polyarteritis nodosa. One thing that is clear about this disease is that a polyarteritis nodosa attach can be triggered by a number of vaccines or drugs. It can also be triggered by a reaction to either a viral or bacterial infection like a staph infection of strep infection.

According to research that has been done, many researchers feel that polyarteritis nodosa could be because of the disturbances of your body’s immune system and certain immune cells attack the arteries causing polyarteritis nodosa.

Diagnosis

At this time there are no particular lab tests to be used to diagnosis whether a person has or does not have polyarteritis nodosa but there are lab tests that help a physician confirm their diagnosis. These tests include:

• Arteriogram – this is an imaging test in which a special dye is inserted into your arteries and an x-ray is taken to see what they look like inside. It can be used on the arteries in your brain, kidneys, heart, and other various parts of your body.
• A blood test called a complete blood count
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate – this test will measure how much inflammation in your body.
• C-reactive protein – this protein is produced by your liver and if there is an inflammation throughout your body the level of this protein will go up.
• Tissue biopsy

When you visit your physician to see if you have this disease the physician will do a physical exam paying special attention to your heart, abdomen, and skin. They will also look for any neurological signs or symptoms.

Polyarteritis Nodosa Treatment

In years past there was no effective therapy for polyarteritis nodosa and because it was untreated the person died within a few weeks but could be as long as several months. Most of the time when a person died from not treating polyarteritis nodosa it was from gastrointestinal or heart complication or kidney failure.

Today if your symptoms are mild and you have no evidence of hepatitis B or C your physician will usually begin treatment with a steroid medication like prednisone. This type of medication is powerful and will suppress your immune system and can help to reduce any swelling. If the case is more severe and involves your kidneys, heart, or nerves the physician may combine prednisone with another immunosuppressant medication. To fully treat polyarteritis nodosa will take at least twelve months.

If the cause is from hepatitis B or C the physician may use prednisone to help control the arterial inflammation along with antiviral medications to help fight whichever hepatitis infection you have. If polyarteritis nodosa is diagnosed early enough you and your physician can get the disease under control and many times it can be cured. If you are experiencing any symptoms of this disorder you need to see your physician immediately.

Polyarteritis Nodosa Pictures

Photos, Images and Pictures of the health condition Polyarteritis Nodosa…

What is Postherpetic Neuralgia?

This is a medical condition that affects your skin and nerve fibers. The pain that is associated with this medical condition could be so strong that it interferes with your appetite and sleep. The risk of developing postherpetic neuralgia increases as a person ages and will usually hit a person who is older than sixty years of age. It can hit either gender. When you see the word, “neuralgia” it means the nerve pain that happens when a nerve is inflamed or irritated with the pain ranging from mild to being unbearable and happening briefly or being a chronic pain.

Postherpetic Neuralgia Symptoms

When you have postherpetic neuralgia the symptoms are usually limited to the area of your body where you had your outbreak of shingles. This area is usually on just one side of your body and is commonly found in a band around the trunk of your body.

Some of the common symptoms can include:

• Pain which can be sharp and jabbing, aching and deep, or burning
• Being sensitive to light tough which can be as simple as not being able to stand your clothes touching the area of the skin that was subjected to shingles. This condition is called allodynia.
• Numbness and itching – these two symptoms can produce numbness or an itchy feeling but these symptoms are not as common as other symptoms
• Having paralysis or weakness – these symptoms usually happen in only rare cases but you could experience weakness in your muscles or even paralysis if your nerves that are involved control the movement of your muscles.

Causes of Postherpetic Neuralgia

Getting postherpetic neuralgia is a shingles complication. It is caused by the chickenpox virus. This virus is called herpes zoster. Most of the time when a person gets shingles it will clear up and go away within a few weeks but if there is pain that is long lasting after the blisters and rash have gone away you could have postherpetic neuralgia. Approximately twenty to thirty percent of the people who have had a shingles outbreak will go on to have this combination.

Some of the factors/causes of postherpetic neuralgia can include:

• Being over the age of fifty.
• Being of the female gender.
• Having the presence of symptoms like tingling, pain, numbness, or itching that happen before you get the rash.
• How severe the rash is with your case of shingles.
• During the beginning of the shingles outbreak, how bad your pain was.
• You can be stressed out.

The reason that a person has outbreaks of shingles is that after you have had chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in your body until something triggers it to wake up and cause an outbreak of shingles. When you have an outbreak of shingles it can damage your nerve fibers causing them to be unable to send any messages from your skin to the brain like they usually do. Since the nerves cannot transmit the messages the normal way it causes the messages they are trying to send to become exaggerated and confused. This is what causes the pain, associated with postherpetic neuralgia, which can be chronic and last for months, maybe even years.

Treatment

Basically, at this time there is no cure for postherpetic neuralgia but there are ways to treat it and help you deal with the pain. Overtime, the postherpetic neuralgia will improve for most people who are suffering from this medical condition.

Some of the treatments that a physician can use include:

Skin patches with Lidocaine – these patches have a pain-relieving topical medication and can be cut to fit on just area that is affected. You can only get these with a prescription. They will give you temporary relief when you apply them directly to the skin.

Skin patches with Capsaicin – on these patches you will find a high concentration of capsaicin, which is an extract of the chili peppers. This can be effective in relieving the nerve pain associated with this medical condition. You can get a low-concentration of this cream over-the-counter. It will help to improve the pain over a few weeks if you can tolerate the application. In most people it will cause a burning sensation and some people cannot tolerate that sensation along with the nerve pain. For the skin patch you have to have a prescription because of it being such a high concentration and is put on at your physician’s office by personnel trained to apply it. Before they put on the patch they will put some numbing medication on first. The whole process can take at least two hours to complete but for some people one application can lost for three months. If it helps it can be put on every three months.

Some physicians prescribe anticonvulsants to help lessen the pain and there are even some antidepressants that can affect the main brain chemicals that play a key role in how the body interprets pain. The physician can also prescribe strong pain pills.

Postherpetic Neuralgia Pictures

Photos, Images and Pictures of Postherpetic Neuralgia…