diseases

#Mouth diseases and conditions

Mouth sores and ulcers – canker sores

By Dr. Ahmed Hafez

Key facts Mouth ulcers are a type of sore which appears on the inside of your mouth. No one knows what causes mouth ulcers, but there are a few factors that can make you more likely to get one. These include stress, hormonal changes and mouth injuries. Most mouth ulcers heal by themselves without treatment within a week or two. Numbing gels and saltwater mouth rinses can help relieve your pain and reduce your chance of infection. See your doctor if your mouth ulcers are very painful or if they keep coming back. What are mouth ulcers? Mouth ulcers, also

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#Herpesvirus infections #Infectious diseases #Nervous system diseases #S

Shingles

By Sama Mohamed

Key facts Shingles is an infection that causes a painful, blistering rash. It is most common in people over 50 years. Shingles can be treated with antiviral medicine. You can’t catch shingles from someone who has shingles, but you can get chickenpox from someone who has shingles if you have never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine. The shingles vaccine helps prevent you from getting shingles. What is shingles? Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful, blistering rash. Who can get shingles? You can only get shingles if you have had chickenpox. It’s possible to have had chickenpox

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#Nervous system diseases #S

Sciatica

By Sama Mohamed

Key facts Sciatica is a type of pain that starts in your back and goes down your leg. It can be caused by anything that presses on your sciatic nerve or its nerve roots in the spine. Most of the time, sciatica is not caused by anything serious and goes away with time. If you have symptoms of sciatica, see your doctor. You can try to prevent sciatica by exercising, maintaining good posture and lifting safely.   What is sciatica? Sciatica is the name for pain that starts in your back and goes down your leg. It occurs when pain

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#Joint diseases and problems #Rheumatology

Amyloidosis

By Dr. Ahmed Hafez

Overview Amyloidosis refers to the extracellular deposition of fibrils that contain a variety of proteins. An amyloid fibril is simply the assembly of insoluble protein fibres that are composed in a way that is resistant to degradation. This composition is known as a beta-pleated sheet. These deposits of amyloid fibrils are extracellular (i.e. occurring outside of cells) and may be seen in different tissues and organs. Hepatic amyloid. Seen as amorphous, acellular pink material on H&E stain The problem with amyloid is that deposition in tissue can lead to organ dysfunction. When organ dysfunction is caused by amyloid we usually

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#Nervous system diseases #Neurology #Seniors' health

Alzheimer’s disease

By Dr. Ahmed Hafez

Overview Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that causes significant deterioration in mental performance. This leads to impairment in normal social and occupational function. Unfortunately, AD is an incurable condition that has a variable clinical course. It is the most common cause of dementia. Dementia Dementia describes a clinical syndrome that is characterised by a significant deterioration in mental function that leads impairment of normal function. In healthcare, we measure ‘normal function’ by activities of daily living (ADLs). These are a series of routine activities that people should be

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#Genetic disorders #N #Nervous system diseases

Neurofibromatosis

By Sama Mohamed

Key facts Neurofibromatosis is a genetic condition characterised by the growth of benign tumours. There are 3 types: neurofibromatosis type 1, type 2 and schwannomatosis. A common sign is ‘café au lait’ spots, harmless coffee-coloured skin patches, and a common presentation is having vision problems. Neurofibromatosis is usually diagnosed in childhood. Neurofibromatosis is not curable, but is manageable and many people with the condition lead normal lives. What is neurofibromatosis? Neurofibromatosis is a genetic condition characterised by the growth of neurofibromas. These are a type of tumour that is usually benign, or non-cancerous, although in rare cases they can be cancerous. These neurofibromas

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#Dental problems #G #Mouth diseases and conditions

Gingivitis

By Sama Mohamed

Key points: Gingivitis is an early form of gum disease. It occurs when plaque builds up on your teeth along the gum line. Bleeding gums is a common sign of gingivitis, and swollen or bleeding gums, or loose teeth also may occur. If you have gingivitis, the earlier you treat it, the better. See your dentist if you notice signs of gingivitis. What is gingivitis? Gingivitis is an early form of gum disease. It occurs when plaque builds up on your teeth along the gum line. You remove plaque by brushing your teeth correctly, but if it builds up it can

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#E #Nervous system diseases

Epilepsy

By Sama Mohamed

What is epilepsy? Epilepsy is a long-term brain condition where a person has repeated seizures (fits). It is thought to affect about 3 in every 100 Australians. Having just one seizure is not considered to be epilepsy — about half the people who have one seizure never have another seizure. Epilepsy is not one single condition. There are a range of different conditions that can cause seizures. Seizures usually last 1 to 3 minutes. If someone has a seizure that lasts for more than 5 minutes, call an ambulance on triple zero (000). If you see someone having a seizure, you can

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#C #Nervous system diseases

Cerebral palsy

By Sama Mohamed

Key facts Cerebral palsy is caused by a brain injury. Cerebral palsy can affect your movement, coordination, muscle tone and posture. There is no cure for cerebral palsy. What is cerebral palsy? Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects your body movements. It’s the result of a brain injury. The injury can happen before, during or after birth. Cerebral palsy doesn’t get worse over time. The brain damage affects how your body moves. It also can affect the way you stand. This is called your ‘posture’. Cerebral palsy can show up as floppy or stiff muscles. You may have muscle

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#B #Mouth diseases and conditions

Bleeding gums and dental bleeding

By Sama Mohamed

Bleeding gums and dental bleeding What causes bleeding gums? If your gums are bleeding after you have brushed your teeth, it could be a sign of gum disease. This happens when plaque builds up on your teeth and gums. Early gum disease is known as gingivitis. As well as bleeding, this can cause gum redness and swelling (inflammation). Advanced gum disease (periodontitis) happens when gingivitis is not treated. This causes: loose teeth bad breath tenderness or discomfort when biting receding gums (your teeth appear longer) If you think you might have gum disease, it’s important to see a dentist. Getting treatment

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#B #Nervous system diseases

Bell’s palsy

By Sama Mohamed

What is Bell’s palsy? Bell’s palsy is a sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of your face. It is caused by inflammation or damage to the facial nerve. It is usually temporary. Most people start to get better in 2 weeks and are fully recovered in 3 to 6 months. A few people don’t recover fully and are left with some weakness or paralysis of the muscles on that side of their face. What are the symptoms of Bell’s palsy? The main symptom is weakness or paralysis of one side of your face. It is usually at its worst

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#A #Genetic disorders #Joint diseases and problems

Ankylosing spondylitis

By Sama Mohamed

Key facts Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a kind of arthritis that mainly affects your spine. It often begins before the age of 40 years. Ankylosing spondylitis affects males more often than females. It’s not known what causes ankylosing spondylitis. There’s no cure for ankylosing spondylitis, but medicines can help manage your symptoms. What is ankylosing spondylitis? Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a kind of arthritis that mainly affects the joints and ligaments of your spine (back bone). ‘Ankylosing’ means stiff and ‘spondylo’ means vertebra. It can also affect other large joints, like your hips and shoulders. Ankylosing spondylitis can also cause

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#M #Nervous system diseases

Motor neurone disease (MND)

By Sama Mohamed

What is MND? Motor neurone disease (MND) is the name for a group of diseases. These diseases affect nerves known as motor nerves, or motor neurons. In MND, these neurons degenerate and die. This causes the muscles to become weaker and weaker. This eventually leads to paralysis. The MND disease group includes: Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progressive muscular atrophy (PMA) progressive bulbar palsy (PBP) primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) Kennedy’s disease, also known as spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) MND is an uncommon disease. The average age that people are diagnosed with MND is

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