| Medical Dictionary |
A Medical Dictionary of Medical Terminology
|
Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD), is a type of hemorrhagic fever. It is a rare and often deadly disease. It can be caused by several different types of Ebola viruses. There are occasional outbreaks of Ebola, and they mostly occur in Africa.
How does Ebola spread?Researchers believe that the virus first spreads from an infected animal to a human. Ebola can then spread from human to human through direct contact with:
When people become infected with Ebola, they do not start developing signs or symptoms right away. They cannot spread Ebola to others until after they develop symptoms.
What are the symptoms of Ebola?The symptoms of Ebola may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to the virus. The average is about 8 to 10 days. The symptoms usually include:
Other symptoms may include a rash, red eyes, and hiccups.
How is Ebola diagnosed?The early symptoms of Ebola are similar to other more common diseases. This makes it difficult to diagnose Ebola in someone who has been infected for only a few days. If a person has the symptoms of Ebola and may have been exposed to the virus, the health care provider can do a blood test for Ebola. It can take a few days after the symptoms start before Ebola shows up in the blood test.
What are the treatments for Ebola?In the United States, there are two approved medicines to treat Ebola that is caused by one specific type of virus (Zaire ebolavirus). These medicines have not been evaluated to treat Ebola caused by other types of Ebola viruses. The medicines are monoclonal antibodies, which are immune system proteins that are created in the lab.
Whether or not there are medicines to treat a case of Ebola, there is supportive care. This type of care can improve the chances of survival, especially when given early. Supportive care includes:
People who recover may still have side effects afterwards, such as fatigue, muscle aches, eye and vision problems, and stomach pain.
Can Ebola be prevented?In the United States, there is one vaccine that has been approved to prevent Ebola caused by one specific type of Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus). It may be given to health care providers who will be or may be treating Ebola patients and people who work with live Ebola virus in labs.
If you live in or plan to travel to a region where Ebola virus may be present, you can help protect yourself by avoiding contact with:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a rare but deadly viral infection. It is spread by mice and rats. They shed the virus in their urine, droppings, and saliva. Tiny droplets with the virus can enter the air. People can get the disease if they breathe infected air or come into contact with rodents or their urine or droppings. You cannot catch it from people.
Early symptoms of HPS include:
Later symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath.
Controlling rodents in and around your house is the best way to prevent infection. If you have been around rodents and have symptoms of fever, deep muscle aches, and severe shortness of breath, see your doctor immediately.
There is no specific treatment, cure, or vaccine for HPS. Patients may do better if it is recognized early and they get medical care in an intensive care unit. They often need to use a breathing machine and have oxygen therapy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Pain is a signal in your nervous system that something may be wrong. It is an unpleasant feeling, such as a prick, tingle, sting, burn, or ache. Pain may be sharp or dull. It may come and go, or it may be constant. You may feel pain in one area of your body, such as your back, abdomen, chest, pelvis, or you may feel pain all over.
Pain can be helpful in diagnosing a problem. If you never felt pain, you might seriously hurt yourself without knowing it, or you might not realize you have a medical problem that needs treatment.
There are two types of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain usually comes on suddenly, because of a disease, injury, or inflammation. It can often be diagnosed and treated. It usually goes away, though sometimes it can turn into chronic pain. Chronic pain lasts for a long time, and can cause severe problems.
Pain is not always curable, but there are many ways to treat it. Treatment depends on the cause and type of pain. There are drug treatments, including pain relievers. There are also non-drug treatments, such as acupuncture, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery.
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It might cause you to sweat, feel restless and tense, and have a rapid heartbeat. It can be a normal reaction to stress. For example, you might feel anxious when faced with a difficult problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision. It can help you to cope. The anxiety may give you a boost of energy or help you focus. But for people with anxiety disorders, the fear is not temporary and can be overwhelming.
What are anxiety disorders?Anxiety disorders are conditions in which you have anxiety that does not go away and can get worse over time. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, schoolwork, and relationships.
What are the types of anxiety disorders?There are several types of anxiety disorders, including:
The cause of anxiety is unknown. Factors such as genetics, brain biology and chemistry, stress, and your environment may play a role.
Who is at risk for anxiety disorders?The risk factors for the different types of anxiety disorders can vary. For example, GAD and phobias are more common in women, but social anxiety affects men and women equally. There are some general risk factors for all types of anxiety disorders, including:
The different types of anxiety disorders can have different symptoms. But they all have a combination of:
Using caffeine, other substances, and certain medicines can make your symptoms worse.
How are anxiety disorders diagnosed?To diagnose anxiety disorders, your health care provider will ask about your symptoms and medical history. You may also have a physical exam and lab tests to make sure that a different health problem is not the cause of your symptoms.
If you don't have another health problem, you will get a psychological evaluation. Your provider may do it, or you may be referred to a mental health professional to get one.
What are the treatments for anxiety disorders?The main treatments for anxiety disorders are psychotherapy (talk therapy), medicines, or both:
Support groups and stress management techniques may also be helpful.
NIH: National Institute of Mental Health
If you feel pain and stiffness in your body or have trouble moving around, you might have arthritis. Most kinds of arthritis cause pain and swelling in your joints. Joints are places where two bones meet, such as your elbow or knee. Over time, a swollen joint can become severely damaged. Some kinds of arthritis can also cause problems in your organs, such as your eyes or skin.
Types of arthritis include:
NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Your immune system protects you from disease and infection by attacking germs that get into your body, such as viruses and bacteria. Your immune system can tell that the germs aren't part of you, so it destroys them. If you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system attacks the healthy cells of your organs and tissues by mistake.
There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases. They can affect almost any part of your body. For example, alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease of the skin that causes hair loss. Autoimmune hepatitis affects the liver. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the pancreas. And in rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system can attack many parts of the body, including the joints, lungs, and eyes.
What causes autoimmune diseases?No one is sure why autoimmune diseases happen. But you can't catch them from other people.
Autoimmune diseases do tend to run in families, which means that certain genes may make some people more likely to develop a problem. Viruses, certain chemicals, and other things in the environment may trigger an autoimmune disease if you already have the genes for it.
Who is at risk for autoimmune diseases?Millions of Americans of all ages have autoimmune diseases. Women develop many types of autoimmune diseases much more often than men. And if you have one autoimmune disease, you are more likely to get another.
What are the symptoms of autoimmune diseases?The symptoms of an autoimmune disease depend on the part of your body that's affected. Many types of autoimmune diseases cause redness, swelling, heat, and pain, which are the signs and symptoms of inflammation. But other illnesses can cause the same symptoms.
The symptoms of autoimmune diseases can come and go. During a flare-up, your symptoms may get severe for a while. Later on, you may have a remission, which means that your symptoms get better or disappear for a period of time.
How are autoimmune diseases diagnosed?Doctors often have a hard time diagnosing autoimmune diseases. There's usually not a specific test to show whether you have a certain autoimmune disease. And the symptoms can be confusing. That's because many autoimmune diseases have similar symptoms. And some symptoms, such as muscle aches, are common in many other illnesses. So it can take a long time and some visits to different types of doctors to get a diagnosis.
To help your doctor find out if an autoimmune disease is causing your symptoms,:
The treatment depends on the disease. In most cases, the goal of treatment is to suppress (slow down) your immune system, and ease swelling, redness, and pain from inflammation. Your doctor may give you corticosteroids or other medicines to help you feel better. For some diseases, you may need treatment for the rest of your life.
Birds, just like people, can get the flu. Another name for bird flu is avian influenza. The viruses that cause bird flu normally only infect birds, including chickens, other poultry, and wild birds such as ducks. But sometimes the viruses can infect other animals and, in rare cases, people.
A few types of these viruses have caused most of the infections in people. They are the H5N1, H7N9, and H5N6 viruses. These infections in people have mainly been in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Pacific, and the Near East. Although it's very rare, there have also been some infections in people in the United States.
How do you get bird flu?The most common ways you can get bird flu are from:
It's also possible (but very rare) to get bird flu from:
Certain people may be more likely to get bird flu, including:
Sometimes bird flu doesn't cause any symptoms. But if you do feel sick, your symptoms can range from mild to severe. Often, the symptoms are similar to the (seasonal) flu, such as:
People with severe illness from bird flu may have pneumonia and might need to be hospitalized.
How is bird flu diagnosed?Laboratory testing is used to diagnose bird flu. It's usually done with a nasal or throat swab. This testing is more accurate when the swab is collected during the first few days of illness.
For people who are severely ill, health care providers may do testing of a different sample, such as fluid taken during a bronchoalveolar lavage or other procedure.
What are the treatments for bird flu?Bird flu is treated with antiviral medicines. It's important to get them as soon as possible. The medicines may make your illness less severe.
You may also be given antiviral medicines if you were exposed to a person or animal who has the virus. This may help prevent you from getting sick.
Can bird flu be prevented?There is currently no vaccine available to the public. The government has developed a virus that is similar to some H5N1 viruses. The virus could be used to produce a vaccine for people, if needed.
It's important to take precautions to prevent bird flu:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
A caregiver gives care to someone who needs help taking care of themselves. The person who needs help may be a child, an adult, or an older adult. They may need help because of an injury, chronic illness, or disability.
Some caregivers are informal caregivers. They are usually family members or friends. Other caregivers are paid professionals. Caregivers may give care at home or in a hospital or other health care setting. Sometimes they are caregiving from a distance. The types of tasks that caregivers do may include:
Caregiving can be rewarding. It may help to strengthen connections to a loved one. You may feel fulfillment from helping someone else. But caregiving may also be stressful and sometimes even overwhelming. Caregiving may involve meeting complex demands without any training or help. You may also be working and have children or others to care for. To meet all of the demands, you might be putting your own needs and feelings aside. But that's not good for your long-term health. But you need to make sure that you are also taking care of yourself.
What is caregiver stress?Many caregivers are affected by caregiver stress. This is the stress that comes from the emotional and physical strain of caregiving. The signs include:
Long-term caregiver stress may put you at risk for many different health problems. Some of these problems can be serious. They include:
Taking steps to prevent or relieve caregiver stress may help prevent health problems. Remember that if you feel better, you can take better care of your loved one. It will also be easier to focus on the rewards of caregiving. Some ways to help yourself include:
Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is an illness that can cause serious heart and stomach problems. It is caused by a parasite. Chagas disease is common in Latin America, especially in poor, rural areas. It can also be found in the United States, most often in people who were infected before they moved to the U.S.
What causes Chagas disease?Chagas disease is caused by the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite. It is usually spread by infected blood-sucking bugs called triatomine bugs. They are also known as "kissing bugs" because they often bite people's faces. When one of these bugs bites you, it leaves behind infected waste. You can become infected if you rub the waste in your eyes or nose, the bite wound, or a cut.
Chagas disease can also spread through contaminated food, a blood transfusion, a donated organ, or from the pregnant parent to the baby during pregnancy.
Who is more likely to develop Chagas disease?Kissing bugs can be found throughout the Americas, but they are more common in certain areas. The people who are most at risk for Chagas disease:
In the beginning, there may be no symptoms. Some people do get mild symptoms, such as:
These early symptoms usually go away. However, if you don't treat the infection, it stays in your body. Later, it can cause serious intestinal and heart problems such as:
To find out if you have Chagas disease, your health care provider:
Medicines can kill the parasite, especially early on. You can also treat related problems. For example, a pacemaker can help with some heart complications.
Can Chagas disease be prevented?There are no vaccines or medicines to prevent Chagas disease. If you travel to areas where it occurs, you are at higher risk if you sleep outdoors or are staying in poor housing conditions. It is important to use insecticides to prevent bites and practice food safety.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Cold and cough medicines can help relieve symptoms of a common cold. The symptoms of a cold can include a sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, and coughing.
You don't usually need to treat a cold or the cough that it causes. You can't cure a cold, and antibiotics won't help you get better. But sometimes the symptoms can keep you awake or cause a lot of discomfort. In that case, cold and cough medicines can sometimes be helpful.
What are the different types of cold and cough medicines?There are lots of different cold and cough medicines, and they do different things:
Before taking these medicines, read the labels and follow the instructions carefully. Many cold and cough medicines contain the same active ingredients. For example, some of them include pain relievers. If you are taking these medicines and are also taking a separate pain reliever, you could be getting a dangerous amount of the pain reliever.
Do not give cold or cough medicines to children under two, and don't give aspirin to children.
What else can I do to feel better for a cold or cough?If you decide that you don't want to take cold and cough medicines, there are other ways to feel better:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention