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Tuberculosis

August 20th, 2008

Tuberculosis is a highly dreaded infectious disease. A bacterium called mycobacterium tuberculosis is the perpetrator of this disease. Tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease. The primary target of tuberculosis is the lungs but other parts like the nervous system, the gastrointestinal system, lymphatic system, bones and joints are also susceptible to be affected by this disease.

Chronic cough, severe fever, perspiration during the nights, blood stained sputum and rapid weight loss are the major symptoms of this disease. There is also a tendency to cough up blood and get fatigued easily. Tuberculosis is spread through air by the coughing, spitting and sneezing of the infected person.

There is usually great difficulty in spotting the onset of the disease. This is largely because of the slow rate at which the organism grows. Tuberculosis radiology is the most popularly used method in the diagnosis of TB (Tuberculosis).

Antibiotic treatment is used to counter the bacteria. The most potent antibiotics against TB are isoniazid and rifampicin. The peculiarity of this disease is that unlike other bacterial diseases, it requires a longer course of antibiotic treatment, ranging from 6 to 12 months.

Prevention of TB can be done by spotting people with Tuberculosis, treating them and averting its spread. There is a vaccine available for children against tuberculosis. In tropical areas, people who are exposed to a specific bacterium called nontuberculous mycobacteria get immunity from tuberculosis. Development of a proper vaccine for adults would help in the complete eradication of this disease.

Pancreatitis

August 13th, 2008

As the name indicates it is a disease that will affect pancreas. The condition is that it will make the pancreas to bulge. It will block the insulin secreted in the pancreas and cause irritation to the abdomen region. This disease is of two types. They are acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis. It is a dreadful disease.

The main cause of the disease is the excess consumption of alcohol. Disorder in digestion will result in the pacreatitis disease. Other causes of the disease are gall stones, diabetes and less consumption of water and peptic ulcer. Irregular food pattern is one reason for pancreatitis.

Both kind of pancreatitis are treated with ease at the starting stage. Acute pancreatitis is the fatal kind of both types. The prevention method includes a good diet and no alcohol consumption. Surgery is the last option for severe pancreatitis. Wipul’s surgery is adapted for chronic pancreatitis. It is a loop made from pancreatitis to release the insulin in to the jejunum. This will solve the problem. The side effect after surgery is less if a good after surgery treatment is maintained. Enzymes rich medicines are also useful in relieving the pain in the earlier stage.

Scabies

August 6th, 2008

This skin condition is caused by a burrowing tiny mite. The normally affected areas are the wrist and ankles. This is primarily caused by a pregnant female mite who penetrates the skin and lays its eggs there. The eggs which hatch after an incubation period of four to five days cause a skin ailment in the form of rashes. The rash is constituted by tiny, separate blisters and sometimes there is visibility of the burrowing tract of the mite around the fingers and the toes. This condition gets aggravated when there is warmth in the body. Hence, in the night time there is extreme itching on the wrists and ankles.

Gamma benzene hexachloride lotion or Malathion is a very powerful remedy for scabies. This lotion should be applied on all parts of the body starting from the neck. The soles of the feet are most important as they are most vulnerable to mites. A change should be effected in the mattress as well as clothing. Washing and dry cleaning would destroy the mites in the house. The itching, though, will persist for a few weeks. This can be treated by the application of calamine lotion all over the body.

The prevention of scabies can be done by maintaining basic bodily hygiene and by keeping the surrounding clean. Frequent pest control measures would also keep scabies at bay.