Common Ailments & Diseases (Part I)

Health has become highly important and key issue in our modern society. Under modern living conditions, the hazards to good health are many – from polluted air to contaminated food. This article was published to cater to the needs of those who would like to be aware of common ailments and diseases without exploring through volumes of medical books. It gives wide scope information that affect human health. However, this article does not in any way provide information to resort to self-medication, but only to give readers quick medical reference.

General Information

1. Bacteria that produce diseases are known as pathogenic bacteria.
2. Rabies is a disease produced by a virus which belongs to rhabdovirus category.
3. Insects and ticks are known to be carriers of some viruses called arboviruses.
4. It has been found out that viruses have either RNA or DNA or both. Reoviruses belong to the category of RNA virus.
5. Both poxviruses and herpesviruses belong to DNA viruses.
6. When the body is under foreign invasion it manufactures certain proteins to fight against the foreign proteins. These are known as antibodies.
7. Moisture, food, warm and dark conditions are the conditions ideal for the growth of bacteria.

AIDS (Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome)

8. The immune system is the part of the human system AIDS always attack.
9. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the name of the virus responsible for AIDS.
10. Glycoprotein-41 is the antibody present in most AIDS patients.
11.  AIDS is transmitted through blood and body fluids.
12. The AIDS virus belong to the RNA virus.
13. It takes many years for the length of the incubation period of the virus responsible for AIDS.
14. The T-Helper cells are the cells that HIV always attack.
15. p24 is the level of which antibody goes down as the AIDS disease progresses in a patient.
16. Immunoglobulins is the other name for antibodies. It is a class of proteins produced in lymph tissue in vertebrates and that function as antibodies in the immune response.
17. It was in 1983 when Human Immunodeficiency Virus was identified as the causative factor of AIDS.

Giardiasis

18. Giardiasis is the infection of the intestines with protozoa found in contaminated food and water; characterized by diarrhea and nausea and flatulence and abdominal discomfort
19. Giardia lamblia is the parasite responsible for giardiasis.
20.  The parasite responsible for giardiasis is prevalent in areas where sanitation is poor.
21. Effects of acute giardiasis? The function of the intestine is hindered and growth is obstructed.
22. The excreted cysts of Giardia lamblia remain alive even after excretion.

Amoebiasis

23. Entamoeba histolytica is the parasite responsible for amoebiasis.
24.  The parasite responsible for amoebiasis enter the human system through faecal contamination.
25. These parasites lodge themselves in duodenum.
26. When these parasites invade the intestinal wall, it causes amoebic dysentery.

Diseases of the Eye

27. When distant objects cannot be seen by a person clearly, he is said to be suffering from myopia.
28. When nearby objects cannot be seen by a person, he is said to be suffering from longsightedness.
29. When images are not focused on the retina properly, he is said to be suffering from astigmatism.
30. When the lens of the eyes become cloudy and opaque, this condition is known as cataract.
31. Cataract formed as a result for a person’s old age is known as senile cataract.
32. Cataracts can also happen as a result of iritis.
33. Glaucoma is the result when building up of pressure inside the eyes that lead to blindness.
34. When inflammation occurs of the membrane lining the inner surface of the eyelids, it is known as conjunctivitis.
35. When the muscles of the eyes are not balanced, resulting in non-alignment of the eyes, it gives rise to a condition known as squint.
36. Amblyopia is a condition wherein the vision decreases.
37. Retinoblastoma is a malignant tumours that grow in the eyes.
38. Red-green color blindness is an eye disorder arising from a genetic disorder.

Leprosy

39. Mycobacterium leprae is a bacterium organism responsible for producing leprosy.
40.  Leprosy is transmitted from person to person.

Cancer

41. When the tissues in the body grow in an abnormal manner, it gives rise to tumour.
42. Tumours are often referred to as neoplasms.
43. When cancer attacks the bone marrow, it is known as leukaemia.
44. A non-malignant tumour made up of fat tissues is known as lipoma.
45. Cancer of the lymphoid tissues is known as Lymphoma.
46. Cancer of the mucous membranes, skin, secretory glands, etc., is known as Carcinoma.
47. Cancer of the bones, muscles, kidneys, pigmented tissues, lungs, cartilages, etc., is known as Sarcoma.
48. Chondrosarcoma is cancer of the cartilage.
49. Osteosarcoma is cancer of the bone.
50. Melanotic Sarcoma is cancer of the pigmented tissue.
51. Myosarcoma is cancer of the muscles.
52. Glioma is a tumour that occurs in the nerve tissues of the brain.
53. Cells that divide abnormally at a much faster rate than normal cells are known as cancerous cells.
54. Carcinogens are agents that cause cancer.
55. What happens in Hodgkin’s disease? The lymphatic glands are enlarged.
56. Heavy smokers and drinkers are prone to Oesophageal cancer.
57. A tumour that grows slowly and confines itself to a certain part of the body and does not spread rapidly is known as benign tumour.
58. When tumours interfere with the functions of the body and grow and spread swiftly, they are known as malignant tumours.
59. A tumour of the abdomen in children which mostly affects the kidneys is known as Wilm’s tumour.
60. When malignancy appears in the cells of the liver, it is known as malignant hepatoma.
61. Insuloma is a disease in which cancer strikes the cells that manufacture insulin in the body.
62. When a tumour grows in the sweat glands, this disease is known as syringadenoma.
63. Kaposi’s sarcoma is a disease when the tongue, lips, and cheeks get affected.
64. Neoplasm of the spleen is known as splenoma.

Tuberculosis

65. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is responsible for causing tuberculosis.
66. When tuberculosis affects the spine, this disease is known as Pott’s disease.
67. Pulmonary tuberculosis refers to tuberculosis of the lungs.
68. Tuberculosis affects the bones also. This is known as Tuberculous osteomyelitis.
69. When tuberculosis affects the lymph glands, it is known as tuberculosis adenitis.
70. Tuberculosis is also known to affect the joints. This is known as Tuberculosis arthritis.

Cerebral hemorrhage

71. Cerebral hemorrhage can attack patients suffering from high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, and swelling of the walls of the arteries.
72. When the arteries become hard and stiff in a person, the person is said to be suffering from arteriosclerosis.
73. Brain is the part of the body when the blood vessel rupture in cerebral hemorrhage.
74. An attack of cerebral hemorrhage leads to unconsciousness and paralysis.

Ulcers

75. An open sore is known as ulcer.
76. When ulceration of the digestive system occurs, it is known as peptic ulcer.
77. When ulceration takes place in the upper part of the small intestine, it is known as duodenal ulcer.
78. Ulceration of the stomach is known as gastric ulcer.
79. Hydrochloric acid, which is one of the digestive juices, corrodes the walls of the stomach and duodenum to produce peptic ulcer.
80. Tobacco users and people suffering from mental tension are prone to peptic ulcer.
81. Patients who are bedridden develop bedsores which are medically known as decubitus ulcers.
82. Ulcers does not heal easily with patients suffering from diabetes mellitus.
83. Hyperacidity is seen in tobacco users.

Malaria

84. Malaria is prevalent in Asian region.
85. Anopheles mosquito is the insect that harbours the malaria parasites.
86. Malaria is transmitted through mosquito bites.
87. These parasites: P. vivax, P. Malariae, P. Ovale and P. Falciparum are all responsible for the malaria disease.

Burns

88. Upper layer of epidermis is the part of the skin which is affected in first-degree burns.
89. Second-degree burn destroys part of the epidermis and dermis.
90. Third-degree burn destroys both epidermis and dermis.

 Cardiovascular diseases

91. When there is a deviation of the rhythm of the heart from the normal rhythm, the condition is referred to as arrythmiasis.
92. Angina pectoris is a heart disease. It is a heart condition marked by paroxysms of chest pain due to reduced oxygen to the heart.
93. Sometimes the veins become dilated and the heart valves do not function properly. This may result in reversing the blood flow. This condition is known as varicose veins.
94. Thrombosis is when there is clotting of blood in the blood vessels.
95. The heart is nourished by the right and left coronary arteries. If the coronary artery gets blocked then the heart will receive less blood. This condition is known as Ischaemia.

Diseases of the Skin

96. When the scalp and hair become infested with lice, the condition is known as pediculosis.
97. An infection that froms round, itchy lesions on the skin is known as ringworms.
98. Sarcoptes scabei is a parasite that causes an itchy skin disease known as scabies.
99. A type of eczema that occurs as a result of handling flour or sugar is known as Grocer’s itch.
100. Psoriasis is a disease in which the outer layer of the skin renew itself much faster than in normal human skin.
101. Leukoderma results from faulty pigmentation of the skin.
102. Wilson’s disease is when there’s an allergic reaction on the skin.
103. Herpes is a skin disease, the cause of which is a virus.
104. Ringworm is categorized as fungal disease.

Encephalitis

105. Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain usually caused by a virus; symptoms include headache and neck pain and drowsiness and nausea and fever.
106. Mosquitoes is responsible for transmitting encephalitis. 
107. Culex mosquito is the carrier of the encephalitis virus.

Miscellaneous Info

108. Salmonella typhi is the bacterium that causes typhoid.
109. Typhoid is transmitted from contaminated food or water.
110. A kind of paralysis that is accompanied by tremor of the limbs and associated with reduced dopamine in the tissues of the brain is known as Parkinson’s disease.
111. Meningitis is an infectious disease characterized by inflammation of the meninges (the tissues that surround the brain or spinal cord) usually caused by a bacterial infection; symptoms include headache and stiff neck and fever and nausea.
112.  Pneumonia is a respiratory disease characterized by inflammation of the lungs with congestion caused by viruses or bacteria or irritants.
113. Tonsillitis occurs when tonsils become swollen.
114. When certain portions of the tissues of the body die, it is referred to as Gangrene.
115. What does one mean by alopecia? Baldness.
116. Plague is a highly infectious disease that is transmitted by rats.
117. Thalassaemia is the disease in which the body is unable to use iron to synthesize haemoglobin, thereby leading to severe anaemia.
118. Rubella is the other name for German measles.
119. Glossitis occurs when the tongue becomes swollen.
120. Hyperglycaemia is the terminology used to describe excess glucose in the blood.
121. When a person excessively worries about his illness or imagines being inflicted with illness, he is said to be suffering from Hypochondria.
122. What is chancroid? Venereal disease.
123. Gonorrhoea is a venereal disease; symptoms are painful urination and pain around the urethra.
124. Colitis is inflammation of the colon.
125. Inflammation of the mouth takes place in stomatitis.
126. Goitre is the abnormally enlarged thyroid gland; can result from under-production or over-production of hormone or from a deficiency of iodine in the diet.
127. Pain and inflammation of the joints in the body is referred to as arthritis.
128. Kala-azar is a disease that is accompanied by fever and causes damage to the liver and spleen.
129. The parasite Laishmann Donovan is responsible for causing Kala-azar.
130. Sand fly is the carrier of Laishmann Donovan.
131. Virus is responsible for influenza.
132. Earlier it was thought that influenza was caused by Hemophilus influenza.
133. Which is the site of attack of the influenza virus? Respiratory tract.
134. Passing of frequent, watery motions is known as diarrhea.
135. Over-eating of infection from food or water is responsible for diarrhea.
136. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is caused by a microorganism called Rickettsia rickettsii and transmitted by wood ticks.
137. Nephritis is a chronic and acute kidney disease.
138. Toxaemia resulting from the retention of poisonous waste material in the blood stream is known as Uraemia.
139. What happens in rhinitis? The nasal mucous membrane is swollen.
140. An infectious disease brought about by a virus causing swelling and pain in the salivary glands is known as mumps.
141. Tsetse fly is a fly responsible for spreading the disease trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness.
142. The differentiating power of the body’s immune system is reduced with age. In consequence, it fails to differentiate between disease germs and body’s own tissues. As a result, it attacks body’s own tissues by mistake producing auto-immune diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis is thought to be an auto-immune disease.
143. Keshan disease occur problems of the heart muscles from lack of selenium.
144. Bright’s disease (or nephritis) is the inflammation of the kidney.
145. In a particular type of malaria the patient’s urine changes to a dark colour as a result of the red blood cells getting ruined. This is known as Black-water fever.
146. Lack of hormones produced by the adrenal glands leads to a disease known as Addison’s disease.
147. Malfunctioning of thyroid glands leads to improper physical and mental growth.
148. Poisonous gases like hydrogen sulfide, hydrocyanic acid, carbon monoxide and carcinogens are present in cigarette smoke. They cause sore throat, cancer.
149. Gastroenteritis is the inflammation of the stomach and intestines; can be caused by Salmonella enteritidis.
150. Colon is the part of the body affected in Gardner’s syndrome.
151. Albinism is a genetic disorder; is the congenital absence of pigmentation in the eyes and skin and hair; absence of tyrosinase enzyme causes albinism.
152. Tyrosinemia is an autosomal recessive defect in tyrosine metabolism resulting in liver and kidney disturbances and mental retardation.
153. Sickle-cell anaemia is a congenital form of anemia occurring mostly in blacks; characterized by abnormal blood cells having a crescent shape.
154. Gaucher's disease is a rare chronic disorder of lipid metabolism of genetic origin.
155. Stroke is a disease wherein the blood supply to an area of the brain is interrupted.
156. Haemophilia is a congenital tendency to uncontrolled bleeding; usually affects males and is transmitted from mother to son (genetic disease).
157. Ascites is a disease when an abdominal cavity get filled with fluid.
158. The expanding of an artery leads to a weak and swollen area and is known as aneurysm.
159.  Migraine is a severe recurring vascular headache (on one side of the head); occurs more frequently in women than men.
160. A disease of the lungs is common among potters from breathing in of dust. This disease is called Potter’s asthma.
161. The term Oariopathy refer to ovarian disease.
162. Gastroparalysis is when the stomach become paralysed.
163. Lack of insulin often leads to diabetes mellitus.
164. Yellow fever is an infectious disease prevalent in Africa and is caused by a virus which is carried by a certain mosquito, which is the Aedes egypti mosquito.