Diagnosis: Chest X-ray

Diagnosis: Chest X-ray: "What is a chest X-ray? A chest X-ray is a radiology test that involves e xposing the chest briefly to radiation to produce an image o..."

electrogastrogram

What is an electrogastrogram?



An electrogastrogram is similar to an electrocardiogram (EKG)

of the heart. It is a recording of the
electrical signals that travel through

the muscles of the stomach and control the
muscles' contraction.



When is an electrogastrogram used?



An electrogastrogram is used when there is a suspicion that

the muscles of the stomach or the nerves
controlling the muscles are not working normally.

Usually this suspicion arises when there
is a problem with recurrent nausea and vomiting, signs

that the stomach is not emptying food
normally. If the electrogastrogram is abnormal,

 it confirms that the problem
probably is with the stomach's muscles or the nerves that control the muscles.

 The electrogastrogram can be
considered an experimental

procedure since its exact role in the
diagnosis of diseases of the stomach has not been defined yet.



How is an electrogastrogram done?



For an electrogastrogram, several electrodes are taped onto the abdomen over

the stomach in the same manner as
electrodes on the chest for an electrocardiogram. The electrodes

 sense the electrical signals coming
from the stomach's muscles, and the signals are recorded on a computer for
analysis

. Recordings are

 made both fasting and after a meal
with the patient lying quietly. The study takes two or three hours.



How are the results of the electrogastrogram
evaluated?



In normal individuals there is a regular electrical rhythm

 generated by the muscles of the
stomach--just as in the heart--and the power (voltage)

of the electrical current increases after
the meal. In patients with abnormalities of the muscles

or nerves of the stomach, the rhythm often
is irregular or there is no post-meal increase in electrical power.



Are there any side effects of an
electrogastrogram?



There are no side effects. The study is painless.



Are there alternatives to the electrogastrogram?



No, there are no alternatives; however, other studies, for example,
antro-duodenal motility studies

or gastric emptying studies may give
additional information since abnormal electrical activity of the

stomach often results in abnormal muscular
activity and reduced emptying of food from the stomach.

Osteomyelitis

What is
osteomyelitis?


Osteomyelitis is infection in the bone. Osteomyelitis can

occur in infants,
children, and adults. Different types of bacteria typically

 affect the
different age groups. In children, osteomyelitis most commonly occurs at the

ends of the long
bones of the arms and legs, affecting

 the
hips, knees, shoulders, and wrists. In adults, it is more common in the bones of
the spine (vertebrae) or in the pelvis.



What causes osteomyelitis?



There are several different ways to develop osteomyelitis.

 The first is
for bacteria to travel through the bloodstream (bacteremia) and spread

to the bone,
causing an infection. This most often occurs when the patient has an infection
elsewhere in the body,

 such as
pneumonia or a urinary tract infection, that spreads through the blood to the
bone.



An open wound over a bone can lead to osteomyelitis. An open fracture where the
bone

 punctures
through the skin is also a potential cause.



A recent surgery or injection around a bone can also expose the bone to bacteria
and lead to osteomyelitis.



Patients with conditions or taking medications that

weaken their immune
system are at a higher risk

of developing
osteomyelitis. These include patients with cancer, chronic steroid use, sickle
cell disease,

 human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), diabetes, hemodialysis, intravenous drug users,
and the elderly.

Definition Health insurance

Definition

Health insurance
 helps protect you from high medical

care costs. Many people in the United States get a

health insurance policy through their employers. In most

cases, the employer helps pay for that insurance. Insurance through employers is

often with a managed care plan. These plans contract

with health care providers and medical facilities to provide

care for members at reduced costs.

You can also purchase
 health insurance on your own. It usually costs you more than employer-based insurance.

People who meet certain requirements can qualify for
 government health insurance, such as Medicare and

Medicaid. If you do not have health insurance, you must pay your medical
 bills directly or rely on health care providers or organizations that donate care.

Women's Health

Women's Health

Disease Prevention in Women Slideshow

Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR



Introduction



Women and men share many similar health problems but women also have their own
health
 issues, which deserve special consideration.



Today women's health is coming to be viewed as a distinctive field. Why should
it be separate
 from the rest of health? The answer is two-fold.
An area devoted to women's health:



1. Makes finding
information about women's health matters faster; and it

2. Focuses directly on
topics that are major health concerns for women.



Women's lives have changed over the centuries. Historically, life was
particularly difficult for
most women. Aside from the numerous dangers and
diseases, women became wives and mothers often when they
 were just emerging from their own childhood. Many
women had a multitude of pregnancies which may or
 may not have been wanted. In the past, childbirth
itself was risky and not infrequently led to the death
of the mother. Most women in the past did not live long
enough to be concerned about menopause or old age.



In 1900, a woman's life span was about 50 years. Now, in the new millennium,
life expectancy for
American women is 82 years of age, and continuing to
rise. Not only are women living longer, but they also have the
possibility of enjoying a better quality of life
throughout their span of years. But to do this, it is essential that women take
charge of their
 own bodies and comprehend how they can maximize
their health. It is also helpful that men
 understand and are supportive of the health
concerns of the women.



Gynecology is the primary branch of medical science concerned with women's
health.
The word "gynecology" is a word consisting of "gyneco,"
meaning "woman," and "logic," meaning "knowledge." Taken together, it is "woman
knowledge."



It is important that every woman has access to knowledge related to the spectrum

of women's health issues, not only about her
reproductive system, but about all aspects of her body (as below):



* General Health and Wellness

* Female Anatomy

* The Female Reproductive System

* Female Hormones

* Diseases More Common In Women

* Cancer In Women

* Women's Cosmetic Concerns

* Menstruation

* Sexuality

* Fertility, Birth Control and Infertility

* Pregnancy

* Motherhood

* Menopause

* The Mature Woman - Post Menopause

* Find a local Obstetrician-Gynecologist in your town



General Health and Wellness



There is credible information available to women not only on
such problems as eating disorders, stress, alcoholism,
addictions, and depression, but also on basic topics
 such as good nutrition and exercise. For example,
it is beneficial that a woman maintain her optimum weight. If a woman's waist
size measures more than 35 inches (89 cm),
 she is more likely to develop heart disease, high
blood pressure, and diabetes.
 Eating sensible meals, eliminating after- dinner
snacks, and making physical activity a part of daily life
are significant ways to help control weight and lower
the risk of a long list of health problems.



Smoking is detrimental to a woman's health (or to anyone else's). Unfortunately,
women continue to
 smoke despite the known health risks. Even though
the number of women smoking is declining, still about
19% of women in the U.S. were smokers in 2003. Women
are smoking in spite of the well-publicized risks
of lung disease including cancer, heart disease, and
innumerable other health problems now linked to smoking.



Drinking an excessive amount of alcohol is also harmful to health. Although
women typically begin drinking at a later age than men and tend to
drink somewhat less, women need lower doses of alcohol
before developing alcohol-related medical problems such as cirrhosis and
hepatitis.



Women should be aware that they metabolize a number of drugs differently than
men.
 In some cases and for some medications, the rate
may be slower, and in other cases, faster.
 It is, therefore, essential that women are well
informed about the kinds and correct dosages of drugs they are taking.

What does AIDS stand for? What causes AIDS?

What does AIDS stand for? What causes AIDS?
 AIDS stands for "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome."

AIDS is a disease that weakens the immune system to the point where an
 affected person is vulnerable to a wide range
 of infections and cancers that result in death if not treated
. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The virus is
 spread through contact with infected blood or secretions. At first (stage 1 HIV infection),
there is little evidence of harm. Over time, the virus attacks the immune system, focusing on special

cells called "CD4 cells" which are important in protecting the body from infections and cancers,

and the number of these cells starts to fall (stage 2). Eventually, the CD4 cells fall to a

critical level and/or the immune system is weakened so much that it can no longer
 fight off certain types of infections and cancers. This advanced stage of infection (stage 3)

with HIV is called AIDS.

HIV
is a very small virus that contains ribonucleic acid (RNA) as its genetic material. (Animal
 cells, plant cells, bacteria, parasites, and some viruses use deoxyribonucleic
 acid [DNA] as their primary genetic material rather than RNA.) When HIV infects animal cells, it uses a

special enzyme, reverse transcriptase, to turn (transcribe) its RNA into
 DNA which, in turn, directs the formation of HIV RNA that can

be used to form new HIV. This is different from the way human cells reproduce

(directly transcribing their DNA into RNA), so HIV is classified as a "retrovirus."
 When HIV reproduces, it is prone to making small genetic mistakes o
r mutations, resulting in viruses that vary slightly from each other.
 This ability to create minor variations allows HIV to evade the body's

immunologic defenses, essentially leading to lifelong infection, and has made
 it difficult to make an effective vaccine. The mutations also allow HIV to become resistant to medications.

Heart disease

Introduction to heart disease?


The heart is like any other muscle, requiring blood
to supply oxygen and nutrients for it to function.

The heart's needs are provided by the coronary

arteries, which begin at the base of
 the aorta and spread across
 the surface of the heart, branching out to all
areas of the heart muscle.

The coronary arteries are at risk for narrowing as cholesterol deposits,

called plaques, build up inside the artery. If the
arteries narrow enough,
 blood supply to the heart muscle may be
compromised (slowed down),
 and this slowing of blood flow to the heart
causes pain, or angina.

A heart attack or myocardial infarction occurs when a plaque ruptures,
 allowing a blood clot to form. This completely
obstructs the artery
, stopping blood flow to part of the heart muscle,
and that portion of muscle dies.



What are the risk factors for heart disease

Risk factors for heart disease include:

Smoking





High blood pressure (hypertension)





High cholesterol





Diabetes





Family history





Peripheral artery disease





Obesity



What are the symptoms of heart disease?


The typical symptoms of coronary artery disease
are associated chest pain with shortness of breath.
Classically, the
pain of angina is described as a pressure or
heaviness behind the breast bone with radiation
to the jaw and down the arm accompanied by shortness
of breath and sweating. Unfortunately,
angina has a variety of presentations, and there may
not even be specific chest pain.
 There may be shoulder or back ache, nausea,
indigestion or upper abdominal pain.

Women, the elderly, and people with diabetes may have different perceptions
 of pain or have no discomfort at all. Instead,
they may complain of malaise or fatigue.

Healthcare providers and patients may have difficulty understanding each other
when
symptoms of angina are described. Patients may
experience pressure or tightness but may
deny any complaints of pain.

People with coronary artery disease usually have gradual progression of their
symptoms over
time. As an artery narrows over time, the symptoms
that it causes may increase in frequency
 and/or severity. Healthcare providers may
inquire about changes in exercise tolerance
(How far can you walk before getting symptoms? Is it
to the mailbox?
 Up a flight of stairs?) and whether there has
been an acute change in the symptoms.

Once again, patients may be asymptomatic until a heart attack occurs. Of course,
some
 patients also may be in denial as to their
symptoms and procrastinate in seeking care.