Diseases/Illnesses A

Abdominal aortic aneurysm

An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a swelling (aneurysm) of the aorta. Symptoms include:

Treatment for an Abdominal aortic aneurysm

Surgery, Quitting Smoking, and medications to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure

Achilles tendinopathy

Pain, stiffness and swelling of the Achilles tendon

Treatment for Achilles Tendinopathy

RICE (Rest, Ice (20 min), Compression, Elevation), Physical Therapy, NSAID (Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) Medications (Ibuprofen, naproxen). If conservative treatmens fail, advanced treatments include: Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT), Ultrasound-Guided Injections, Needle Tenotomy, Gua Sha/Muscle Scraping, and Surgery.

Acne

Acne is a common skin condition that often develops on the face, back or chest. It causes spots, oily skin, deeper cysts and sometimes skin that’s hot or painful to touch.Tr

Treatment of Acne

Over-the-counter (OTC) options like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid for mild cases to prescription retinoids, oral antibiotics, hormonal therapies, and isotretinoin for moderate to severe acne

Acute cholecystitis

Acute cholecystitis is swelling (inflammation) of the gallbladder. It is a potentially serious condition that usually needs to be treated in hospital.

Symptoms: A sudden sharp pain in the upper right side of your tummy (abdomen) that spreads towards your right shoulder, Fever, nausea and vomiting, sweating, loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice), a bulge in the abdomen.

Treatment of Acute Cholecystitis

initial supportive care (IV fluids, pain meds, antibiotics, fasting) in the hospital to calm inflammation, followed by surgery (cholecystectomy—gallbladder removal). For high risk patients Gallbladder Drainage: A Cholecystostomy tube can be placed to drain the gallbladder, serving as a bridge to later surgery.

Acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukaemia (also called AML or AML leukemia) is a cancer of the blood cells. If you have leukaemia your body makes some abnormal blood cells. These leukaemia cells behave differently from healthy blood cells. Acute means that it develops quickly and needs to be treated straight away.

Symptoms:

• being pale and tired because you have a low number of red blood cells (anaemia)

• getting infections because you have too few healthy infection fighting white blood cells

  • unusual bleeding, such as bleeding gums or nose bleeds, or bruising due to low levels of platelets, which help the blood to clot

Treatment for Acute myeloid leukaemia

Chemotherapy, targeted therapy, Stem cell transplant, and radiation therapy. Blood transfusions, Infection prevention, and symptom management are all done as supportive care.

Acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is a serious condition where the pancreas becomes inflamed over a short period of time. The pancreas is a small organ located behind the stomach and below the ribcage.

Symptoms:

suddenly getting severe pain in the center of your abdomen (tummy)

feeling or being sick

diarrhea

Acute respiratory infection (ARI)

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) affect parts of the body that are used for breathing, such as the sinuses, throat or lungs and airways.

Symptoms:

a new continuous cough

sneezing

a blocked or runny nose

a sore throat

a headache

muscle aches

shortness of breath, tight chest or wheezing

a high temperature (fever) – this is usually about 38°C or higher (100.4°F)

feeling generally unwell

feeling tired or have a lack of energy

Treatment for Acute respiratory infection (ARI)

Rest, Fluids, Tylenol/Ibuprofen, Saline nasal sprays, decongestants, Saltwater gargles, honey, lozenges, and avoiding smoking. For sever cases treatments may include Oxygen, IV fluids, nebulized treatments, or mechanical ventilation.

Addison’s disease

Addison’s disease (also known as primary adrenal insufficiency or hypoadrenalism) is a rare disorder of the adrenal glands.The adrenal glands are 2 small glands that sit on top of the kidneys. They produce essential hormones: cortisol, aldosterone and adrenaline. In Addison’s disease, the adrenal gland is damaged, and not enough cortisol and aldosterone are produced.

Symptoms:

To start with you may expierence Depression or the Flu followed by, fatigue (lack of energy or motivation), muscle weakness, low mood, loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss, and increased thirst. As time goes on you also may expierence Dizziness, fainting, cramps, and exhaustion along with small areas of darkened skin, or darkened lips or gums.

Treatment of Addison's disease

Hormone replacement therapy (corticosteroids like hydrocortisone (for cortisol) and fludrocortisone (for aldosterone) to mimic natural levels, increased salt intake. For an emergency treatment would include injectable steroids, and hospitalization.

Adenomyosis

Adenomyosis is a condition that causes the lining of the womb (the endometrium) to bury into the muscular wall of the womb. It can affect the whole womb or just one part of the womb.

Symptoms:

heavy periods that last for a long time

severe period pain

a feeling of pressure in your tummy

bloating (your tummy sticks out more than normal)

Treatment of Adenomyosis

Homronal therapies (pills, IUDs, injections), anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)), or nonhormonal meds like tranexamic acid. Can be cured through hysterectomy (uterus removal), and managed while keeping fertility through Uterine artery embolization (UAE), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), or focused ultrasound (HIFU) exist.

ARLD (Alcohol-related liver disease)

Alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) refers to liver damage caused by excess alcohol intake. There are several stages of severity and a range of associated symptoms.

Symptoms (Usually only after severe liver damage by alcohol consumption):

feeling sick

weight loss

loss of appetite

yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice)

swelling in the ankles and tummy

confusion or drowsiness

vomiting blood or passing blood in your stools

Treatment of ARLD (Alcohol-related liver disease)

Alcohol abstinence for Fatty liver, alcoholic fibrosis, and alcoholic cirrhosis, while corticosteroids and pentoxifylline can help to treat alcoholic heptatis (inflammation of the liver).

Allergic rhinitis (Hay Fever)

Allergic rhinitis is inflammation (redness and swelling) of the inside of the nose. It’s caused by an allergen, such as pollen, dust, mold, or flakes of skin from certain animals. It’s a very common condition. For most people it’s easy to treat with medicines from a pharmacist.

Symptoms:

sneezing

itchiness

a blocked or runny nose

(cold like symptoms)

Allergic rhinitis treatment (Hay Fever)

avoiding triggers, using medications like first-line nasal corticosteroids to reduce inflammation, antihistamines for itching/sneezing, decongestants for stuffiness, and potentially leukotriene inhibitors; for severe cases, allergy shots (immunotherapy) offer long-term relief by desensitizing the body to allergens. Saline rinses also help clear nasal passages, while eye drops can soothe itchy eyes.

Alzheimer’s disease

Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of conditions that affect different brain functions, including memory. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is most common in people over 65. But, people under 65 can also develop it. Alzheimer’s affects slightly more women than men.

Symptoms:

This is a progressive condition meaning that the symptoms develop gradually and become more severe over time. Memory problems, loss of interest in day to day activities, forgetting about recent conversations, events or the names of places, along with confusion, disorientation, getting lost in familiar places, difficulty planning or making decisions, problems with speech and language, problems moving around without help, difficulty performing self-care tasks, stress and distress, hallucinations, delusions, and low mood or anxiety.

Alzheimer’s disease treatment

Colinesterase Inhibitors such as Donepezil, Galantamine, and Rivstagmine (which boost acetylcholine (For mild to moderate stages)), Mematine (Namenda which is the actual drug while mematine is the generic drug) which regulates glutamate, helping with more severe stages, Anti-Amyloid Immunotherapies (Such as Lecanemab, and Donanemab) which targed amyloid plaques, slowing decline in early Alzheimer's but have side effects are are not for everyone, and for behavioral symptoms antidepressants or antipsychotics may be used. The non drug therapies and lifestyle that is used to treat the condition are cognitive therapies such as Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) and cognitive rehabilitation, Using past memories to improve mood, physical activity, Healthy diet along with good sleep and hygiene, reducing clutter and maintaining routines, and controlling other conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and hydration.

Anal cancer

Anal cancer is a cancer that starts in the anus. The anus is the opening at the end of the large bowel, which is part of the digestive system. It is where you pass poo (stools) out of the body. It is part of the large bowel which includes the colon and rectum.

Symptoms:

bleeding from the anus

pain

itching or discomfort around the anus

Anaphylaxis (anaphylactic shock)

Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that can develop rapidly

Symptoms:

itchy skin or a raised, red skin rash

swollen eyes, lips, hands and feet

feeling lightheaded or faint

swelling of the mouth, throat or tongue, which can cause breathing and swallowing difficulties

wheezing

abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting

collapse and unconsciousness

Anaphylaxis (anaphylactic shock) treatment

Involves administering Epinephrine (EpiPen) immediately into the thigh, positioning the person based on their symptoms (If dizzy or faint: lie down flat with legs raised, If Having trouble breathing: Sit up to make breathing easier, If unconsicious: Move to the recover period (on their side), if symptoms don't improve within 5-15 minutes a second dose of Epinephrine should be administered into the OTHER thigh. Once in a hosptial the treatment is Epinephrine as injection or IV drip, Oxygen, Antihistamines & Corticosteroids which are given intravenously or orally, Beta-agonist (such as albuterol), IV Fluids (to help with blood pressure (shock)), and they are usually kept for 2-24 hours to check for Biphasic reaction (Risk of reaction happening again without the trigger up to 74 hours after the initial reaction with median times at 4-22 hours after the intial reaction).

Angina

Angina is chest pain which occurs when the blood supply to the heart becomes restricted because of narrowing or blockages in the blood vessels around the heart. NOT A HEART ATTACK, and is usually caused by physical activity.

Symptoms:

feel like a dull pain, ache, ‘heavy’ or ‘tight’ feeling in your chest

spread to your arms, neck, jaw or back

be triggered by physical exertion

Treatment for Angina

Nitrates (nitroglycerin) that relax and widen blood vessels to increase blood flow to the heart which come in pills, sprays or patches for immediate relief or prevention, Antiplatelets (Aspirin, Clopidrogrel which prevent blood clots from forming in narrowed arteries, Beta-blockers which slow the heart rate and reduce force, lowering blood pressure and heart's demand for oxygen, Calcium channel blockers whic hrelax and widen blood vessels, improving blood flow, Statins which lower cholesterol and stabilize plaque in arties, ACE Inhibitors/ARBs which manage blood pressure, Ranolazine which is used for chronic agina when other treatments aren't enough. Procedures and therapies that may be used for an Angina would be to place a Stent (Angioplasty) which is a balloon used to open blocked arteries, often with a stent placed to keep it open, Coronary ARtery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery which creates new paths for blood to flow around blocked arteries, and Cardiac Rehabilitation which is supervised exercise and educaiton on diet and lifestlye. As for lifestyle yo uwill need to quit smoking, adopt a heart-healthy diet, engage in regular, doctor-approved excersies, and manage your stress.