CMA common diseases, conditions and injuries

Cellulitis

Skin is swollen, red, and hot to the touch. Caused by bacteria.

Dermatitis

Red, itchy rash that may include blisters or oily scales. Caused by an allergic reaction.

Eczema

Red, itchy skin and blisters that may crust over. Cause? Not known, hereditary and environmental factors.

Skin cancer: basal cell

Waxy bump or skin sore that does not heal within two months and continues to grow. Caused by damage to DNA of basal cells by exposure to the sun and tanning beds.

Skin cancer: melanoma

A skin mole with specific characteristics. Asymmetrical, border is rough and irregular, color is non uniform and diameter is bigger. Caused by excessive exposure to UVB rays.

Sprain

Painful swelling or bruising of a joint area with decreased mobility. Caused by joint being pushed outside of normal range or motion, leading to damage. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

Osteoporosis

Typically no symptoms. Severe can lead to increased fractures and back pain. Many causes like malnutrition or decreased calcium intake.

Osteoarthritis

Pain with movement in a specific joint, stiffness in joint following periods of inactivity, lack of flexibility. Caused by degeneration of articulate cartilage.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Systemic joint disorder typically starting with pain and decreased mobility in smaller joints, then progressing to larger joints. caused by an autoimmune disorder leading to changes in connective tissues.

Gout

Red, hot, swollen joint. common in big toe. caused by excessive accumulation of uric acid in a joint.

Muscular dystrophy

Chronic and progressive muscle weakness leading to eventual paralysis of groups. Caused by a genetic mutation in gene involved with protecting muscle fibers from damage.

Myopathy

Muscle weakness, cramps, stiffness, spasms, and tetany. Caused by many different disease processes.

Myalgia

Muscle pain. Caused by many things like injury, viral infection, overuse, medications and vaccines.

Repetitive stress disorder (RSD)

Pain, tingling, numbness, swelling. Redness, loss of flexibility and muscle weakness. Caused by repetitive tasks, forceful exertions and other uncomfortable positions.

Shin Splint

Pain and swelling in the lower leg. Caused by repeated stress or the tibia and connective tissues.

Anemia

Fatigue, dizziness, cold extremities, headache, irregular heartbeat. Caused most commonly by blood loss, but can also be dysfunction of the creation of hemoglobin and excessive destruction of red blood cells.

Atherosclerosis

Chest pain, transient ischemic attacks, peripheral artery disease, and kidney disfunction. Caused by hardening of the arteries due to fatty deposits narrowing vessels due to high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.

Congestive heart failure (CHF)

Fatigue, peripheral edema, shortness of breath. Caused by the hearts decreased ability to pump adequately due to heart defects, disease, high blood pressure, or cardiomyopathy.

Hemophilia

Excessive bleeding, frequent bruising. Caused by an absence of clotting factors in the blood as the result of a genetic defect.

Hypertension

Higher than normal blood pressure, headaches, irregular heartbeat rhythms, vision changes, chest pain. Caused by genetics, smoking, obesity, stress, too much salt intake.

Myocardial infarction

Acute chest pain, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, and profuse sweating. Caused by cardiac muscles to die due to atherosclerosis of the coronary artery impacting the cardiac muscle.

Acute renal failure

Decreased urine output, fluid retention, fatigue, shortness of breath, confusion, and nausea. Caused by direct damage to the kidneys causing a change where kidneys cannot filter blood effectively.

Chronic renal failure

Early stages there are no symptoms. Late stages can be high blood pressure, feeling ill and fatigued. Caused by a progressive disease where kidneys cannot adequately filter blood due to many factors.

Renal Calculi (kidney stones)

Severe episodes of back and side pain and pain with urination. Also dark or foul smelling urine, nausea, frequent urination, fever, chills. Caused by hard crystalline deposits forming in the urine due to abnormally high levels of certain substances in the body

Urinary incontinence

leakage of urine. Caused by lack of bladder control sometimes triggered by coughing, lifting, or sneezing.

Urinary Tracy Infection (UTI)

Persistent urge to urinate, burning with urination, strong smelling or cloudy urine, pelvic or flank pain. Caused by an infection in the urinary system most commonly caused by E. Coli.

Appendicitis

Pain in the lower right abdomen, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal swelling, fever. Caused by inflammation of the appendix due to blockage of the opening of the appendix, leading to multiplying bacteria in appendix.

Celiac disease

Anemia, diarrhea, gas, bloating, weight loss, fatigue. Caused by an immune response triggered by gluten leading to the damage of the small intestine and inability to absorb nutrients.

Colorectal Cancer

Early stages: no symptoms. Late stages symptoms are nonspecific but can include fatigue, irregular bowel movements, and blood in feces. Caused by cancer of the colon. Risk factors are a high fat diet, family history and an inflammatory bowel disease.

Diverticulosis

Asymptomatic unless inflamed. When inflamed, pain in the lower left abdomen, fever, chills, nausea and vomiting. Caused by herniations through the muscular wall of the colon.

Gastroesoph ageal reflux disease (GERD)

Heartburn, nausea after eating, difficulty swallowing. Caused by lower esophageal sphincter muscle disfunction leading to stomach contents leaking back up.

Acute respiratory distress (ARDS)

Shortness of breath, low blood pressure and rapid breathing. Caused by fluid buildup in the alveoli blocking oxygen from flowing into bloodstream following an acute injury.

Asthma

Wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing. Caused by airway inflammation causing lining of air passages to swell and tighten.

Bronchitis

Shortness of breath, fever, chills, fatigue, coughing, and production of mucus. Acute is caused by viral illnesses. Chronic is caused by smoking.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Chest tightness, productive cough, wheezing, shortness of breath with activity. Caused by disease where airflow is blocked from lungs. Mainly caused by smoking.

Rhinitis

Sneezing, coughing, runny nose, watering eyes, pressure in ears. Caused by irritation and inflammation of the mucous membrane in the nose. Can also be triggered by allergens in the air.

Alzheimer’s Disease

Memory loss, impaired judgement or language, inability to perform activities of daily living, inability to reason, paranoia and agitation. Caused by progressive destruction of brain cells

Cerebral concussion

Distorted vision, headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light or noise, inability to concentrate. Caused by traumatic injury to the brain.

Sciatica

Pain radiating from lumbar spine down to buttocks and down the back of the leg. Caused by compression of the sciatic nerve due to herniated disc, bone spur, or tumor.

Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA; Stroke)

FAST. Facial muscle weakness, Arm droop, Speech abnormalities, Time (occurs suddenly). Caused by a decrease in blood supply in brain or a rupture of a blood vessel in the brain

Shingles

Blisters and pain on the skin in a bandlike pattern that follows the path of the affected nerves. Caused by the varicella zoster virus, can lay dormant for years.

Cushing syndrome

Excessive fat deposits in the subscapular area and face. Caused most often by overuse of oral corticosteroid meds.