Locked-in syndrome facts Locked-in syndrome occurs when a person is quadriplegic and also has no way to produce speech or facial movements. The affected person cannot communicate but is aware of their surroundings; the patient can hear and see and has normal intelligence and reasoning ability but may only communicate with eye movements. The main...
What is insomnia and what causes it? Share Your Story Insomnia is difficulty falling or staying asleep, the absence of restful sleep, or poor quality of sleep. Insomnia is a symptom and not a disease. The most common causes of insomnia are: medications, psychological conditions (for example, depression, anxiety), environmental changes (travel, jet lag, or...
Spinal muscular atrophy definition and facts* Share Your Story *Spinal muscular atrophy facts medically edited by Melissa Conrad Stöppler Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an inherited (hereditary) disease that results in destruction of lower motor neurons, nerve cells in the brain stem and spinal cord that control essential voluntary muscle activity. This genetic disorder is...
What is a heart attack? Readers Comments 2 Share Your Story A heart attack (also known as a myocardial infarction or MI) is the death of heart muscle from the sudden blockage by a blood clot in a coronary artery that supplies blood to the heart. Blockage of a coronary artery deprives the heart muscle...
Vaginal cancer facts* *Vaginal cancer facts by John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP Vaginal cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the vagina. Vaginal cancer is not common. When found in early stages, it can often be cured. There are two main types of vaginal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Risk...
What are vaccine-preventable diseases? Each year, a new vaccine must be prepared that will be effective against the types of influenza viruses that are expected to circulate in the upcoming flu season. These are known as seasonal flu vaccines. Vaccine-preventable diseases are those diseases for which there is a shot that helps the immune system...
Why do people need vaccines? What is immunization? What is immunity? Share Your Story Vaccines are medications that boost our ability to fight off certain diseases. Many of the vaccine-preventable diseases are highly contagious and even fatal in non-immunized individuals (Table 1). Prior to the development of vaccines, these diseases disabled or killed millions of...
What is ciguatera poisoning? Readers Comments 5 Share Your Story Ciguatera is a type of food poisoning. The ciguatera toxin may be found in large reef fish, most commonly barracuda, grouper, red snapper, eel, amberjack, sea bass, and Spanish mackerel. These fish live in coral reef waters between latitudes of 35 degrees south to 35...
Vagus (vagal) nerve stimulation (VNS) definition and facts The vagus nerve is the 10th cranial nerve that supplies motor (muscle) nerve fibers to the throat, larynx, trachea, lungs, heart, esophagus and intestinal tract; it also sends sensory information back to the brain from the ear, tongue, pharynx and larynx. There are two vagus nerves on...
What is ciguatera poisoning? Readers Comments 5 Share Your Story Ciguatera is a type of food poisoning. The ciguatera toxin may be found in large reef fish, most commonly barracuda, grouper, red snapper, eel, amberjack, sea bass, and Spanish mackerel. These fish live in coral reef waters between latitudes of 35 degrees south to 35...