What is narcotic analgesic-apap-caffeine-butalbital-oral, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Butalbital/acetaminophen/caffeine is a combination product used for treating headache. Butalbital is a narcotic that depresses the central nervous system. Acetaminophen is a pain reliever and fever reducer. It is the active compound in Tylenol. Acetaminophen relieves pain by elevating the pain threshold, that is, by requiring a greater...
Heart Failure Symptoms: Congestive, Diastolic & Life Expectancy
Heart failure definition and facts Readers Comments 5 Share Your Story The definition of heart failure is when the heart cannot pump efficiently enough for blood to circulate oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. When the heart becomes weak or when it becomes thickened and stiff, the heart muscle cannot keep up with its workload. Signs and symptoms of heart failure...
Screening Tests for Cancer: Facts on Early Cancer Detection
Cancer Screening Test Facts* *Cancer screening test facts medical author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD Cancer screening tests are tests that look for the presence of cancer in healthy people or people without symptoms of cancer. Cancer screening tests are designed to find cancers at an early stage when they are more treatable. Some cancer screening tests have been found to...
Screening Tests for Cancer: Facts on Early Cancer Detection
Cancer Screening Test Facts* *Cancer screening test facts medical author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD Cancer screening tests are tests that look for the presence of cancer in healthy people or people without symptoms of cancer. Cancer screening tests are designed to find cancers at an early stage when they are more treatable. Some cancer screening tests have been found to...
What Is the Treatment for a Heart Attack?
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 of blood and oxygen, causing...
5 Symptoms of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Types, Treatment & Lifespan
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 related to defects in a...
Insomnia Treatment: Sleep Aids, Stimulants & Home Remedies
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 altitude changes), and stressful events...
Locked-in Syndrome Causes, Statistics & Prognosis
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 causes of locked-in syndrome are...
What Is Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis? Radiology & Treatment
What is hypersensitivity pneumonitis and what are its causes? Readers Comments 8 Share Your Story Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an inflammation of the lung (usually of the very small airways) caused by the body’s immune reaction to small air-borne particles. These particles can be bacteria, mold, fungi, or even inorganic matter. What is acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis? Acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis tends...
What Is the Treatment for a Heart Attack?
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 of blood and oxygen, causing...